Bridgehead Prepared for Troy at GovWell
For Troy

Permitting Software Sales Playbook

Troy, we’ll build your new AE’s first 100 accounts in 10 days. The first 25 are below, and they’re yours either way.

If your AE seat stays open another quarter, ignore this. If it doesn’t, the next two minutes are worth it.

What we noticed

You announced a $25M Series A on May 13, and on October 22 you posted that a new customer brings GovWell to 43 states.

Your Account Executive role has been posted since July 29, and the posting says the new hire will not be responsible for sourcing their own leads.

  1. May 13 $25M Series A announced, $35M raised in total
  2. July 29 Account Executive role posted
  3. October 22 North Dakota customer brings GovWell to 43 states
  4. November 9 Role still open; the first 25 accounts are on this page

What changes for your new AE

Your new AE starts day one with 100 accounts you approved and drafts written to the first five, instead of waiting for leads to be handed over. Your posting says they close complex deals and don’t source their own pipeline; this puts the first cities and counties in their hands on the first morning, each with the reason to call now.

Your first 25 accounts

Picked from how you describe your buyers in your Series A post, your LinkedIn posts and your posting. Each one has the reason it’s here and the source.

Yours either wayKeep these 25 whether or not we ever talk.
Cut any you wouldn’t callTell us why, and we replace it. We keep going until you’d keep at least 80 of the 100.
  1. Lexington, NC Lexington, NC · RFP closes December 1
    1

    A city that wants one system for permits, plan review, zoning, inspections and code is writing its shortlist this month, and the RFP closes December 1. Your Macon County and Brevard customers are in the same state.

    Signal: Oct 27, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Planning and development director or the city's IT lead
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  2. Boone County Area Plan Commission, IN Lebanon, IN · Paper and Microsoft Access; check or exact cash only
    2

    Its RFP says applications are reviewed in hard copy and it takes payment only by check or exact cash, in one of Indiana's fastest-growing counties. That is the paper-to-portal move you sell, in a state where you wrote the HB 1005 guide. The award wasn't in the sources I opened.

    Signal: May 13, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Executive director of the Area Plan Commission
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  3. Lacey, WA Lacey, WA · State grant for permitting software
    3

    The director described your whole pitch in one sentence: incomplete applications, voicemail scheduling and records scattered across paper and multiple systems. A grant pays for the platform, so the budget question is already answered.

    Signal: Sep 24, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Director of community and economic development
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  4. Redding, CA Redding, CA · Hiring freeze
    4

    Business groups told the council that incomplete applications and resubmittals delay projects and add staff work, and there is a hiring freeze. Your AutoCheck catches incomplete applications before staff see them, which is the fix for both.

    Signal: Oct 20, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Assistant director of public works or the permitting manager
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  5. Bismarck, ND Bismarck, ND · RFP closed October 6; under review
    5

    The city wrote down the exact problem you open with: fragmented legacy systems and manual processes across several departments. Proposals closed October 6 and the listing says it is still in review, so ask where it stands.

    Signal: Jun 1, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Community development director or the city's IT director
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  6. Moultonborough, NH Moultonborough, NH · RFP closes November 13
    6

    A small town is replacing its land use department's whole system and asking for migration and training in the same bid. Proposals close November 13, so a call this week is still ahead of the deadline.

    Signal: Oct 13, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Land use coordinator or the town administrator
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  7. Tumwater, WA Tumwater, WA · State grant for permitting software
    7

    The city's IT project manager says the grant turns permitting into an engine for local growth. It is buying a platform where people apply, track and pay online, and that is the decision your AE walks into.

    Signal: Sep 24, 2026 Source
    Buyer: IT project manager or the community development director
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.
  8. Deltona, FL Deltona, FL · Commission presentation on AI permitting
    8

    A commissioner asked for the AI presentation himself, and the article describes AI that flags a missing signature before review. AutoCheck does that, in a state where HB 803 changed the rules on July 1.

    Signal: Oct 5, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Community development director or the city manager
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • A city, town or county under about 75,000 residents, where one department runs permits, licenses and code.
    • Still runs on paper, a spreadsheet or a legacy system, or is short-staffed with a backlog.
    • A dated public trigger in the last nine months: an RFP, a state grant, a new law, a council hearing or a backlog story.
    • Wants one platform for permitting, licensing, planning and code, the way your customers describe their switch.
    • Has not signed a competing platform in the last year.
    • In a state where you already have customers or have written the new-law guide.

Your new AE’s first 100 accounts, in 10 days

The first 25 are above, and they’re yours either way.

Email Kash

We build a handful of these a month, for founders hiring now.

