This sales SOP template covers the transfer from a closed sale to delivery. Its useful output is a reconciled packet and an explicit receiving-owner decision. A sent email, introduction or pipeline label alone does not make the transfer accepted.
Define the procedure's trigger and owner
Before adopting the procedure, confirm the organization's approved closed-sale trigger, scope records, receiving role and introduction route. Keep the SOP owner, version, effective date and approving authority in its header; those actual values are not supplied in this example.
HubSpot's sales-to-CSM handoff guidance emphasizes documenting customer goals, interaction notes and questions so the receiving team can understand the customer's context. We use that documentation principle for an original delivery handoff, without adopting retention statistics or promising customer outcomes. Sales-to-CSM handoff guidance
The procedure begins when the approved trigger is evidenced. It ends when the receiver records a decision under the organization's acceptance criteria, with any unresolved items still visible. Confirm those criteria rather than inventing a universal handoff policy.
Inspect a packet with conflicting scope notes
In this fictional Cedar Design example, H01 proposes transferring deal D01 from sales owner Mia to delivery owner Leo.
| Packet field | H01 entry |
|---|---|
| Deal and handoff IDs | D01 / H01 |
| Maintained signed scope reference | S01: one landing-page draft and one revision round |
| Sales note reference | N01: two revision rounds |
| Customer goal and source | TO CONFIRM; Mia must supply the documented goal reference |
| Permitted customer contact reference | TO CONFIRM |
| Sending / receiving owners | Mia / Leo, fictional role holders |
| Current status | Needs clarification |
| Receiver acceptance | Not supplied |
| Delivery deadline | Not supplied; do not infer one |
S01 and N01 disagree. Record both references and their statements. Do not silently change N01 to one round, enlarge S01 to two, or resolve the disagreement by treating the latest email as an approved scope amendment. This packet is an administrative example, not contract interpretation.
Follow a repeatable sender–receiver sequence
| Step | Responsible role | Required record or stop |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm the trigger | Sales owner | Reference the approved closed-sale evidence; stop if the trigger is unconfirmed. |
| 2. Collect the packet | Sales owner | Link scope, customer goal, relevant interaction notes, questions and permitted contact reference. |
| 3. Reconcile promised work | Sender and receiver | Compare packet statements with maintained scope; flag missing or conflicting facts. |
| 4. Confirm the receiving owner | Actual designated owner | Record who will review and receive the work; do not leave acceptance assigned to “the team.” |
| 5. Resolve exceptions | Sales and authorized scope owner | Record the discrepancy, requested clarification and source-record resolution. |
| 6. Recheck and introduce | Receiver; sender for introduction | Review the corrected packet; conduct the introduction through the confirmed route when appropriate. |
| 7. Record the decision | Receiving owner | Record actual acceptance, conditions or unresolved items with evidence. |
Use a sender checklist: trigger reference present; scope version linked; goal and questions sourced; contact route permitted; receiving owner identified; exceptions attached. Use a receiver checklist: scope and notes reconciled; missing facts reviewed; responsibilities understood; introduction status evidenced; decision recorded. A checkmark should refer to evidence rather than a sender's assumption.
Preserve the exception and the corrected version
Create exception E01 for H01: “S01 states one revision round; N01 states two.” The proposed next action is for Mia and the authorized scope owner to resolve the discrepancy in maintained source records. The actual authorized person and resolution remain unconfirmed.
A useful unsent clarification request is:
Please resolve E01 for D01/H01. S01 lists one landing-page draft and one revision round; N01 lists two revision rounds. Please provide the authorized resolution and the corrected source references. H01 remains Needs clarification pending review by Leo.
If a corrected packet P02 is later supplied, retain E01 and link P02 to the resolution. Leo then rechecks the packet. The existence of P02 does not itself prove acceptance.
| Recheck and decision field | Actual entry |
|---|---|
| E01 resolution / authorized source reference | |
| P02 corrected packet reference | |
| Leo's review date and evidence | |
| Remaining questions or conditions | |
| Introduction completed / evidence | |
| Receiver decision and acceptance reference |
If no signed scope reference is available, keep the issue unresolved. If the packet was sent but no receiving-owner acknowledgment was recorded, report the transfer as pending rather than accepted. Keep sending, review and acceptance as separate events.
Copy this prompt for the handoff SOP
Prepare an original US-English sales-to-delivery handoff SOP and reusable packet, sender/receiver checklists, exception log and blank receiving-owner decision form. This is administrative documentation, not contract interpretation or revenue recognition guidance.
Actual SOP owner/version/effective date, approved closed-sale trigger, acceptance criteria, authorized scope owner and introduction route are TO CONFIRM. Procedure: evidence trigger; collect scope/customer goal/interaction notes/questions/permitted contact references; reconcile promised work; identify receiver; resolve missing/conflicting facts in maintained sources; review corrected packet; conduct confirmed introduction; record actual receiver decision and unresolved items.
Fictional Cedar Design deal D01/handoff H01: Mia sends, Leo receives. S01 signed scope says one landing-page draft and one revision round. N01 sales note says two revision rounds. H01 stays Needs clarification; actual goal/contact reference/deadline/acceptance not supplied. Preserve both statements and reference IDs. Do not invent customer data, scope amendment or deadline.
E01 asks Mia and the authorized scope owner to resolve the contradiction in source records. Include a clearly labeled unsent clarification request. P02 is a future corrected packet, not a completed correction. Preserve E01 and link any actual resolution/P02 to Leo's recheck. Leave actual resolution, review, introduction, conditions and acceptance fields blank. A sent packet or closed-won label is not receiver acceptance; missing signed scope remains unresolved. No actual send, approval or customer outcome claim. Keep maintained source records authoritative.
Review the unresolved promise together
An optional prepared HTML review in NOS can put H01, S01/N01 and E01 beside the receiver checklist. NOS supports saving and rendering HTML. Keep the maintained scope and handoff records authoritative; the review does not amend scope, send the request or accept the transfer.
Explore NOS to present the prepared handoff review. Leave the receiving owner with a traceable scope resolution and a place to record the actual decision.