Knock AI Sales Playbook: Qualify, Engage & Close in Chat

Knock lets buyers message you from WhatsApp/LinkedIn/Slack while your team replies in Slack, books meetings in-thread, and syncs to your CRM.

How Knock Works · Getting Started · Configure Intent Agents · Book Meetings During Chat · Salesforce setup.

What this is: A step-by-step playbook for selling through Knock chat. Buyers message from WhatsApp / LinkedIn / Slack / SMS; you reply in Slack. Keep conversations in one thread, book meetings in-thread, and let Intent Agents help when you’re unavailable.

TL;DR (DM Selling)

1. AI greets in seconds and enriches the lead.
2. Slack alert → Decide: review context, Join or Reject (log reason).
3. Answer first, with empathy (one-line direct answer to their question).
4. Then qualify (max two Qs). Focus on building relationship.
5. If fit → offer times and book in-thread (no external links).
6. Pull in the right owner/SE/ security without breaking the thread.
7. Give value fast (tip, micro-proof, quick win).
8. After the demo, keep the same thread alive: mini-recap → next milestone → follow-up booked.
9. Intent Agents back you up off-hours or on SLA breach (qualify, answer from approved sources, offer pre-approved times, and book).

Before you start (Ops checklist)

• Routing rules cover every lead (owner, territory, segment, round-robin).
• Calendars connected (your own + any team pool); working hours, buffers set.
• CRM mapping confirmed (contact/account enrichment, intent, attribution, transcript).
• FAQ / Sources ready for Intent Agents; human-only topics tagged.
• Monitoring channel in Slack set (new leads + SLA pings).

→ See: How Knock AI Works · Configure Intent Agents · Manage FAQ Sources · Integrate Knock AI with HubSpot (field mapping & sync) · Integrate Knock AI with Salesforce (field mapping & sync)

How to Sell Through Knock (A Step-by-Step Guide)

Step 1: Real-Time Notifications (Slack)

• When a new lead messages, you get a real-time Slack alert.
• AI greets them instantly and adds a human rep when relevant.
• If you're the rep owner, the alert goes directly to you.
• To see all alerts (for collaboration or backup), open the monitoring channel.

Step 2: Review the Lead

• Click the alert to see auto-enriched context: role, company, source, UTM, page, intent.
• View their message (the lead won't know you're active or viewing).

Step 3: Join or Reject

• Join to chat with the buyer. They'll continue messaging from their preferred app (LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, or SMS).
• Reject via the message overflow when the lead isn't a fit. Always log a reason.

Step 4: First Human Message (Value-First DM)

Answer → Empathize → Then Ask.

• Answer their question directly in one short line.
• Empathize: mirror their need
• Then ask. Keep it DM-style (1–2 short lines).

When you reply, the lead status auto-updates to In Discovery and lead will sync to CRM.

Step 5: Book in-Thread (If Fit)

• Click "Book a meeting" from the Slack message overflow.
• Set the meeting name, duration, and calendar. You can book meetings with your AEs or other team members.
• Knock also allows booking meetings with multiple reps (using shared availability).
• Confirmations appear in Slack. Details sync to your CRM, and the lead moves to Qualified.

Step 6: Keep the Thread Alive (post-demo → close)

• After a demo or key step, post a mini-recap + next milestone + scheduled follow-up (still in the same thread).
• Conversations are asynchronous: they can run for days. Each message notifies the buyer in their app, driving high response rates.

Step 7: Everything Syncs (you stay in flow)

• New leads and updates can be auto-created in your CRM with Knock enrichment (per your rules).
• Outcomes (meeting booked, transcript, attribution, lead info) sync automatically.
• Team members can always join from the monitoring channel for collaborative selling.

How to Sell Through DMs

Principle: DM ≠ email. Keep it short, human, and fast. Lead with value, then ask for the next step.

DO

• Short messages. 1–2 lines per send. One idea at a time.
• Be direct & authentic. Skip formatting; write like you talk.
• Be empathic. Mirror their need in their words before you ask anything.
• Reply fast. Aim ≤2 minutes when you’re online.
• Follow up if no response after 24 hours. Keep the same thread alive.

DON'T

• Don't move the conversation to email. Chat reply rates typically 70–90% vs. email's 10–25%. Email replies take 1–2 days; chat responses arrive in ~6 minutes.
• Don't write like an email. No long paragraphs, greeting blocks, or signatures.
• Don't over-qualify. Ask two questions max. Always give value first.

