I recently wrote about how people are misunderstanding how ramping works, and how to model it as part of capacity planning.
If you're hiring sales reps at pace, then your onboarding can be a huge area to improve overall sales effectiveness, and accelerate the overall progress of the revenue plan.
It can also be a great opportunity to double up on the content that you build to upskill your existing sales reps, especially where you're creating new content or even a programme from scratch.
Designing Sales Onboarding
The first thing to remember with onboarding is that first impressions really matter - You'll hopefully have a well thought-out and managed candidate experience for finding and landing talent, the last thing you want to do is destroy it at the first opportunity.
The people & content that people interact with on their first few days in the business can have a huge impact on the mental approach at which people approach onboarding, and it can have a serious ability on your ability to build and maintain great culture.
Sloppy onboarding can immediately build a lax culture, which when trying to build a high performance sales culture can be a death sentence.
But don't for get that it's crucial for setting your new sales reps up for success. It's not about cramming everything into a one-day training session; it's about strategically spreading out the learning process over a period of time, and that's why you need to have a set schedule for onboarding.
Here's how you can design an effective onboarding schedule:
Match training to experience level
Different sales roles will come with different levels of sales experience, and so your training programmes should be designed to match the talent that you're hiring:
If you're hiring graduates for entry level sales you need to make sure that you can teach sales from the ground up (as well as have great coaching resource internally), more experienced sales hires like Account Executives may benefit from more refresher based training that is matched to company processes, rather than straight sales skills.
Split out learning
The best onboarding I ever delivered deliberately split knowledge into 3 areas, and delivered them separately and in order (before tying it all together in role play)
1. Industry Knowledge and Background
Learning the language of your customers, their pains and their processes is the ideal thing to be learning to ever even being exposed to the product, especially in more technical (think SaaS/tech) sales roles. This allows sales reps to better engage with prospects, and works to help open up conversations more freely.
2. Product Knowledge
Learning the product by matching it back to the industry knowledge and problems helps apply the context of the product, and the value that it can provide to prospects. Learning it after the industry knowledge can help drive reps towards value selling, rather than feature selling.
3. Sales Skills
With everything else learned, it time to then provide the skills to weaponize knowledge and use it in a more commercial sense, through learning the sales skills that can be applied in practice.
4. Role Play
Time to put it to practice across the business, roleplaying with both equal peers and management. Here is where you can start to assess and understand how someone is taking to both the onboarding training and the company culture, and it's important that he role of the roleplayer is taken seriously, and not just seen as a check box exercise.
Define a standardized onboarding timeline
Establishing a standardized onboarding process that spans six months to a year is how you should be looking at it, not just the first few weeks, however that's where you need to start.
Create evolving milestones across weeks 1 & 2, month 1 and month 3, 6 & 12 that build a sense of progress and development, then work backwards looking at what content & resource you have internally to help a new starter to hit those goals.
You should identify specific actions each new hire needs to complete in the first few weeks, as well as training courses they should finish in the first month, and goals they should accomplish within the first quarter.
Having a clear, long-term plan ensures a consistent and thorough onboarding experience for all new sales reps.
Continuously evaluate and optimize
Regularly assess your sales onboarding efforts and optimize them for greater success, analyzing the impact of new hires on key metrics, from sales calls booked to deals closed.
Seek feedback from new sales reps on their onboarding experience and use those insights to refine your process. Invest in tools like CRM software to automate tasks and provide guidance on your company's sales process, making it easier for new hires to get up to speed.
By designing a comprehensive onboarding schedule that combines structured learning, hands-on experience, and continuous evaluation, you'll set your new sales reps up for long-term success and help them become valuable contributors to your team.
Pre-Onboarding Preparation
Here's the content for the section "Pre-Onboarding Preparation" of the article "How to onboard Sales Reps" in markdown format:
Don't assume that onboarding starts on your new sales hire's first day. The moment they accept your job offer, it's game on. This pre-onboarding phase is crucial, as even the smallest misstep can sow seeds of doubt in your new recruit's mind.
During pre-onboarding, your mission is to:
Stay in touch: Keep those lines of communication open. Promptly answer any questions they have, making them feel valued and in the loop.
Tackle the paperwork: Get your HR team to help your new sales star complete all the necessary paperwork. The last thing you want is administrative hurdles tripping them up on day one.
Set up their tech: From corporate accounts (think Google, Slack, CRM) to any other tools they'll need, get everything set up and ready to go. You don't want them twiddling thumbs, waiting for access.
Send a welcome package: Put together a welcome package filled with all the info they need to hit the ground running. Think company history, product details, team intros, and more. The goal? To have them well-versed and ready to roll from the get-go.
Remember, pre-onboarding isn't just about dotting the i's and crossing the t's, it's your chance to build excitement, foster a connection, and set your new sales hire up for success. Nail this phase, and you'll have them chomping at the bit to start making sales magic happen.
Creating Effective Training Materials
Crafting engaging, informative content is key to keeping your new sales reps hooked and ensuring they retain the knowledge they need to succeed.
Here's how to create training materials that keep them engaged:
Keep it interactive
No one wants to sit through hours of dry, text-heavy presentations. Spice things up with interactive elements like quizzes, role-playing exercises, and hands-on demos. The more engaged your reps are, the more likely they are to remember what they've learned.
