> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Three practical starting paths

Choose the task closest to what you are doing today. Each path brings together a guide, a working file you can copy, and a filled example to help you get started. Skip what you already know and return when another question comes up.

**Reading edited:** 2026-09-12

The examples are fictional teaching examples, not customer results or recommended performance targets. Replace the sample assumptions with evidence from your own work.

## Find your first customers

Use this path when you have a product idea but need to decide which buyers to approach first.

1. Read the [ICP field test](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/01-strategy-and-buyers/icp#10-minute-field-test). Write down the business problem, the person responsible, and what they do today.
2. Make a private copy of the [wedge card](../templates/wedge.md). Choose one audience and one use case; name the alternatives and the boundaries of the test.
3. Use [first ten customers](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/01-strategy-and-buyers/first-ten-customers) to plan conversations that can challenge those assumptions. Record what people actually say separately from your interpretation.

**Example wedge card:** A fictional software team explores appointment coordination for independent repair shops.

| Field             | Illustrative entry                                                                   |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Audience          | The owner or service manager who schedules repair appointments                       |
| Use case          | Keep appointment changes visible to the staff handling calls                         |
| Named alternative | A shared calendar and handwritten notes; confirm this in interviews                  |
| Advantage to test | Staff can find the latest appointment status without asking the owner; unproven      |
| Boundary          | Explore appointment coordination first; exclude invoicing and inventory              |
| Next action       | Ask a relevant manager to walk through a recent schedule change and its consequences |

**Ready for review when:** the card names an audience, a job, an alternative, supporting evidence, unanswered questions, and the next conversation. Do not claim validation or a performance advantage until the evidence supports it.

## Prepare and review an outreach test

Use this path when you know the intended buyer and need a small, explainable outreach plan.

1. Read [account research](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/05-outbound-and-prospecting/account-research). Record why each account fits and which facts support the proposed message.
2. Fill a private copy of the [message-market-fit card](../templates/message-market-fit.md). Define the offer, the reason to respond, and what you need to learn.
3. Choose [cold email](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/05-outbound-and-prospecting/cold-email) or [LinkedIn outbound](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/05-outbound-and-prospecting/linkedin-outbound). Use one suitable route first; add a [multichannel sequence](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/05-outbound-and-prospecting/multichannel-sequence) only when the extra step has a purpose.

**Example outreach brief:** The same fictional repair-shop team prepares a message after a manager has described coordination problems in a discovery conversation.

| Field         | Illustrative entry                                                                                                                                                               |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Evidence      | The manager described staff checking with them after appointment changes                                                                                                         |
| Offer         | Review one recent schedule change together and show a relevant workflow if useful                                                                                                |
| Draft         | “You mentioned that staff check with you when appointments move. Would it be useful to walk through one recent change together and see whether a shared status view would help?” |
| Unknown       | Whether the problem is frequent enough to justify a change                                                                                                                       |
| Review record | Contact basis, message, date, response, objection, and agreed next action                                                                                                        |

**Ready for review when:** each message has a verifiable reason, an appropriate contact route, a clear ask, and an owner. After an authorized test, separate substantive replies, agreed next steps, declines, and delivery failures. Use the evidence to revise the offer; silence alone does not explain why it failed.

## Plan a trade-show follow-up workflow

Use this path when deciding how an event should contribute to specific account conversations.

1. Read [event marketing](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/06-account-field-and-partner/event-marketing). State the audience, account objective, effort, and decision that would justify attending.
2. Use [trade shows](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks/06-account-field-and-partner/trade-shows) to plan qualification questions, roles, and follow-up before the event.
3. Make a private copy of the [show capture sheet](../templates/show-capture.md). Record the business context and agreed next action for each conversation.

**Example capture record:** A fictional team meets a service-operations manager at an industry event.

| Field               | Illustrative entry                                                                      |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Business job        | Coordinate appointment changes across staff                                             |
| Evidence            | The manager describes a recent handoff problem; the team has not verified its frequency |
| Missing information | Who else approves a workflow change and which system holds the schedule                 |
| Agreed action       | Send the requested workflow example the next business day; sales owner follows up       |
| Rank                | Next-step, because an action and timing were agreed                                     |
| Pipeline treatment  | Record the conversation and action; do not count a badge scan as an opportunity         |

**Ready for review when:** the event plan identifies target accounts, responsibilities, qualification questions, and a follow-up process. After the event, each prioritized record has evidence, an owner, and a dated next action. Review whether those actions happened before attributing commercial results to the event.

## Tell us what happened

If a step is unclear, [open an issue](https://github.com/weilun88313/B2B-Playbook/issues/new) with the page, task, point where you got stuck, and what you expected. If a template helped, describe the decision or output it supported. Remove customer names, contact details, and confidential working data before sharing.

[Browse all playbooks](https://b2-b-playbook.mintlify.app/playbooks) · [Choose another working file](../TEMPLATES.md)

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