Onboarding can\u2019t be slapdash or even cookie-cutter. Ideally,\nit should be engineered to prepare reps for the activities they\u2019ll undertake \u2013\nand be tailored to the individual\u2019s role and experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are five tips to make your sales onboarding program a\nsmooth journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 \u2013 Incorporate Multiple Learning\nFormats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You wouldn\u2019t listen to a single song over and over again\nduring an entire road trip, right? For sales onboarding, vary your learning\nmethods and materials, too. Companies should abandon the\ndrink-from-the-firehose, death-by-PowerPoint\u00ae boot camp approach, and include a\nmix of relevant eLearning modules, live presentations, practice, role play, and\ncoaching opportunities within the onboarding curriculum. Opportunities for\nreinforcement (via bite-sized videos, quizzes, practice with peers, etc.)\nshould follow to drive retention. Learning should also be accessible on the go,\nformatted for mobile consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#2 \u2013 Get Agile with It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Road trips change based on what\u2019s in front of you \u2013 if one\nstreet is closed, you take another. In the same vein, you can use agile onboarding\nto prepare reps for what\u2019s right in front of them \u2013 so they\u2019ll master knowledge\nand skills that are relevant to the interaction or activity ahead. Then they\ncan move on to developing the next key skills, mapped out to prepare them for\ntheir next key milestone. For example, let\u2019s say a new rep will soon conduct a\ndemo call. That rep\u2019s onboarding program would focus on communication skills\nand product particulars in the near term, with training and certification to\ndrive readiness in those areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agile onboarding borrows its name and structure from the\nprinciples of agile software development \u2013 responsiveness, collaboration,\nability to make quick course corrections, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#3 \u2013 Look beyond Learning Consumption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sure, new drivers may be able to pass a written driver\u2019s\nexam. But, to receive a license, they need to go out on the road and pass a\nroad test that assesses their skills in action and their ability to adapt to\nchanging conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the same when measuring\nonboarding and training success; you can\u2019t take a limited, check-the-box\napproach. Too many companies measure only content consumption \u2013 in effect,\nequating viewing a video or reading a guide with mastering the material. (This\nis flawed logic, of course.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, while passing a written or online quiz on the material\nprovides another layer of knowledge checks, this still often isn\u2019t enough. You\ncan\u2019t know whether people have internalized information unless you see them in\naction. Role plays, live presentations, and video coaching tools (where a rep\nsends in a video for evaluation) can be used to assess readiness \u2013 so you know\nreps are confident and competent before<\/em>\nthey interact with buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Brainshark, our reps \u201cgraduate\u201d from our onboarding\nprogram after completing a live assessment with our executive team. Each rep\nreceives a scenario to address, and must position our products in a way that\nfits the situation and hypothetical customer (portrayed by the execs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to model for new hires what \u201cgood\u201d looks like\n\u2013 so, when they\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat, they know how to react. Rather than\nlearning just from superiors, reps often appreciate opportunities to absorb\ntales, best practices, and knowledge from their peers in the field \u2013 whose\nsuccess they want to emulate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to include these elements in an onboarding\ncurriculum \u2013 asking more tenured reps to share best practices and stories\n(e.g., \u201cHow I reignited interest with a prospect who went dark\u201d) via video. The\nbest examples can be put in a central repository, shared through your sales\nreadiness platform, and incorporated into formal onboarding courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To equip reps for success during onboarding and beyond, it\u2019s\nimportant that they have \u201cjust-in-time\u201d access to the learning content and\nsales materials they need. Whether they\u2019ll be engaging in preliminary research,\nconducting a discovery call, doing a demo, or simply completing a training or\ncoaching assignment, they need relevant materials that map to the target\nactivity, subject matter, industry, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By tagging items and adding filters to make content more\neasily searchable, you can steer reps to success \u2013 giving them access to what\nthey need right when they need it. It\u2019s also important to format content for\neasy mobile consumption and make it readily available through a central\nreadiness platform, email, and the CRM \u2013 that is, the systems reps use every\nday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A strong sales onboarding program requires attention, measurement, a feedback loop, and tweaks to keep reps engaged, set them on a path for continuous learning, and expedite time to productivity. With these tips, organizations can put their reps on the road to success \u2013 and start to put productivity gaps in the rearview mirror!<\/p>\n\n\n\n#4 \u2013 Foster Peer Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#5 \u2013 Make Resources Available\nAnytime, Anywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Go on Autopilot with Sales\nOnboarding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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