Use real-world examples
Theory is great, but your reps need to know how to apply their knowledge in the real world. Use case studies, customer stories, and examples from your own sales team to illustrate key concepts and show reps what success looks like in practice.
Embrace multimedia
Different people learn in different ways, so mix up your training materials with a variety of formats. Videos, podcasts, infographics, and interactive e-learning modules can all help keep things fresh and cater to different learning styles.
Make it accessible
Your reps should be able to access training materials whenever and wherever they need them. Create a central repository of resources that's easy to navigate and available on-demand, and if you don't have one already, consider using a learning management system (LMS) or sales enablement platform to streamline access and track progress.
Continuously update and improve
Your training materials shouldn't be a one-and-done deal. As your products, market, and sales processes evolve, so should your training content. Regularly review and update your materials to ensure they're always relevant and effective and seek feedback from your reps and use their insights to continuously improve your training program.
By creating training materials that are engaging, practical, and accessible, you'll set your new sales reps up for success and ensure they have the knowledge and skills they need to crush their targets.
Practices for Engaging Sales Reps During Onboarding
You've got your new sales reps on board, but how do you keep them engaged and motivated throughout the onboarding process? It's not just about throwing information at them; it's about creating an immersive, interactive experience that keeps them hooked. Here are some practices to keep your new sales reps engaged during onboarding:
Make it interactive
No one wants to sit through hours of dry, boring presentations. Spice up your onboarding with interactive elements like quizzes, role-playing exercises, and hands-on demos. The more engaged your reps are, the more likely they are to retain the information.
Encourage collaboration
Encourage your new sales reps to collaborate with each other and with more experienced team members. Set up group projects, pair them with mentors, and create opportunities for them to learn from each other. This not only helps them build relationships within the team but also fosters a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose.
Gamify the experience
Gamify your onboarding experience with challenges, competitions, and rewards. Set up a leaderboard for reps who complete certain milestones or achieve specific goals, and try to have a budget for prizes or actively provide recognition for top performers. This not only keeps reps engaged but also taps into their competitive spirit.
Provide regular feedback
Don't wait until the end of the onboarding process to provide feedback. Give your new sales reps regular, constructive feedback throughout the process, helping them to course-correct early on. This shows them that you're invested in their success, and helps keep them engaged no matter what the type of feedback. Use a mix of formal evaluations and informal check-ins to keep the lines of communication open.
Celebrate milestones
Onboarding can be a long, challenging process. Keep your reps motivated by celebrating milestones along the way. Whether it's completing a certain module, making their first sale, or hitting a specific goal, take the time to recognize and celebrate their achievements. This helps keep them engaged and shows them that their hard work is valued.
By making your onboarding process interactive, collaborative, and engaging, you'll keep your new sales reps motivated and invested in their own success. And that translates to better results for your team and your bottom line.
Monitoring and Adjusting Onboarding Strategies
Your sales onboarding process isn't a one-and-done deal. It's an ongoing journey that needs constant monitoring and tweaking to ensure it's hitting the mark.
Here's how you can stay on top of your onboarding game:
Keep a pulse on performance metrics
From the number of sales calls booked to deals closed, keep an eye on the impact your new hires are making, analyzing these metrics to spot any gaps in their performance and address them promptly.
Seek feedback from the trenches
Don't just rely on numbers. Get down and dirty with your new sales reps. Have one-on-one chats, conduct surveys, and host office hours to gather their insights on the onboarding experience. Their feedback is gold when it comes to refining your process.
Test, test, and test again
Your onboarding program should be a living, breathing entity. Regularly assess its effectiveness and don't be afraid to experiment with new approaches. A/B test different training modules, content formats, and coaching strategies to see what sticks.
Invest in sales enablement tools
Having the right sales enablement tools can be a game-changer. Look for platforms that automate tasks, provide guidance on your sales process, and make it easy for new hires to access resources on-demand. These tools can take some of the pressure off your reps, allowing them to focus on what matters most: selling
Remember, your onboarding program isn't set in stone. It's a dynamic process that requires continuous monitoring, evaluation, and optimization. By staying agile and responsive to your new hires' needs, you'll create an onboarding experience that sets them up for long-term success.
Conclusion
Sales rep onboarding is a strategic initiative that forms the backbone of a high-performing sales force, and by carefully designing an onboarding schedule that prioritizes structured learning, facilitates hands-on experience, and encourages continuous evaluation, you can significantly shorten ramp-up times and enhance overall sales productivity.
Remember that the ultimate goal extends beyond simply informing new sales reps; it's about embedding them into the culture and processes of your organization, equipping them with the necessary tools and knowledge to thrive. Committing to an iterative, feedback-driven onboarding process not only elevates individual performance but also fortifies the collective prowess of your sales team.
FAQs
What are the characteristics of a successful inside sales representative?
Successful inside sales representatives share five key traits: They thoroughly prepare for their interactions, recognize when to disengage from unproductive leads, focus on selling the final outcome, effectively utilize available technology, and collaborate closely with their marketing team.
What does the sales onboarding process entail?
Sales onboarding is a structured approach that involves welcoming new sales personnel, providing them with necessary training, and integrating them into the organization. This process includes teaching them critical knowledge required to perform their roles effectively.
What is the typical duration required to onboard a new sales representative?
On average, it takes about three months for a new sales representative to be prepared to engage with buyers. Achieving a competent level of performance generally takes about nine months, and reaching a top performer status usually requires about 15 months, assuming effective support systems and management are in place.