10 days

from kickoff to your team running it

  • 100 accounts you approve, each with the reason
  • Drafts to the first five, in your voice
  • Your team runs it without us
  • Any account you cut, we replace

How does GovWell sell?

An outside read from your Series A post, your LinkedIn posts, your TechCrunch interview, your site and your posting, built to be corrected: tell us anything that’s wrong. Tap a clip to play it from that moment.

In your posts and interviews9 quotes
  1. Who buys
    “The city that brought us to North Dakota runs permits on paper, email and PDFs today. They’re a two-person department, and people pay for permits in person with cash or a check.”
    Your LinkedIn post: North Dakota is officially on the GovWell map, October 22
  2. Who buys
    “staff members getting time back in their day to better serve their communities, and community members getting a faster answer and a better experience from their government”
    Your Series A post: Announcing our $25M Series A, May 13
  3. The problem
    “Many of the departments responsible for implementing policy initiatives like these still run on paper forms and software platforms built twenty years ago.”
    Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27
  4. The problem
    “Their teams are facing increased workloads, alongside shrinking budgets and staff headcount.”
    Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27
  5. The problem
    “We called hundreds of municipalities and asked them what [software] they were using and if they liked it, and we found that people didn't like it despite paying thousands if not millions for it”
    TechCrunch: GovWell is bringing automation and efficiency to local governments, July 29
  6. The problem
    “A deadline without reviewer capacity just produces missed deadlines.”
    Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27
  7. Why you win
    “Rather than just storing data about work, our system actually does work: answering applicant questions, checking plans against local codes, and empowering government staff to make better, faster decisions.”
    Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27
  8. Why you win
    “It’s a single product that can be configured by no-code tools to make the software adapt perfectly to what it needs to do”
    TechCrunch: GovWell is bringing automation and efficiency to local governments, July 29
  9. When a store moves
    “If they pass, every one of these becomes an operations problem.”
    Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27
What your customers sayFrom Your case study: Twinsburg, Ohio issues building permits twice as fast, govwell.com/communities, Your blog: How small cities can fix staffing shortages with better permitting software
  1. GTGovWell Twinsburg case study
    “Dale Steppenbacker runs the building department in Twinsburg with a staff of four.”
    GovWell Twinsburg case study · Your case study: Twinsburg, Ohio issues building permits twice as fast
  2. CRCity Manager, Collinsville, Oklahoma
    “GovWell has been the most beneficial and functional software program I have implemented in over a decade.”
    Chuck Ralls, City Manager, Collinsville, Oklahoma · govwell.com/communities
  3. GBGovWell blog
    “GovWell is an easy-to-use permitting & licensing software made for cities smaller than 75k residents.”
    GovWell blog · Your blog: How small cities can fix staffing shortages with better permitting software
  4. GBGovWell blog
    “Fewer staff + more permit applications = bigger backlogs and more frustrated residents.”
    GovWell blog · Your blog: How small cities can fix staffing shortages with better permitting software
  5. WMCommunity Development Director, Hampton, Georgia
    “I told city council that processing time for business licenses went from 10 days to under an hour. Their mouths dropped.”
    Wanda Moore, Community Development Director, Hampton, Georgia · govwell.com/communities
  6. DGCode Enforcement Officer, Nederland, Texas
    “If it wasn’t for GovWell, I don’t know if I would still be doing this.”
    Dennis Guffey, Code Enforcement Officer, Nederland, Texas · govwell.com/communities
  7. GBGovWell blog
    “From 2020 to 2022, local governments lost over 627,000 workers”
    GovWell blog · Your blog: How small cities can fix staffing shortages with better permitting software
  8. GTGovWell Twinsburg case study
    “contractors working in neighboring Ohio communities already on GovWell never had to create an account”
    GovWell Twinsburg case study · Your case study: Twinsburg, Ohio issues building permits twice as fast

Words you use

  • “operating system for modern government”
  • “legacy”
  • “Community Assistant”
  • “AutoCheck”
  • “mission-critical”
  • “believe in government again”
  • “permits issued. Licenses approved. Many, many inspections.”

How the list learns your calls

In the first session you react to accounts like these: keep or cut, and why, the way you’d tell a cofounder. Each reason becomes a rule you can read, the pool re-scores, and ten more show whether it learned. Keep eight of ten and the hundred is built on your rules.

  1. You cut one on the call, and say why
  2. It becomes a rule
  3. The pool re-scores
  4. Ten more test it

Which questions can only you answer?

Your posts and your posting don’t say which governments you’d never spend a demo on, or what a department head has to see before a deal gets two to three months of attention. About 30 minutes of you reacting to real accounts answers these.

  1. 1

    Does a city that closed its RFP but hasn't named a vendor still count as open?

