VP Sales Outbound Play

Hiring Signal Outbound Play

by LeadMagic · MIT license · ★ 62 on GitHub

Runs outbound triggered by hiring signals: VP Sales, RevOps, SDR manager, and CRO postings that indicate new budget or strategy shifts, with role-specific messaging. Use when the user wants to target companies based on job postings or…

---
name: hiring-signal-play
description: >-
  Runs outbound triggered by hiring signals: VP Sales, RevOps, SDR manager, and
  CRO postings that indicate new budget or strategy shifts, with role-specific
  messaging. Use when the user wants to target companies based on job postings
  or new leadership hires. Triggers on: "hiring signal", "job post outbound",
  "hiring trigger", "new role outreach".
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: sales-plays
  tags: [sales-plays, hiring, signals, trigger-based, outbound]
  frameworks:
    - "Winning by Design — SPICED"
    - "Lars Nilsson — Account-based sales development (ABSD)"

Overview

A company posting to hire a VP Sales, CRO, RevOps lead, or SDR manager signals one thing: they're investing in revenue. This is a buying moment. The new hire will evaluate and change tools within their first 90 days. This play targets both the hiring manager (who just got budget) and the new hire (who will build their stack).

Manual install (npx, ZIP)

Claude Codenpx skills add LeadMagic/gtm-skills --skill hiring-signal-play -g -a claude-code

Claude Code (degit)npx degit LeadMagic/gtm-skills/skills/sales-plays/hiring-signal-play#main ~/.claude/skills/hiring-signal-play

Claude.ai / desktopZip the folder and upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Codex, Cursor, other agentsPoint them at SKILL.md. The other files are plain text.

Connects with Agent Alley MCP · agentalley.io/mcp

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Hiring Signal Outbound Play

Overview

Authoritative Foundations

Winning by Design — SPICED — Discovery framework — Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision; the new hire's mandate is the critical event to anchor on.
Lars Nilsson — Account-based sales development (ABSD) — Treat hiring as one buying signal among several; stack it with funding, tech changes, or leadership moves before prioritizing.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator — Account and lead alerts — Monitor saved accounts for hiring and leadership changes so outreach happens within days of the signal.

When to Use

"Run a hiring signal play"
"Outreach based on job postings"
"Target companies hiring sales leaders"
"New VP Sales outbound"

Core Principle

Job postings are the most overlooked buying signal in B2B. A company doesn't hire a VP Sales to maintain the status quo — they hire to build, change, and scale. Your window: the 90 days after the hire starts, when they're evaluating everything.

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Signal Detection

Monitor job boards and LinkedIn for:

Hiring Manager: VP Sales, CRO, Head of Revenue, VP Growth (decision-maker with budget)
Builder: RevOps Manager, Head of Sales Ops, Sales Enablement Manager (builds the stack)
Scaler: SDR Manager, Head of Outbound (increases team size, needs tools)
Specialist: Head of Partnerships, Customer Success Director (expands into new motions)

Phase 2: Timing Strategy

Week 1-2 of posting: Reach out to CEO/Founder (they just approved the budget)
Week 3-8: The role likely gets filled. Research who they hired.
Week 1-30 of new hire: Outreach to the new hire. They're in "evaluation mode."
Week 30-60: New hire is building their team and tech stack.
Week 60-90: New hire is executing. If you're not in the stack by now, you've missed the window.

Phase 3: CEO/Founder Outreach (Week 1-2 of posting)

Subject: "Saw the VP Sales role — question" Body: "Saw you're hiring a VP Sales. Most teams at your stage I work with are dealing with [X problem] that new VP will have to solve. How are you thinking about this as you build out the GTM function?" Angle: You're not selling yet — you're offering perspective from working with similar teams. Peer-to-peer, insight-first.

Phase 4: New Hire Outreach (Week 1-30 post-hire)

Subject: "Assuming you're evaluating [their domain]" Body: Reference their previous company (what you know about their stack there), connect to what they likely need to build here. "Most people coming from [X] into [Y] find [Z problem]. How are you thinking about this?" Angle: You understand their world because you've seen this transition before.

Phase 5: Multi-Thread Touch Plan

Week 1: Email to CEO/Founder
Week 3: LinkedIn connection to new hire (if announced)
Week 5: Email to new hire (first outreach)
Week 8: LinkedIn DM to new hire with relevant content
Week 12: Breakup — "Assuming you've got this covered." (often gets reply)

Output Format

Hiring play playbook with: signal monitoring setup, role-to-relevance mapping, timing strategy, CEO and new hire sequence templates, and multi-thread calendar.

