You’ve finally decided to invest in some sales help. Congratulations! Even if you’re hiring just one sales representative, this is a huge step for your business.
Ensuring you get the right sales talent and train and onboard them properly is key to the success of your business since they quite literally hold the key to the revenue your company will generate. The training and onboarding process can seem daunting and time-consuming. That’s why we are here to help. We put together a sales recruit training and onboarding checklist to help you get started.
The first step to take when onboarding a new sales rep is to give them a general overview of your company’s culture and mission. You should also introduce your products and services and your target market. Including this step in your process will help them understand what to sell and to whom.
It’s also important that they understand your company’s unique selling proposition so they can sell effectively. You should also give them a general overview of your sales process so they know what to expect and can hit the ground running.
After your new sales rep understands your company, it’s time to start getting into the nitty-gritty of their actual job. Teach them everything about your products and services, including how they work, their features and benefits, and how to sell them effectively. Mention the pricing, discounts, and promotions, as well as the language they should use to appeal to the target market.
You will also want to explain your detailed sales process so they understand the steps involved and what they should do at each stage. This stage might include product demonstrations, role-playing exercises, or shadowing another sales rep.
Next, you should provide your recruits with sales materials, such as price lists, product sheets, and brochures. If you use a CRM, you should also show them how to use it. This is also the stage to make any competitors known.
Finally, you will want to give them some practice selling so they can put what they’ve learned into action and get a feel for what it’s like to sell your products and services.