    Rows 5 (Bismarck), 16 (Vienna) and 13 (Woodinville) all closed bids and none states an award.

  2. 2

    Does a state grant that hasn't named its tool count as a trigger?

    Rows 11 (Ridgefield), 15 (Yakima) and 18 (Pierce County) won grants without saying what they'll buy.

  3. 3

    Is a contract with a stated exit date a door or a wall?

    Row 20 (Stone Mountain) can decline to renew before the end of November; row 22 (Wilmington) just signed an upgrade.

  4. 4

    Where does the first deal stop being too big?

    Rows 14 (San Diego) and 19 (Harris County) are far above your 75,000-resident customer size.

  5. 5

    Does a law change make a department a buyer, or only an opening conversation?

    Row 17 (Cape Coral) is an HB 803 city that already runs a platform.

What does your Account Executive’s first morning look like?

Without

The CRM you have now. The early weeks go to learning which accounts you’d call, and why.

With · Account Executive, first morning

  • LNLexington, NCDraft written
  • BCBoone County Area Plan Commission, INDraft written
  • LWLacey, WADraft written
  • RCRedding, CADraft written
  • BNBismarck, NDDraft written

A hundred accounts you approved, the rules behind them and drafts to the first five, so their time goes to buyers.

From week two, your mornings too: one brief, drafts to approve, every message sent by you.

How the 10 days run

What happens in the ten working days?

November 16, 2026 to December 1, 2026. About a day of your time in total.

  1. Before by November 16

    You send the customers you’d clone and three deals that went wrong, plus 10 to 20 emails or posts you wrote. “How you sell” is drafted from your talks and posts.

    You: 20 minutes
  2. Day 1 November 16

    The playbook session: we fill the gaps and correct the draft together. Your CRM is connected.

    You: 2 hours
  3. Day 2 November 17

    Your first rules are written; a few hundred companies are scored against them.

    You: none
  4. Day 3 November 18

    You review the first 25 (talking it through is fine).

    You: 30 minutes
  5. Day 4 November 19

    Your reasons become rules; you see the re-score and judge 10 more. First touches are written in your voice to the accounts you kept, and you read ten. Touches start logging to the CRM.

    You: 30 minutes
  6. Day 5 November 20

    The hundred is built. The research tool is set up; you test it on three accounts you know.

    You: 15 minutes
  7. Day 6 November 23

    The morning run is set up; your first morning, with us.

    You: 30 minutes
  8. Day 7 November 24

    You review all hundred, and any cut is replaced. Team training, session one.

    You: 1 hour 20 minutes
  9. Day 8 November 25

    Your first morning on your own. Training session two, hands-on for each person.

    You: 1 hour plus your morning
  10. Day 9 November 30

    Your second morning on your own. Each person on your team runs the morning alone.

    You: your morning
  11. Day 10 December 1

    Your third morning on your own. A week of touches is in the CRM. Handover sign-off.

    You: 30 minutes plus your morning
Kash Badami

Who builds it?

The person in the video does the work with you, from the first session to the handover.

$100M+in deals sold in a single year
$0 to $10MARR in 12 months, for a company I built
  1. “Kash and I built ERT Credit together in 2021. He took my MVP and turned it into a SaaS that hit $10M ARR in twelve months.”

    Jordan Anderson, CEO, PayStreetgobridgehead.ai/about

  2. “Analytical in approach, technologically-knowledgeable, and earnest in conviction, Kash was able to drive pipeline in a notoriously challenging tech region.”

    JBJason Brandt, Managing Director, Sales, ePlus inc.LinkedIn recommendation, April 2020

Where does this go from here?

Three options. Each one is fine.

Not a fit

Say so in a line, and that’s the end of it.

Not now

Keep the 25 and the read on how you sell, and share them. When the role fills, the offer stands.

Talk with Kash

Ask Kash to call you, or email him. He calls to set up a 30-minute strategy session. Bring your cofounder or your sales leader.

Your new AE’s first 100 accounts, in 10 days

The first 25 are above, and they’re yours either way.

Email Kash

We build a handful of these a month, for founders hiring now.

10 days

from kickoff to your team running it

  • 100 accounts you approve, each with the reason
  • Drafts to the first five, in your voice
  • Your team runs it without us
  • Any account you cut, we replace

GovWell sales playbook, in brief

GovWell sells permitting, licensing, planning and zoning, and code enforcement software to city and county governments. Troy LeCaire announced a $25M Series A on May 13, bringing total funding to $35M.Your Series A post: Announcing our $25M Series A, govwell.com/communities

Its buyers are small departments on paper, email and PDFs or on software built twenty years ago; Troy describes a two-person department where people “pay for permits in person with cash or a check,” and teams facing “increased workloads, alongside shrinking budgets and staff headcount.”Your LinkedIn post: North Dakota is officially on the GovWell map, Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline

The open Account Executive role closes new logos in a sales cycle of 2 to 3 months and, the posting says, “will not be responsible for sourcing their own leads.”Account Executive posting

The first 25 accounts for a new Account Executive are cities and counties with a dated public trigger, such as an RFP, a state grant, a new law or a council hearing, each scored on six rules: nine strong fits, ten in the middle and six edge cases that test the rules.

