AE Handoff From SDR
Deal reassigned to AE in CRM with stage and next-step updated. Handoff packet attached. Slack DM sent to AE with confirmation request. SDR retains attribution. Acknowledgment logged within 4 business hours.
Before you start
- Qualification framework documented (BANT, MEDDIC, or custom)
- AE-assignment rules (territory, ICP, capacity)
- Handoff template approved
- Qualified opportunity record from SDR
- Discovery call notes and recording
- Company and contact enrichment data
The steps
- Validate qualification criteria — Check the SDR qualification record against the documented framework. Confirm each criterion has supporting evidence — not just a checkbox. If any criterion is unverified, flag back to the SDR before handoff. Do not pass thinly qualified deals to AEs.
- Assign AE based on routing rules — Apply territory and ICP rules. Check AE capacity (open deals, recent quota performance). For round-robin assignments, verify the AE on rotation has bandwidth — skip if their pipeline is overloaded. For named accounts, route to the assigned AE regardless.
- Compile handoff packet — Build a 1-page packet: company snapshot, contact and committee details, qualification summary against the framework, discovery call recording link, top 3 prospect quotes from the call, identified pain points, agreed next step (with date), and 2-3 suggested discovery angles for the AE's first call.
- Update CRM ownership and stage — Reassign the deal to the AE in CRM. Move stage from 'SDR Qualified' to 'AE Discovery'. Set the next-step task with the agreed date from step 3. Tag the SDR as the source for attribution. Do not delete or replace the SDR's notes — preserve them as record.
- Notify AE in Slack with packet — Send a Slack DM to the AE: name, company, one-line context, link to the handoff packet, link to the call recording, and the agreed next-step time. Include a 'reply with confirmation' line so the AE acknowledges they own it.
- Confirm handoff complete — Wait for AE acknowledgment. If no acknowledgment within 4 business hours, send a reminder. If no acknowledgment within 8 business hours, escalate to the AE's manager. The deal must not sit in handoff limbo — every hour of delay reduces conversion.
If it goes wrong
AE doesn't acknowledge and the handoff is dropped
Auto-escalate to AE manager at 8 business hours. Track AE acknowledgment latency as a sales ops metric — chronic offenders coached or rerouted.
SDRs game the qualification framework to hit handoff quota
Audit 10% of handoffs weekly against actual outcomes. If qualified deals close <30% of normal, flag the SDR's qualification quality. Add a peer-review step for SDRs under 6 months tenure.
AE complains the packet is too long to read
Lead with a 5-line TL;DR: company, contact, qualification score, agreed next step, and the prospect's most pointed quote. The rest is reference material.
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