# The Sales Growth Playbook

> Twenty agents. 1.2 humans. $2.4M closed. Hybrid beats autonomous above $25K ACV.

*P04 · Module M2 — First Functions · The CEO AI Playbook by Stephen Forte*

Canonical: https://academy.buildclub.com/m2/p04-sales-growth

## Thesis

Hybrid beats autonomous above $25K ACV.

## Key Takeaways

- Hybrid beats autonomous above $25K ACV.
- $2.4M — closed revenue in eight months.
- 1.2 — humans compressed from eight.
- 20 — AI agents running in parallel.
- Score your deal segments by ACV against the $25K line.

## The Playbook

1. **Score by ACV** — Segment every deal above and below the $25K line.
2. **Build the cell** — Three roles in a loop — Planner (which prospects), Generator (draft outreach), Evaluator (score responses). Not a chatbot.
3. **Wire to one rep** — One human, one workflow, one data source. No portfolio launch.
4. **Measure outcome** — Revenue per cell, not seats. Closed-won, not activities.
5. **Replicate** — Only after the unit economics are proven on one cell.

## Key Numbers

- **$2.4M** — closed revenue in eight months. (SaaStr / Jason Lemkin)
- **1.2** — humans compressed from eight. (SaaStr / Jason Lemkin)
- **20** — AI agents running in parallel. (SaaStr / Jason Lemkin)

## What to Do Monday

- Score your deal segments by ACV against the $25K line.
- Pick the one segment where hybrid wins — build the first cell there.
- Name the three agent roles — Planner (target list), Generator (outreach drafts), Evaluator (response scoring) — and which tool plays each.
- Define the one outcome metric the cell must move (closed-won, not activities).
- Name the human who closes — that person runs the first cell.

## FAQ

**What is the core idea of The Sales Growth Playbook?**

Hybrid beats autonomous above $25K ACV.

**What does the data say a CEO should pay attention to?**

$2.4M closed revenue in eight months. 1.2 humans compressed from eight.

**What should a CEO do Monday morning after reading The Sales Growth Playbook?**

Start here: Score your deal segments by ACV against the $25K line; Pick the one segment where hybrid wins — build the first cell there; Name the three agent roles — Planner (target list), Generator (outreach drafts), Evaluator (response scoring) — and which tool plays each.

**What are the steps in The Sales Growth Playbook?**

1) Score by ACV; 2) Build the cell; 3) Wire to one rep; 4) Measure outcome; 5) Replicate.

**Where do the claims in The Sales Growth Playbook come from?**

The playbook cites Jason Lemkin, SaaStr (public documentation); Jason Lemkin, SaaStr; Jason Lemkin (founder, SaaStr — largest SaaS founder community); TechCrunch — 11x customer churn and fabricated logos reporting (2024–2025).

## Sources

- [Jason Lemkin, SaaStr (public documentation)](https://www.saastr.com/)
- [Jason Lemkin, SaaStr](https://www.saastr.com/)
- [Jason Lemkin (founder, SaaStr — largest SaaS founder community)](https://www.saastr.com/)
- [TechCrunch — 11x customer churn and fabricated logos reporting (2024–2025)](https://techcrunch.com/)
- [The Information — autonomous-SDR retreat (2025)](https://www.theinformation.com/)
- [Lemkin / SaaStr](https://www.saastr.com/)
- Clay / PUMP case (public)
- A-LIGN (industry press)

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