Why Effective Onboarding Is Crucial To Your Sales Teams Success
Today’s sales environment is highly dynamic, and it’s no longer acceptable to simply throw new hires into the role of sales rep, and expect them to perform at their best.
Proper, organized sales rep onboarding is called for, and with this, companies are likely to see positive results much quicker. Of course, it’s not just good for the company when sales reps are onboarded effectively; the reps themselves are more likely to feel confident in their role, which has a positive impact on their performance and increases their motivation levels.
What can a company with a well-structured sales onboarding process expect to see?
· Enhanced productivity early on
Sales reps take much less time to start being productive when they’ve been onboarded successfully, which enables companies to meet their targets quicker, and with more consistency.
· More reps hitting their sales quotas
With all of the tools necessary to carry out their role with efficacy, sales reps can hit their targets with ease.
· Reduced turnover
A rep who is satisfied with the onboarding process is much less likely to look for another role elsewhere.
· Satisfied and engaged reps
Start your sales reps off on the right foot with quality onboarding, and they’ll be more content, fulfilled, and invested in their roles.
What is the general structure of a sales onboarding process?
In general, a well-thought-out and well-structured sales onboarding process will contain the following:
· Pre-boarding – the most effective sales onboarding processes begin before the new sales rep commences their official role. Once a new employee has signed a contract for their new role, but before they start their employment, they can go through pre-boarding. During this time, the new hire can be given access to all of the information and tools they’re likely to use daily so that they can familiarize themselves with it all before officially starting their new role, and reduce some of the anxiety they are likely to be experiencing.
· Orientation – during this stage of the onboarding process, the new sales rep will be introduced to their colleagues, managers, and if appropriate, stakeholders. They’ll be given an overview of their new role, and have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
· Company overview – for your sales reps to sell your goods or services effectively, they need to understand them fully, and also be aware of the values, mission, and goals of the company.
· Market and industry training – industry and market training will be given as a part of the training new sales reps so that they can get a clearer picture of who your competitors are, pain points that are commonly experienced in the industry, and anything else that may help them to better understand the market and its impact on consumers.
· Product or service training – the best way to gain a successful sales rep, is to ensure that they are fully versed on all of the features of whatever it is your company is selling and that they understand what problems the product or service has been designed to help solve.
· Sales Tool Onboarding – with a lot of tools available nowadays to help sales reps carry out their role with efficacy, it’s not uncommon for new hires to feel overwhelmed. But, when a sales onboarding program includes adequate tool training, they’re much more likely to ease into their role with confidence.
A sales rep who is comfortable in their new role has a clear understanding of the company it's working for and its goals, and has the confidence to use the tools they’ve been provided with, is much more likely to bring success to a business. If you’re concerned that your sales rep onboarding process isn’t quite up to scratch, why not seek professional help from an experienced third party, who can train your new hires to exemplary standards?
