- What would you say if I told you
that after watching this video you could improve
your sales team's performance by as much is 20%?
While most sales managers know
that sales bonuses drive their team's performance,
there are less known secrets
that can have just as big of an effect.
One of those is a smart onboarding process.
In sports, it's routine for teams to practice plays
they ultimately run during the game,
so why not use the same strategy and sales?
One way I do this is by recording some of my top reps' calls
and playing them back later for new hires.
You can record a rep on a call
where you know they're likely to be at their best.
For example, record a rep that's great
at presentations going through their pitch,
or record a rep that's great at nailing the close on a call
where they're closing.
What plays can they learn?
First, timing.
It's not just knowing what the right thing is to say
but having the feel for when it's the right time to say it,
also knowing how to facilitate
a natural back and forth rhythm in a sales conversation,
and then, and this is key,
knowing how to build trust with a prospect,
finally, the best techniques to overcome objections
and put prospects at ease.
Another trick to successful onboarding is to have
your new hires shadow senior reps on your team.
Your senior reps can become mentors to your new reps
and show them best practices around how they qualify leads,
prospect, negotiate, and close deals at your company.
At my company, I like to give new employees the time
to explore the product and its features on their own.
By using the product with their own hands,
my team quickly learns how the app works,
which helps them better understand
how our customers feel when they first engage with it.
Great communication starts with great stories,
so you have to arm your new hires with great stories
from real customer testimonials.
If you can, even create opportunities
for new hires to speak with your best customers
or at least see videos of your new customers talking
about your product.
That way, your new reps will have stories
that will truly resonate with your prospects right
at their fingertips.
Now, all these techniques are great,
but there's one single element
that will cut your on boarding time in half.
That's technology.
We all know that skimming over a long spreadsheet
of 1000 accounts is the least efficient way to get
a new rep familiar with their territory and customers,
but sales managers can leverage technology
to make the process much more efficient.
For example, for onboarding field sales reps
who cover an area,
you can use badger maps to show new hires their territory
and accounts on an interactive map,
which helps them know what to focus on,
given where they'll be in the field.
In taking the complexity out of tasks,
like figuring out their routes by hand,
can greatly reduce rep on boarding time.
Also, the more Interactive and engaging onboarding is
for the new hire,
the more likely the information
they need to know will stick in their heads.
Videos and training games are a great way
to keep your reps from falling asleep
while they're training.
One last pro tip,
call your new hire before they join the team.
This'll make 'em feel more connected to the team,
even before the onboarding process starts.
You'd be surprised
how few managers utilize this opportunity.
Now, make a list of all the plays
your new hires can learn from your existing team members.
Adding these to your on boarding process will get
your new hires up and running successfully much faster.