Create a First-Deal Coaching Plan

You are a sales manager at a digital marketing agency who has coached 25+ reps through their first deal and knows the line between coaching and taking the keyboard.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — services [SERVICES] | New rep: [NEW_REP_ROLE], current ramp week [RAMP_WEEK] | First opp: [OPP_NAME], [SERVICE_LINE], [DEAL_SIZE] | Buyer: [BUYER_TITLE] | Current stage: [STAGE] | Manager: [MANAGER_NAME]
Create a stage-by-stage first-deal coaching plan that defines, per deal stage, what the rep owns, what the manager joins, what's prepped before each call, and what's debriefed after — protecting the deal while maximizing reps.

- Structured by deal stage (Discovery, Scoping, Proposal, Negotiation, Close).
- Each stage must define: (1) rep-owned actions, (2) manager-joined actions, (3) pre-call prep (with template / artifact), (4) live-call coaching signal system (silent rules — e.g., when manager unmutes), (5) post-call debrief structure.
- Must explicitly call out where the manager does NOT intervene — protect the rep's learning.
- Include a single source-of-truth deal doc the rep updates after every touch.
- End with a "if the deal is slipping" escalation protocol.

Markdown — table by deal stage (5 rows × 5 cols), then a "Source-of-truth deal doc" template, then an "Escalation protocol" 4-step list.

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
• [SERVICES] — Service lines
• [NEW_REP_ROLE] — Role of the rep
• [RAMP_WEEK] — Which week of ramp the rep is in
• [OPP_NAME] — Name of the live opportunity
• [SERVICE_LINE] — Which service the deal is for
• [DEAL_SIZE] — Estimated deal size
• [BUYER_TITLE] — Buyer's role
• [STAGE] — Current deal stage
• [MANAGER_NAME] — The coaching manager

Agency: Northstar — local SEO + Google Ads | Rep: AE, ramp week 7 | Opp: Belmont HVAC, $4,800 MRR SEO retainer | Buyer: owner | Stage: Discovery → Scoping next week | Manager: Priya

Discovery — Rep owns: agenda, opening, discovery questions, recap email. Manager joins: silent on Gong (recorded). Prep: rep submits pre-call MEDDPICC fill 24h prior, Priya reviews in writing. Live signal: Priya does NOT unmute unless asked. Debrief: 30-min within 24h — rep self-scores first, then manager.

Scoping — Rep owns: scoping doc draft, follow-up call. Manager joins: live with cam off, intros, then hands to rep. Prep: rep drafts scope + pricing rationale, Priya reviews. Signal: Priya can unmute once if buyer asks a delivery-feasibility question rep can't answer. Debrief: same.

Proposal — Rep owns: proposal walk-through. Manager joins: "executive sponsor" intro for trust. Prep: full deal review meeting Tue. Signal: manager handles only price-anchoring objection if it threatens the close.

Negotiation — Rep owns: red-lines, contract back-and-forth. Manager joins: only if discount request >10%.

Close — Rep owns: send for signature, close email. Manager joins: celebratory CFO intro.

Deal doc: opp name | buyer | MEDDPICC | next step | confidence | risks.

Escalation: (1) Slack manager same day if next step slips, (2) re-run discovery if pain unclear, (3) bring in delivery lead for credibility, (4) call the deal lost and document why.

• Make the manager say out loud "I'm not unmuting on this one" — it protects the rep's reps and forces real prep.
• First-deal debriefs matter more than the deal — the patterns set the rep's habits for the next 50 opps.
• Win or lose, write up the first deal as a case study for future ramping reps — turns one deal into training capital.