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

Four hiring signal categories defined (Hiring Manager, Builder, Scaler, Specialist) with role-to-relevance mapping
Timing strategy covers both windows: Week 1-2 for CEO/Founder (budget approval), Week 1-30 for new hire (evaluation mode)
CEO/Founder outreach template uses insight-first positioning — not selling, but offering perspective from similar-scale teams
New hire outreach template references their previous company context (stack, challenges) and bridges to their new role
Multi-thread calendar spans 12 weeks: CEO → LinkedIn connect → new hire email → LinkedIn DM → breakup
90-day post-hire window is the evaluation deadline — if no engagement by Day 90, move to standard nurture

Common Pitfalls

Waiting for the job posting to close. Contacting weeks after the hire is made means competing with tools they already chose. Fix: monitor for the posting itself — reach out to the CEO during the first 2 weeks while budget is fresh.
Treating all hiring signals equally. A 'VP Sales' posting at a 15-person startup signals build-from-scratch; the same title at a 500-person company may mean replacement, not greenfield. Fix: weight by company stage.
Generic 'I see you're hiring' opener. Every vendor with a job alert can say this. Fix: reference specific role requirements from the job description and connect them to a concrete operational problem.
Contacting only the new hire. The CEO/Founder who approved the budget has context the new hire doesn't yet have. Fix: dual-track outreach — CEO during posting period, new hire during evaluation period.
No urgency after Day 60. New hires make most tool decisions in their first 60-90 days. Fix: if no engagement by Day 60, escalate to executive-level outreach with a value proposition tied to the new hire's announced priorities.

Execution Artifacts

references/framework-notes.md — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
templates/output-template.md — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
scripts/check-output.py — local checklist validator for required sections This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand: Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.

Implementation Depth

Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.

Diagnostic Questions

What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?

Framework Application

Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:

Signal-Based Selling: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
ColdIQ Trigger Selling: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
Winning by Design — SPICED: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.

Deliverable Standard

A strong output from this skill includes:

A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
Risks and edge cases called out before execution

Adaptation Rules

For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.

cold-email-strategy, signal-scoring, list-building, multi-channel-outreach, job-change-play

