Jul 11, 20218:01 PM - edited Aug 12, 202110:32 AM
Inbound Professor
Onboarding techniques that work
Most sales jobs have very little onboarding. The new rep might get a little bit of instruction and get to do a "ride-along" with an experienced team member, but then they're usually put on the frontlines and left to fend for themselves. Have a story of an onboarding experience that went well? Share it in the comments below!
Yes, when I was working for Walmart I was able to shadow an expereinced worker for as long as I needed to ensure I could run the register correctly. Once I was put on my own I needed no hand holding and made no errors. I learn very well by seeing success and then adapting to my own version of that method. It is always important to follow the sales steps in the correct order but also to be one's self.
I remember a good onboarding experience where new sales reps were given thorough training and paired with experienced team members for shadowing. They didn't just learn about the product; they saw it in action. Plus, they had mentors to guide them and provide feedback along the way. It made starting out feel less overwhelming. The key: being part of a supportive team right from the beginning!
Part of my role in my last Sales Manager position, I onboarded and trained new reps as part of a new Sales department. This included visual PowerPoints with information as well as guided worksheets to practice using that information. I tried to make the learning enjoyable by making Jeopardy games to quiz their knowledge as well as Inbound Sales Bingo to mark off certain calls.
In my recent role as Sales Manager, I participated in the selection, recruitment and onboarding process of account managers.The first step was to make known the KPIs of the position, then develop soft skills for negotiation, presentation and then strengthen the technical knowledge associated with the position. In a matter of weeks they were already with clients, creating opportunities and prospects.
Selling hearing aids online is a bit niche and does require quite a bit of knowledge - so first month is like drinking from fire house- no way to really avoid that. Three months to ramp up though is great to then get comfortable- has been very successful!
Based off what I learned collab programs between reps and 1 on 1 coaching along with mentors watching during the collab programs between reps roleplaying.
Then as you do it link chunks seperately as you got through each part of onboarding not at once maybe like a overview(syllabus to get rep mentally ready) but give the reps one chunk at a time during onboarding.
Each chunk brings em in as they get it down so its great for coaching while onboarding and or Training while onboarding at he same time so rep is ready faster
1. Area of responsibility: what the employee will do, what tasks he will take 2. Corporate playbook ( presentation of the company, products, customers, etc.) 3. KPI for 3 months or a quarter, as well as weekly sprint goals 4. Accesses and links necessary for work 5. Cultural assimilation 6. Buddy programs
A great intro to the onboarding process is a video featuring one person from each department in which key department personnel briefly describe their department's function and processes. For onboarding sales professionals, the segments that feature marketing, sales and customer success functions should speak to their dependence on -and collaboration with- the sales team.
Getting a high-level overview like this is an effective tool for orienting a new hire into the organization and is a welcoming way for an onboarding salesperson to gain quick familiarity with company culture.
I thought the practical part of onboarding was a hassle every time, so I made a spreadsheet containing our onboarding plan - and I really think it does the job of creating an overview and good introduction for the new hire.
Tab1: 2 weeks calendar with all scheduled onboarding meetings and other mandatories
Tab2: Inventory of systems, platforms, drives, support contacts, how to book your meeting rooms, set up your company email etc
Tab3: An overview of recurring meetings for the specific role (1:1's etc)
Tab4: Links to materials such as Playbooks, company policies etc.
Tab5: Dictionary - industry related overview of abbrevations, industry lingo, sales & marketing stuff etc. Complete with links to further descriptions etc.
I've yet to have an onboarding experience that was actually helpful. Most of the time you're given very little direction and left to fend for yourself in order to find the information you need. Or, you're overloaded with a bunch of information, but over half of it is irrelevant and lacks training on essential information to do your job, once again left to fend for yourself to find the information or what works.
