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Internal Handoff

Sales moves the context Delivery cannot get from the proposal on its own. One short brief, one short conversation, then onboarding carries on.
Owned by
Account Manager
Context from
Salesperson
Output
Internal Service Brief
Version
0.1 · Sept 2026

Who Owns What

Three roles, and they are not interchangeable. The salesperson supplies the context; the Account Manager owns getting it across the line.

Salesperson
Provides the sales context — what was sold, what was promised, what the client actually wants. Reviews and corrects the Internal Service Brief. Their part ends at the handoff; they do not run the rest of onboarding.
Account Manager
Owns the handoff. Makes sure the brief exists, has been reviewed and is attached to the project, and confirms the delivery team has what it needs before onboarding moves on.
Service specialist
Reads the brief, asks questions, flags gaps and confirms understanding at the handoff conversation. If something is unclear or missing, say so then — not three weeks into delivery.

The Internal Service Brief

The Internal Service Brief is the salesperson’s written handoff to Delivery. It is produced before the handoff conversation, from the approved proposal plus relevant sales context and correspondence.

One page. Do not write it from scratch — most of what it needs is already in the proposal. Delivery reads it, asks questions and flags gaps; Delivery does not co-author it.

  1. Start from the approved proposal

    Add any sales correspondence or notes that carry context the proposal does not.

  2. Salesperson adds commentary

    Anything a reader would not pick up from the proposal itself — what the client really wants, what was said verbally, what to be careful about.

  3. AI drafts the brief

    Give it the proposal and the commentary; it produces the first version.

  4. Salesperson reviews and corrects

    A human signs off before anyone else reads it. An unreviewed draft is not a handoff.

  5. Attach it to the Productive project

    Where the delivery team will look for it. Onboarding carries a task for creating and reviewing the brief, and the Account Manager confirms it is done.

02.1

What goes in it

Six short sections. If any of them runs long, it probably belongs somewhere else.

Client & key contacts
Company, Account Manager, and the assigned service or services. Name the primary working contact — who we deal with day to day — separately from other important stakeholders or influencers: executive sponsor, owner, final approver, marketing lead, anyone with real influence over the engagement.
What we sold
Services purchased, fee or budget where useful, term or project basis, expected start.
Goals & priorities
What the client is trying to achieve, in plain language.
Important scope notes
Inclusions, exclusions, unusual requirements, timing commitments, assumptions.
Why they hired us / client context
The problem or opportunity behind the engagement, plus the context around it — prior agency or vendor experience, known frustrations, sensitivities, decision-making dynamics, internal constraints, and expectations created during the sale. Only what materially affects delivery — not personal commentary.
Immediate next steps
What has to happen right after the handoff.

The Handoff Conversation

A short internal conversation normally follows once the brief is written and reviewed, with the brief as the agenda. Around 15–20 minutes for a typical account. Small or simple work may not need one at all if the brief plus a direct follow-up covers it.

Who attends
Salesperson, Account Manager, assigned specialist, and service lead where relevant.
What to cover
Why the client bought, what was promised, what matters most to them, risks and sensitivities, open questions, immediate next steps, and who owns what.
What not to prepare
No agenda document and no deck. The brief is the agenda.

Handoff Is Complete When

The Account Manager confirms this before onboarding moves on.

  • The Internal Service Brief is written, reviewed by the salesperson and attached to the project
  • The delivery team understands what was sold
  • Goals and priorities are understood
  • Risks, sensitivities and unusual commitments are known
  • Outstanding questions have an owner
  • Immediate next steps are clear

Then What?

Handoff feeds straight into Productive setup and the access request. The brief template lives in Templates & Resources.