1	---
2	name: hiring-signal-play
3	description: >-
4	Runs outbound triggered by hiring signals: VP Sales, RevOps, SDR manager, and
5	CRO postings that indicate new budget or strategy shifts, with role-specific
6	messaging. Use when the user wants to target companies based on job postings
7	or new leadership hires. Triggers on: "hiring signal", "job post outbound",
8	"hiring trigger", "new role outreach".
9	license: MIT
10	compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
11	metadata:
12	version: "1.0.0"
13	author: LeadMagic
14	category: sales-plays
15	tags: [sales-plays, hiring, signals, trigger-based, outbound]
16	frameworks:
17	- "Winning by Design — SPICED"
18	- "Lars Nilsson — Account-based sales development (ABSD)"
19	- "LinkedIn Sales Navigator — Account and lead alerts"
20	---
21
22	# Hiring Signal Outbound Play
23
24	## Overview
25
26	A company posting to hire a VP Sales, CRO, RevOps lead, or SDR manager signals
27	one thing: they're investing in revenue. This is a buying moment. The new hire
28	will evaluate and change tools within their first 90 days. This play targets
29	both the hiring manager (who just got budget) and the new hire (who will build
30	their stack).
31
32	## Authoritative Foundations
33	- Winning by Design — SPICED — Discovery framework — Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision; the new hire's mandate is the critical event to anchor on.
34	- Lars Nilsson — Account-based sales development (ABSD) — Treat hiring as one buying signal among several; stack it with funding, tech changes, or leadership moves before prioritizing.
35	- LinkedIn Sales Navigator — Account and lead alerts — Monitor saved accounts for hiring and leadership changes so outreach happens within days of the signal.
36
37	## When to Use
38
39	- "Run a hiring signal play"
40	- "Outreach based on job postings"
41	- "Target companies hiring sales leaders"
42	- "New VP Sales outbound"
43
44	## Core Principle
45
46	> Job postings are the most overlooked buying signal in B2B. A company doesn't
47	> hire a VP Sales to maintain the status quo — they hire to build, change, and
48	> scale. Your window: the 90 days after the hire starts, when they're
49	> evaluating everything.
50
51	## Step-by-Step Process
52
53	### Phase 1: Signal Detection
54
55	Monitor job boards and LinkedIn for:
56
57	- Hiring Manager: VP Sales, CRO, Head of Revenue, VP Growth (decision-maker with budget)
58	- Builder: RevOps Manager, Head of Sales Ops, Sales Enablement Manager (builds the stack)
59	- Scaler: SDR Manager, Head of Outbound (increases team size, needs tools)
60	- Specialist: Head of Partnerships, Customer Success Director (expands into new motions)
61
62	### Phase 2: Timing Strategy
63
64	- Week 1-2 of posting: Reach out to CEO/Founder (they just approved the budget)
65	- Week 3-8: The role likely gets filled. Research who they hired.
66	- Week 1-30 of new hire: Outreach to the new hire. They're in "evaluation mode."
67	- Week 30-60: New hire is building their team and tech stack.
68	- Week 60-90: New hire is executing. If you're not in the stack by now,
69	you've missed the window.
70
71	### Phase 3: CEO/Founder Outreach (Week 1-2 of posting)
72
73	Subject: "Saw the VP Sales role — question"
74	Body: "Saw you're hiring a VP Sales. Most teams at your stage I work with
75	are dealing with [X problem] that new VP will have to solve. How are you
76	thinking about this as you build out the GTM function?"
77	Angle: You're not selling yet — you're offering perspective from working
78	with similar teams. Peer-to-peer, insight-first.
79
80	### Phase 4: New Hire Outreach (Week 1-30 post-hire)
81
82	Subject: "Assuming you're evaluating [their domain]"
83	Body: Reference their previous company (what you know about their stack there),
84	connect to what they likely need to build here. "Most people coming from [X]
85	into [Y] find [Z problem]. How are you thinking about this?"
86	Angle: You understand their world because you've seen this transition before.
87
88	### Phase 5: Multi-Thread Touch Plan
89
90	- Week 1: Email to CEO/Founder
91	- Week 3: LinkedIn connection to new hire (if announced)
92	- Week 5: Email to new hire (first outreach)
93	- Week 8: LinkedIn DM to new hire with relevant content
94	- Week 12: Breakup — "Assuming you've got this covered." (often gets reply)
95
96	## Output Format
97
98	Hiring play playbook with: signal monitoring setup, role-to-relevance mapping,
99	timing strategy, CEO and new hire sequence templates, and multi-thread calendar.
100
101	## Quality Check
102
103	Before delivering, verify:
104
105	- [ ] Four hiring signal categories defined (Hiring Manager, Builder, Scaler, Specialist) with role-to-relevance mapping
106	- [ ] Timing strategy covers both windows: Week 1-2 for CEO/Founder (budget approval), Week 1-30 for new hire (evaluation mode)
107	- [ ] CEO/Founder outreach template uses insight-first positioning — not selling, but offering perspective from similar-scale teams
108	- [ ] New hire outreach template references their previous company context (stack, challenges) and bridges to their new role
109	- [ ] Multi-thread calendar spans 12 weeks: CEO → LinkedIn connect → new hire email → LinkedIn DM → breakup
110	- [ ] 90-day post-hire window is the evaluation deadline — if no engagement by Day 90, move to standard nurture
111
112	## Common Pitfalls
113
114	1. Waiting for the job posting to close. Contacting weeks after the hire is made means competing with tools they already chose. Fix: monitor for the posting itself — reach out to the CEO during the first 2 weeks while budget is fresh.
115	2. Treating all hiring signals equally. A 'VP Sales' posting at a 15-person startup signals build-from-scratch; the same title at a 500-person company may mean replacement, not greenfield. Fix: weight by company stage.
116	3. Generic 'I see you're hiring' opener. Every vendor with a job alert can say this. Fix: reference specific role requirements from the job description and connect them to a concrete operational problem.
117	4. Contacting only the new hire. The CEO/Founder who approved the budget has context the new hire doesn't yet have. Fix: dual-track outreach — CEO during posting period, new hire during evaluation period.
118	5. No urgency after Day 60. New hires make most tool decisions in their first 60-90 days. Fix: if no engagement by Day 60, escalate to executive-level outreach with a value proposition tied to the new hire's announced priorities.
119
120	## Execution Artifacts
121
122	- `references/framework-notes.md` — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
123	- `templates/output-template.md` — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
124	- `scripts/check-output.py` — local checklist validator for required sections
125	This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand:
126	Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.
127
128	## Implementation Depth
129
130	Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.
131
132	### Diagnostic Questions
133
134	1. What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
135	2. Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
136	3. What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
137	4. What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
138	5. What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?
139
140	### Framework Application
141
142	Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:
143
144	- Signal-Based Selling: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
145	- ColdIQ Trigger Selling: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
146	- Winning by Design — SPICED: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
147
148	### Deliverable Standard
149
150	A strong output from this skill includes:
151
152	- A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
153	- A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
154	- A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
155	- A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
156	- Risks and edge cases called out before execution
157
158	### Adaptation Rules
159
160	- For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
161	- For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
162	- For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.
163
164	## Related Skills
165
166	- cold-email-strategy, signal-scoring, list-building, multi-channel-outreach, job-change-play
167