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The Sales Playbook combines hands-on go-to-market services with a sales enablement product for B2B software teams.
about €1M annual revenue at peak
Start with the messy work buyers already pay for, then productize the repeated parts only after customers show what they value.
Fewer bars = easier, cheaper, or faster for an AI-assisted solo builder. Editorial judgments based on the case details.
The Sales Playbook is Manuel Hartmann’s sales enablement business for B2B companies, especially software startups. Hartmann began by delivering broad hands-on help: market segmentation, LinkedIn outreach, CRM setup, messaging, coaching, and sales process work. The business evolved toward repeatable consulting and a product called Salespeople, intended to keep company messaging and sales narratives in one place. Hartmann said the first deal was €200, later services reached about €1M annual revenue, and the company served more than 320 clients. During the pandemic boom, individual engagements could reach €30,000–€70,000. He also discussed extending customer lifetime from about four months to 40 months by changing the delivery model. The case illustrates how a service business can discover product opportunities through repeated customer work, while still recognizing that buyers may value implementation and accountability more than standalone software.
Hartmann’s first customers came from his existing professional network and requests from friends and acquaintances who needed help with cold email, CRM, and sales execution.
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Data credibility: The client count, first deal, and annual revenue peak are founder-reported in the interview and were not independently audited. The €200 first deal and roughly €1M annual revenue are distinct figures; the interview does not establish a current revenue run rate.
Hartmann described his first deal as €200, then moved into day-rate engagements and workshops. He noticed that a purely time-based service was difficult to turn into a sustainable business: clients wanted the problem fixed quickly, while the provider’s calendar remained the limit.
The flywheel developed as Hartmann narrowed his work toward B2B software companies and built a record of solving go-to-market problems. A service relationship could deepen when the client saw results and trusted the team to handle more of the sales system.
Hartmann’s business began as a collection of requests rather than a fully formed product. Early on, he accepted varied assignments and learned which buyers had a clear need for structured sales execution.
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