By Michelle Richardson – The Brooks Group
Ramping new sales reps quickly is a pivotal factor separating successful sales organizations from those that underperform. Data from our 2024 Sales Leader Trend Report shows that 87% of successful teams have extensive, structured onboarding.
But actually getting new salespeople performing at their highest potential is easier said than done, with one in three salespeople lacking proficiency in about a dozen skills by the time sales onboarding is complete, according to the research from The Sales Management Association.
You can improve the effectiveness of your sales onboarding and ramp-up efforts by introducing new sales team members to your sales organization’s common language. The sooner they can talk-the-talk, the faster they will be walking-the-walk—and contributing to your revenue goals with full force.
Here are 4 ways a common language helps get new sales reps up to speed quickly.1. The entire sales team can offer consistent advice for how to go to market
It takes a village to get your new salespeople operating at full capacity. You can increase the speed to productivity exponentially if your entire sales team contributes to the onboarding process. But this group-mentoring strategy really requires that everyone communicates with a consistent language in order to reap the benefits (and avoid confusion from conflicting information).
Take Action: Collaborate with your sales team to develop a list of best practices within each stage of the sales process. Rotate through your reps each week to have everyone give a 10-15 minute presentation during your sales meeting on one best practice.
2. Tribal sales knowledge is shared more easily, and with greater frequency
Salespeople are typically more likely to pay attention to direction from their peers than from their managers. If you have created a culture of loyalty and collaboration on your team, your players will be open to sharing their most successful strategies and tactics—it’s finding the time and the platform for sharing that tribal knowledge that can be challenging.
When everyone understands the shorthand language, sharing best practices becomes much more efficient.
Take Action: Carve out a dedicated time in your sales team meetings for success sharing. Have a different rep share each week and keep the stories on file for future onboarding efforts.
3. Sales messaging is clearly understood throughout the organization