/prd-v08-marketing-ops-handoff

name: prd-v08-marketing-ops-handoff
description: >
  Define lifecycle stages and marketing → sales / CSM handoff rules for leads captured by GTM
  channels during PRD v0.8 Deployment & Ops. Triggers on requests to set up lead lifecycle,
  define MQL/SQL criteria, build handoff process, or when user asks "what's an MQL?",
  "marketing to sales handoff", "lead lifecycle", "lead routing", "RevOps", "MOPS", "marketing
  operations". Outputs BR-MOPS-* lifecycle rules and GTM-MOPS-* handoff flow entries.
context: fork
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Glob
  - Grep

execution_modes:
  default: standard
  supports: [quick, standard, deep]

Marketing-Ops Handoff (Lead Lifecycle + Sales Routing)

Position in workflow: v0.8 Monitoring Setup → **v0.8 Marketing-Ops Handoff** → v0.9 Launch Channels (ORB), v0.9 Cold Outreach

Execution Mode

Default is **standard**. See [`.claude/rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md`](../../rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md) for selection logic.

| Mode | What this skill produces | |------|--------------------------| | **quick** | 3-stage lifecycle (Anonymous → Lead → Customer); single handoff rule; SLA per stage | | **standard** | Full 5-stage lifecycle (Anonymous → MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Customer); entry/exit criteria; handoff payload spec; SLAs | | **deep** | Full lifecycle + per-segment routing (by ICP / region / size); scoring model; rejection-loop rules; SLA monitoring + escalation |

What This Does

Defines the **lifecycle stages** a lead passes through from first touch to customer (or churn), plus the **handoff rules** at each transition. Without this, marketing-captured leads get dropped, double-worked, or never followed up. With this, you have an auditable definition of who owns what at each moment.

This skill applies primarily to B2B and prosumer products with a human-touch sales motion (founder-led sales, BDR/SDR teams, customer-success-led expansion). Pure self-serve products use a simpler version: lifecycle = Anonymous → Trial → Paid, with no human handoff.

How It Works

1. **Pick the lifecycle shape** — Match the product:

• **Self-serve**: Anonymous → Signup → Activated → Paid → Expanded
• **Sales-assisted**: Anonymous → MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Customer
• **Hybrid (PLG + Sales)**: Anonymous → Signup → Activated → Paid → SQL → Opportunity → Expansion

2. **Define entry criteria per stage** — What event/behavior moves a lead into this stage? Examples:

• MQL: filled out a high-intent form, downloaded gated content, hit usage threshold
• SQL: explicit "talk to sales" or scoring threshold reached
• Opportunity: discovery call held, budget + authority confirmed

3. **Define exit criteria per stage** — Two paths out: progress (to next stage) and disqualify (back to nurture or out). Disqualification rules matter as much as progression. 4. **Map ownership** — Who owns the lead at each stage:

• Anonymous: marketing automation
• MQL: BDR/SDR
• SQL: AE / founder
• Opportunity: AE / founder
• Customer: CS / founder

5. **Define handoff payload** — When a lead moves between owners, what context goes with them? At minimum:

• Source (which GTM-* channel produced this lead)
• Touchpoint history (what they've engaged with)
• Best-fit signals (firmographic match, behavioral fit)
• Disqualifiers (anything that ruled out an earlier stage)
• Open questions (what the next owner should clarify)

6. **Set SLAs per stage** — How fast must the new owner respond after handoff? MQL → BDR typically <1 business hour for high-signal, <1 business day for low-signal. SQL → AE typically <30 minutes. 7. **Plan rejection routing** — When SQL → AE handoff is rejected ("not a fit"), where does the lead go? Back to nurture, disqualified, requeued? Without this rule, leads die in limbo.

Example

B2B SaaS, $200/month entry price, sales-assisted motion.

| Stage | Entry criteria | Exit criteria | Owner | SLA | |-------|----------------|---------------|-------|-----| | Anonymous | Any first touch | Filled form OR signed up | Marketing | n/a | | MQL | Filled high-intent form (demo request, pricing page) | BDR qualifies in OR disqualifies | BDR | 1 business hour | | SQL | BDR confirms fit + intent | AE accepts OR rejects | BDR → AE | 30 min | | Opportunity | AE held discovery, budget + authority confirmed | Closed-won OR closed-lost | AE | 24 hr per touch | | Customer | Closed-won contract signed | Churn OR expand | CS | Onboarding kickoff <1 business day |

Handoff payload at MQL → SQL (BDR → AE):

• Source: GTM-002 (Product Hunt) + retargeting
• Touchpoints: 3 blog posts, demo video, pricing page (3×)
• Best-fit signals: 50-person SaaS (matches PER-001), VP Eng signed up
• Disqualifiers: none
• Open questions: confirm budget owner; confirm timeline

Rejection routing at SQL → AE rejection ("too small"): lead returns to MQL queue with "small-team" tag; BDR can re-engage in 90 days if size signal changes.

What You Get Back

• **BR-MOPS-\* lifecycle rule entries** — One per stage with entry/exit/owner/SLA
• **GTM-MOPS-\* handoff flow entries** — One per transition (MQL→SQL, SQL→OPP, etc.) with payload spec
• **Rejection-routing rules** — Disqualifier-aware routing back to nurture
• **SLA monitoring plan** — Hooks into MON-DRIFT-* for SLA drift watching

When to Use It

| Trigger | Mode | |---------|------| | B2B / sales-assisted product, pre-launch | standard | | Hybrid PLG + Sales motion | deep | | Pure self-serve consumer product | **skip** — overkill | | Adding human sales to existing self-serve | standard | | Sales velocity issues (leads dying in queue) | deep (rebuild with SLAs) | | Pre-Series A audit (investor wants to see process) | deep |

Consumes

• **PER-\* best-fit characteristics** (sharpened by v0.9 Positioning when available) — Defines what fit-signal scoring looks like
• **GTM-\* channel mix** (from v0.9 Launch Channels ORB, when available) — Lead sources feed into Anonymous stage
• **GTM-\*