- The average time for a new sales person
to go from freshmate to a deal closing machine
in a new company is between six to nine months.
Regardless of how successful
your business and sales team is.
That's a long time for somebody to ride passenger.
That's why as part of the business development strategy,
the onboarding process is critical
to setting up any new sales hires for success.
(upbeat music)
Hey guys, it's Hannah here from Neighbourhood
where we help brands find sale
and keep their people.
Sales training courses can be expensive,
and it's hard to find the right one
that works for your team.
This video won't necessarily replace
one-on-one mentoring and training,
but it will provide any fresh hires
with the tools they need to hit the ground running
Having a clear sales training document
with all the key information for new starters
or a guide for longterm staff
to refresh themselves is key
to making those first few months productive
and clearly outlining expectations for other staff.
The result, a sales team who understand your business,
your customers, and your sales strategy.
So what does a sales training guide need?
First up, it needs a welcome,
write a message saying how excited you are
to have them on board and let them know
that while this document will be detailed,
it is not a contract and is not
the complete list of expectations you have for them.
It is simply the best sales training guide
they'll ever read and an essential tool
to help their first few months run
as seamless and successful as possible.
Next up, outline what training they can expect to receive.
who runs it?
And what they will learn at each session
and any required presentations, pitches, or projects.
This sets the expectations from day one,
for both you and the new starter
on what they should learn from the beginning.
Then talk tech set-up.
This is a simple outline of what technology
they will receive as part of their role.
Give them all the information they need
and the logins for their brand spanking new technology.
Next up software and operating systems.
Here you will explain what software
and tools your business uses.
Give them instructions on how to set up their accounts,
if necessary and any login details they may need.
For example, your CRM, Project Management Program,
or deal tracking software.
Now you can discuss internal communications.
Explain how you communicate internally,
whether it be using Slack, Jabber
or another internal instant messaging app.
Make it clear which channels
they should join on their first day
or if there are any calendars to be aware of.
Get them involved right off the bat
and give them a shout-out in the chat
once they joined the team to welcome them.
Next up, have a chat around benefits.
HR should cover most of this,
but if there are any exclusive sales only deals
or benefits to work at the company,
reiterate them so they can start making
the most of them from early on.
Then make a list of the key people within the business
they could benefit from meeting.
Name people who make their lives easier,
are the experts, the sales team leaders
or the person that brings treats
into the office and is worth befriending.
For the big heaters in the business,
give them a couple of talking points
or insights so they can make a connection right off the bat.
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Next on the list is to include
some 100 day high level goals.
Outline what you expect the new hire
to be able to achieve after their first hundred days.
You're probably not expecting them
to close multimillion dollar deals,
unless that's how your business rolls.
By setting goals and expectations,
they can refer back to them and strategize
how they will reach it.
Then you can break it down.
Outline month one
and give them a small goal to target here
and set expectations of what knowledge
they should have after their first month.
Depending on experience after the first month,
you're expecting them to understand your business,
the product and pricing structure.
An example of a goal could be
to score 40 out of 50 on a product knowledge exam,
or to present what they've learnt
to the wider team in a monthly meeting.
Then look at month two,
the second month will be focused
on implementing the first month's linings.
Expectations and goals will be slightly larger
and this should be a chance for them to expand
their knowledge through conversations
with customers and internal stakeholders.
Next month three.
Now it's time to start kicking things into gear.
Expectations should be set and the new hire
should be starting to fit right into the team
and starting to hit their goals.
By now, they should be armed for success with the tools
and resources they require to nail their goals.
Now, we can talk about feedback and reviews.
Will you be having weekly catch-ups or fortnightly?
Explain what they are required to provide
at each check-in such as,
how they are traveling against their goals, any challenges,
or what they are loving about the new role,
Then outline the sales methodology and strategy.
Link them directly to your company sales plan
and any other documents or resources
that could help them understand how your business sells.
Provide some required or suggested reading.
Again, most of this will be covered by HR
but if there is anything in particular,
they should read in the first few weeks
such as company culture, organization chart,
or information on expenses and work travel.
Make sure you include this.
If there is a company guidelines or FAQ
for new starters, write it all out here
and give them as much detail as possible
to save the meeting, to ask later on.
Finally, round out any extra resources
they should be aware of such as escalation processes,
how to conduct a demo,
or if there's a group that will head down
after work for drinks every Friday
you know, the essential stuff.
Using the steps we've spoken about today,
you can ensure any new sales hire hits the ground running
and your business start seeing ROI
as soon as it's possible.
If you arm your sales team up to the teeth
in resources, information and the support they require,
you are setting them up for success in the long run.
Allowing them to do what they've been hired to do
rather than blindly trying to fill their way.
If you found this video helpful, then feel free
to share it with someone you know
that needs a hand with sales training.
You can also subscribe to our blog
where you'll find a bunch more tools, tips, and templates
to help you find, sell and keep your people.
Just like Neighbourhood does.
So that's it from me.
Happy selling!