R&D Labs #05: measuring playbook and messaging adherence

Does your pitch deck live in reps’ heads or just in the slides?

Companies invest heavily in product messaging and new decks, but adoption often stalls when reps default to old language. The result is inconsistent buyer experiences, longer sales cycles, and wasted marketing effort. If the story you’ve built doesn’t show up in conversations, revenue stalls and coaching becomes unscalable.

In our latest edition of R&D Labs, CPO Max van Steen shows how Hive Perform is tackling this problem and building tools to make messaging adoption measurable, coachable, and scalable.

Why messaging adoption breaks down

• Coaching is manual and patchy.

• Under pressure, reps fall back on what feels safe.

• Data is available, but not tied to specific actions.

• Training rarely translates into support during live calls.

This gap between crafted messaging and buyer conversations drives up CAC and slows deals.

Turning messaging into measurable behavior

Ask two simple questions: Are reps actually using the new pitch? If not, what do they say instead? To answer, you need visibility and a way to act on it. The fix is a system that combines call analysis with coaching at scale.

Key takeaways

• Measure adoption, don’t assume: Automated analysis shows exactly who uses the new pitch and who doesn’t.

• Coach in the moment: Targeted nudges after calls help reps course-correct before habits stick.

• Make insights actionable: Give reps next steps — suggested phrasing, follow-up questions, lines to try.

• Scale best practices: Patterns from top performers become repeatable across the team.

• Close the loop: Link call data with your CRM to show impact on deals, not just conversations.

Why it matters for sales leaders

Leaders want predictable revenue and efficient teams. That means less noise, more action. By tracking adoption and tying it to real deal outcomes, teams handle more leads without burnout, reduce CAC, and accelerate velocity.

Conclusion

A great pitch deck is only half the job. The other half is ensuring it’s actually spoken — consistently and convincingly — in every call. Measure, coach, and scale best practices so your messaging doesn’t stay a PDF, but becomes a revenue engine.

Apply to become a beta tester for our latest features by reaching out here.