Working with Intent Agents (your AI teammate)

What they can do (when enabled):

• Engage on off-hours or on SLA breach.
• Offer a demo for qualified leads with relevant reps.
• Hand off to humans for human-only topics (defined in AI FAQs section).

Settings to confirm with Ops:

• Which conversion actions AI may offer
• Which calendars are allowed (owner only, team pool, or round-robin).
• Meeting types and durations (e.g., 30-min discovery, 45-min demo).
• What AI can and cannot answer.
• How to route leads to reps.

→ See: Configure Intent Agents · Set Meeting Routing · Set Up Lead Routing for Chat

Your mini dashboard (watch these)

Speed-to-human-first reply

• What: Time from buyer’s first message → first human response.
• Segment by rep, date and time.
• View in CRM: Knock: Rep Responding Time
• View in Knock Dashboard → Knock Connections: SDR Performace

Conversation → Open Deal

• What: % of unique chats that result in an open deal.
• Segment by: Source, channel, UTM, campaign, rep.
• View in CRM: Knock: connected = yes, Knock: source, Knock: channel, Knock: rep owner, Knock: connected
• View in Knock Dashboard → Knock Connections: engagement to opportunity

Time Saved per SDR

• What: % of chats qualified and rejected by AI with no human effort.
• View in Knock Dashboard → AI configuration (analytics visible after AI agents run for 2 weeks).

Click → Opportunity time

• What: Elapsed time from the first Knock Link click to Opportunity creation.
• View in CRM: Knock link events (intent signals) → CRM opportunity timestamps.

Click → Opportunity conversion

• What: % of Knock Link clicks that become Opportunities.
• View in Knock Dashboard → Knock Connections: click to opportunity

💐 Additional Features

Transferring Ownership

Use the 'Change Rep Owner' option in the notification overflow to assign the contact to another rep. The new owner will receive personal notifications for the lead.

Contact Status Updates

• Update a lead’s status to 'Rejected' using the notification overflow.
• Choose a rejection reason and customize predefined messages for each reason via the rejection modal.
• Rejecting a lead closes the channel and stops notifications.

Invite team members to the chat

Add team members to the lead’s channel for a coordinated approach.

Check status of the chat

🏋🏼‍♂️ Best Practices

• Review Pinned Messages Regularly: Check pinned messages in Slack frequently to ensure no leads are missed.
• Respond to Qualified Leads: Always reply to a qualified lead on Slack, even if some time has passed. Since this is an asynchronous chat, there’s a high chance they’ll see your message and respond.
• Collaborate with Your Team: Add relevant team members to channels when needed. For example, if a technical expert’s input is required, invite them to the Knock Knock Update Channel to assist with replies.
• Focus on Building Relationships: Relationships are the key to success. Avoid pushing too quickly for a demo if the lead isn’t ready. Providing value in your conversations will encourage leads to continue engaging with you and choose your solution over competitors.
• Automate Rejection Messages: If you frequently send the same message to rejected leads, create a rejection type in the Knock app’s home page and set up an automated message to handle this efficiently on your behalf.

🙋‍♀️Questions You Might Have

On this page

• Knock AI Sales Playbook: Qualify, Engage & Close in Chat
• TL;DR (DM Selling)
• Before you start (Ops checklist)
• How to Sell Through Knock (A Step-by-Step Guide)
• Step 1: Real-Time Notifications (Slack)
• Step 2: Review the Lead
• Step 3: Join or Reject
• Step 4: First Human Message (Value-First DM)
• Step 5: Book in-Thread (If Fit)
• Step 6: Keep the Thread Alive (post-demo → close)
• Step 7: Everything Syncs (you stay in flow)
• How to Sell Through DMs
• DO
• DON'T
• Working with Intent Agents (your AI teammate)
• Your mini dashboard (watch these)
• Speed-to-human-first reply
• Conversation → Open Deal
• Time Saved per SDR
• Click → Opportunity time
• Click → Opportunity conversion
• 💐 Additional Features
• Transferring Ownership
• Contact Status Updates
• Invite team members to the chat
• Check status of the chat
• 🏋🏼‍♂️ Best Practices
• 🙋‍♀️Questions You Might Have
• Do buyers need Slack?
• How do I get the lead info?
• Will my SDR team need to be available 24/7?
• What if my SDR team doesn’t have capacity to handle many chats?
• How long does it take to start testing Knock?
• Is it secure?
• Can I view chats without joining them?
• Will it integrate with my CRM?
• Can I track SDR response times?