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CRM, lead flow and sales techniques · Inbound selling: advise

Keep customer stories you have written permission to use, with figures signed off.

A permissioned proof bank is a folder of short customer stories, each with before and after figures, a quote and written consent to use it. It covers each segment you sell to and says whether the customer will take a reference call. The page ends with a register your rep can search before a meeting.

Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Editorial illustration for Customer case studies

In one paragraph

A permissioned proof bank is a folder of short customer stories, each with before and after figures, a quote and written consent to use it. It covers each segment you sell to and says whether the customer will take a reference call. The page ends with a register your rep can search before a meeting.

A rep is pitching a dental clinic in Indiranagar and remembers a lovely result from a clinic in Pune. The rep cannot remember whether the owner agreed to be named, what the number was, or whether the number was the owner's or the rep's. The story stays in the rep's head, and the deal goes without proof.

A proof bank is the fix: a shared folder where each story has the customer's name, their trade and size, what the starting point was, what changed, the figures they confirmed, one quote in their words and a signed or emailed consent. A sales head can pull a matching story in a minute.

The owner picks the customers, the account manager gathers the numbers, and the sales head keeps the register. It replaces the stories reps tell from memory. It is separate from the published case studies in the sales process section, which are public pages; this bank also holds private stories you can show in a meeting but not on the web.

It feeds the advisor deck's appendix and the reference-call step in the delivery rules.

Where this sits

Topic 6 of 13 in crm, lead flow and sales techniques: inbound selling: advise. Recommending a solution.

The topic before
Inbound selling: explore
The topic after
Lead management

If you want this done for you

Document the whole story of a customer's problem and result, not just a one-line quote.

The work

What this is actually like.

  • “Consent in writing, with a scope”

    An informal yes on a call fades when the customer's staff change. Get an email that says what you may use (name, logo, figures, quote), where (website, deck, a meeting only), and until when. Without a date, the permission becomes a dispute.

  • “The customer owns the numbers”

    If your rep estimates the result, the story is a claim. Ask the customer to state the before and after and to confirm the sentence you wrote. A figure they would repeat to a stranger can go in the deck, and a figure they are unsure about stays out.

  • “Match stories to buyers, not to your best work”

    Your proudest project may be a large one, which a small buyer finds irrelevant. A bank with one story per trade and size band beats ten brilliant ones from the same segment. Gaps in the register show you which customer to ask next.

  • “Reference calls cost the customer something”

    A customer who agrees to a call is giving up time and risking their own reputation. Limit the calls to one a month per customer, brief them on who is calling, and thank them. Use up the goodwill and the stories dry up.

What we do

What you end up with.

The documents this topic produces, what each one is for, and how you know it is finished.

  1. The proof register

    A sheet with one row per story: customer, trade, size, segment, starting point, change, confirmed figures, quote, consent date and scope, reference call yes or no, and the last time it was checked.

    Result: Finished when a rep can filter by trade and find a usable story in under two minutes.

  2. The story page

    A half-page for each customer in plain language: situation, what was done, what changed, one quote. No adjectives the customer did not use.

    Result: Finished when the customer has read the page and replied approving it.

  3. The consent email

    A short template asking permission for named uses, with space for the customer to cross out any they decline. Saved with each story.

    Result: Finished when every story in the register has a consent email attached.

  4. The coverage map

    A grid of trades against buyer size, with the stories filling each cell and blanks marked in red. The owner reviews it each quarter.

    Result: Finished when each red cell has a named customer to approach.

Why us

Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.

  • Marketing and sales, as one job

    Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.

  • The person on the first call does the work

    No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.

  • A baseline before anything starts

    Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.

  • The fee in writing, split three ways

    Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.

  • No guarantees we cannot keep

    The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.

  • One office, and we say so

    Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.

#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.

Your brief

Tell us what you need, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps about your business, what you want and who decides. Most questions are a tap, and you can skip any you would rather answer on the call.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

What if a customer will not let us use their name?
Use an anonymous version that names the trade and city only if they approve that. 'A diagnostic centre in Hyderabad' is a weaker story but a legitimate one. Do not blur a name in a way that lets people work out who it is.
Can I use a result from a past employer?
No. That story belongs to that company and its customer. Only use results from work your own business did and has consent to share.
How many stories do we need?
One for each segment you actively sell to is enough to start. Three solid, approved stories are worth more than twenty half-remembered ones. Add one when a rep hits a meeting with nothing to show.
Do data protection rules apply?
Where a story names or identifies a person, yes. Rules differ by state and change, so check the consent wording with your own lawyer or adviser before the story goes on a public page.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts. For sales work it is mostly our time, with production only where scripts, decks or CRM setup need it.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
Fixes to reply time and follow-up are the quickest to show, because the enquiries already exist. Process, CRM and training changes show as the team uses them. Each one is tracked against the baseline.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
To start, last month's enquiries in any format and time with whoever handles them. After that, access to the accounts the work touches, such as the website, Google Business Profile or CRM.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

Your next practical step

Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.