Putting Your Sales On Boarding Program Together
If you read “The Sales On Boarding Process The introduction,” you have a list of what your new sales person needs to know. The key now is to develop an on-boarding agenda and establish a timeline for when you are going to do what. Remember, there’s no set length of time for the sales on boarding process. The duration of your sales on boarding should be based on the complexity of the sale and the experience level of your new salesperson. Your goal is to get your new salesperson producing revenue as quickly as possible. However, the sales on boarding process shouldn’t stop if the new hire becomes productive before completing the on boarding program. If you lay out a 90-day program and your new salesperson is producing good results in the first 30-days, that’s fantastic, but don’t stop the on-boarding process.
Let’s look at a 90-day sales on boarding program. This means you have allocated approximately 13 weeks to get your new salesperson integrated into your
organization. To set up your program, you’ll need to:
- Decide what you want to accomplish during the sales on boarding process in the first 30 days, the second 30 days and the third 30-day period.
- Brake each 30-day period into weekly expectations.
- Divide everything into a weekly schedule.
- Decide what will happen on each day.
For example, one common objective of the sales on boarding process is to insure new hires understand how use the company email systems and voicemail, and learn the location of office supplies and sales material. It makes sense to teach these basic, yet essential, tasks during the first week of the first 30-day period, and during the first week. You might set this up for day two, perhaps, if filling out new-hire paperwork takes up all of day one.
An objective more specifically related to a sales position is ensuring the new hire can effectively develop leads. This could be another task for the first 30 days, but it’s not something that’s going to happen in one day, or even one week. Schedule a certain week to start this task, and then set several milestones:
- During week one, the new hire could work with a mentor to discuss and observe various forms of lead development.
- In week two, the new salesperson would have to demonstrate the ability to perform methods like cold-calling via role play.
- In week three, set a goal for the number of leads they should produce within a certain amount of time.
Develop a logical progression for each of the objectives that you want to accomplish in the sales on boarding period. You can always adjust the schedule as you move through the process, but starting with a plan makes for a more effective program.
The Mentor’s Responsibility During Sales On-Boarding
If you have assigned one or more mentors to guide the new salesperson during the sales on boarding process, let them know exactly what this responsibility entails. Mentoring isn’t just about providing information; it’s about ensuring that new salespeople can demonstrate and apply what they’ve learned. The best way for mentors to do this is to design a plan for how they’ll instruct new salespeople on the tasks they’ll have to perform.
Prepare For the First Day
A well-developed sales on-boarding program starts on new salespeople’s first day. Make sure to have everything in place ahead of time so they can see how well organized and prepared your organization is, and that you’re glad to have them on board.
In fact, it’s a good idea is to email the sales on boarding agenda to new hires in advance to give them an idea of what to expect and show them you are committed to their success. In addition, have their office space, business cards, and other essentials ready to go for day one.
On the first day, spend time with a new salesperson to explain the sales on-boarding process and schedule, and discuss expectations. Also, take the time to introduce your new hire to any mentors you’ve assigned, and be sure to answer any and all questions.
Introduce Sales Expectations at the Start of the Sales On-Boarding Process
The goal of your sales on boarding program is to make your new salesperson as productive as possible, as soon as possible. To do this, you must provide your new employee with a clear picture of your expectations.
The reality is, you shouldn’t expect much revenue-building production from new hires in the first 30 days. However, do not make the mistake of considering that wasted time. Use those first few weeks wisely to lay the necessary foundation to amp up production for the second 30 days, and the third, and so on.
What you can expect in that first 30 days is that your new hires begin to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to become valued members of your team who can produce exceptional results over the long haul.
If you are expecting revenue during the sales on boarding process, design a quota for new folks that involves short sales-cycle projects. For example, if you expect new salespeople to produce $1 million in revenue during the first year, make sure the bulk of that quota in is the latter part of the year, after they’ve completed sales on boarding and had time to develop their territory and fill the pipeline. If your sales don’t require a long sales cycle, like one-call close, they will ramp up quicker, but the full quota should not start until the second or third month.
Keys to successful sales on-boarding
- Begin sales on-boarding when you develop your hiring process and determine what you expect from your salesperson.
- Get started on the paper work early, even before the first day. Mail or email them the necessary paperwork after they have signed the offer letter. This way they aren’t wasting valuable time under a mountain of paperwork on their first day.
- Send an email to everyone in the office so they’re prepared to welcome a new salesperson and support them during the sales on-boarding process.
- Provide a nameplate on a new hire’s desk or office door as a tangible sign that you’ve prepared the space.
- Set up their computer ahead of time so it’s ready when they arrive.
- Configure the new employee’s email accounts.
- Provide guides for any necessary software they’ll be using.
- Set up the phone system and provide instructions for using voicemail.
- Have a stack of business cards waiting.
- Introduce assigned mentors and schedule time for them to meet within the first couple of days.
I hope this information on sales on boarding helps as you build your sales team. There is a lot that goes into helping your new salesperson become successful, and it all starts with a good sales on boarding process.
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