Sales Plays vs. Sales Motions: Understanding the Difference and How They Work Together

 In today’s complex and competitive sales environment, sales organizations must adopt structured strategies to improve win rates, scale success, and align across teams. Two terms that often come up in sales strategy discussions are sales plays and sales motions. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they represent different but complementary elements of an effective go-to-market approach.

What is a Sales Motion?

A sales motion refers to the overarching strategy or approach a company takes to sell its products or services. Think of it as the high-level process that defines how a sale is pursued from start to finish. Sales motions are typically tied to:

  • Customer segments (e.g., enterprise, SMB)

  • Sales channels (e.g., direct, partner, inside sales)

  • Solution complexity (e.g., transactional vs. consultative selling)

  • Buyer journey stages (e.g., land, expand, renew)

Examples of sales motions include:

  • Inbound motion: Responding to leads generated through marketing.

  • Outbound motion: Proactively reaching out to target accounts.

  • Product-led motion: Driving adoption through a freemium or self-serve experience.

  • Solution-led motion: Leading with a consultative sales approach focused on solving specific business problems.

Sales motions define the structure and flow of the sales process and are generally long-term, repeatable approaches that align with business models.

What is a Sales Play?

A sales play is a tactical, prescriptive sequence of actions designed to achieve a specific sales goal. Sales plays are situational and provide reps with step-by-step guidance tailored to particular scenarios—such as engaging a specific persona, overcoming a competitor, or driving expansion within an existing customer.

Sales plays typically include:

  • Target audience or ICP (ideal customer profile)

  • Key messaging and positioning

  • Relevant content and enablement assets

  • Call scripts, email templates, objection handling

  • Success metrics and KPIs

Examples of sales plays:

  • “Win back churned customers”

  • “Upsell analytics module to existing clients”

  • “Compete and win against [competitor X]”

  • “Drive urgency at fiscal year-end”

Sales plays are like "mini-campaigns" deployed within the framework of a sales motion. They provide the how to the sales motion's what and why.

Sales Plays vs. Sales Motions: Key Differences

AspectSales MotionSales Play
PurposeOverall sales approachSpecific tactical initiative
ScopeStrategic, broadTactical, narrow
DurationLong-term, continuousShort-term, campaign-based
FocusProcess and structureExecution and action
AudienceSales leaders, revenue opsFrontline reps, SDRs, AEs
ExampleOutbound enterprise sales motionPlay to win against competitor XYZ

How Sales Plays and Motions Work Together

Rather than thinking of sales plays and motions as separate concepts, it’s more useful to see them as complementary layers of a cohesive sales strategy.

  • Sales motions guide the overall architecture of the sales process based on customer type and business model.

  • Sales plays are modular tactics that plug into these motions to address specific needs or accelerate deal progression.

For example, a SaaS company might run an “expand” motion targeting current customers, and within that motion, execute multiple sales plays such as “Promote enterprise upgrade” or “Cross-sell security features.”

Conclusion

Understanding the difference between sales plays and sales motions is critical for aligning strategy and execution in modern sales organizations. Sales motions provide the framework; sales plays deliver the execution. When used together effectively, they empower sales teams to move faster, sell smarter, and win more deals.

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