Prepared by at Bridgehead · November 9, 2026 · Every source

Questions founders ask

Can’t my AE build this when they start?

They can. But wouldn’t you rather they were selling? Reps spend 28% of their time selling, and the average new AE takes 6.2 months to ramp. This replaces the weeks they would spend building the list and learning what you already know.

28%: Salesforce, State of Sales (7,700+ sellers, 2022) · 6.2 months: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies)

How much sooner does my new AE get to work?

From day one, because the accounts you approved and the first drafts are waiting. The average new AE takes 6.2 months to ramp, and at a $200K median OTE that is about $103K paid before they are fully productive. Only 48% of AEs hit quota.

6.2 months: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies) · $103K: arithmetic ($200K median OTE × 6.2 months ÷ 12); Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies) · 48%: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies)

We tried an outreach tool and it sounded like a robot. How is this different?

Nothing goes out on its own. Every account on the list is one you approved, every draft is written to one person, and you send each message yourself. It learns your voice from what you’ve written and from every edit you make.

How much of my time does it take?

About a day, spread across the ten working days: the 2-hour session on how you sell, short list reviews you can talk through, two training sessions and your first mornings. The hours your AE gets back go to selling, where reps spend just 28% of their time today.

28%: Salesforce, State of Sales (7,700+ sellers, 2022)

What happens after you leave?

It keeps learning. Each week it proposes rule changes from what your cuts, replies and silences showed, and you approve or reject each in a line.

Where does my data live?

In your own accounts: your Claude, your CRM, your files. Nothing runs on anyone else’s side, and any rule can be changed in plain English.

How is it priced?

The first engagement is one fixed price for the ten days. It depends on how many people we train and which systems we connect, so Kash quotes it on a short call. After handover, you can keep us on a retainer to keep supporting your sales process and refining it, if you choose that route.

The research behind this page 9 sources · 3 postings · 8 customers · 40 stores looked at

Your talks and posts

  1. Your Series A post: Announcing our $25M Series A, May 13, 2026
  2. govwell.com/communities
  3. TechCrunch: GovWell is bringing automation and efficiency to local governments, July 29, 2024
  4. Your LinkedIn post: North Dakota is officially on the GovWell map, October 22, 2026
  5. Your LinkedIn post: A ballot measure can set a permit deadline, October 27, 2026
  6. Your LinkedIn post: Every year the ICMA conference reminds me why we started GovWell, October 30, 2026
  7. Your blog: How small cities can fix staffing shortages with better permitting software, February 14, 2026
  8. Your blog: The struggles of legacy permitting software in local government, February 14, 2026
  9. Your case study: Twinsburg, Ohio issues building permits twice as fast, September 9, 2026

Your open roles

  1. Account Executive, first posted July 29, 2026
  2. Business Development Manager, first posted May 4, 2026
  3. Senior Demand Generation Manager, first posted August 18, 2026

Your customers

Twinsburg, Ohio · Perinton, New York · Macon County, North Carolina · Butte-Silver Bow, Montana · Lawrenceburg, Tennessee · Nederland, Texas · Clarksville, Indiana · Hampton, Georgia (santehq.com/customers and your posts). Customer photos are from santehq.com/customers.

How the 25 were picked

40 stores found and scored on 6 rules; the 25 chosen to teach: 9 strong, 10 middle, 6 at the edges. Logos are from each store’s own site.

  • Sources: GovWell’s own site and blog, its Account Executive posting (read through the Ashby posting API), Troy’s LinkedIn posts, TechCrunch, and each government’s own notice, a bid listing or the local news report, each opened and saved on November 9, 2026.
  • None of the 25 appears on govwell.com/communities or among the named customers on its site. Jefferson City, Missouri and Newtown, Connecticut came up in research as GovWell customers and were left out.
  • Several bid listings come from aggregators (Starbridge, SamSearch, Government Bidders). Closed bids don’t say who won, so those rows say the award isn’t in the sources.
  • Where a bid closed and no award is stated, the no-rival rule scores 2, not 3: nothing says a rival won, and nothing says it didn’t.
  • Buyer titles are roles; named officials appear only where the source names them. No contact details are on this page.