When it comes to sales onboarding, one size does not fit all. Whether you’re onboarding a:
- Sales Development Representative (SDR): Who establishes the first contact with potential clients and qualifies them for the Account Executive.
- Account Executive (AE): Responsible for closing deals
- Account Manager (AM): Focused on customer relationships and upselling.
Each profile requires a tailored approach to ensure success. For SDRs, for example, it is about mastering their script and their knowledge of the product.
In this article, we’ll focus primarily on Account Executives and Managers, as they’re the most interesting to discuss. We’ll dissect the components of an effective sales onboarding program, uncover the key benefits of a well-structured program, and reveal how to properly design one.
What is sales onboarding?
Sales onboarding is more than just a training period; it is about mastering internal processes and product knowledge.
This includes understanding the tools used, such as the ins and linkedin database outs of a company’s CRM, deal management software, note-taking tool, etc.
The goal is to ensure that no matter which vendor handles the transaction, the process remains consistent, allowing for smooth transitions.
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Basically, this is where the salesperson must become intimately familiar with the product they are selling, especially the Account Executives who are responsible for closing the deals.
They need to know the product inside and out, its benefits, and children are not allowed to stomp even the target personas. This knowledge ensures that they can effectively communicate the value of the product to the potential customer.
Another part of salesperson onboarding is on-the-job onboarding correctly training, where the salesperson is exposed to real-life customer interactions.
This is where the biggest unknowns lie, as it is the moment when their true skills, attitude and adaptability shine, especially for junior profiles.
Why is sales onboarding important for the sales department?
The main benefit of sales onboarding is to ensure consistency in the sales process.
Again, regardless of who is handling a sale, the customer experience should be consistent. This consistency comes from a well-structured onboarding process that covers everything cuba business directory from sales techniques to product knowledge.
It’s not just about uniformity, though; think of onboarding correctly sales onboarding as your company’s “quality control.” Salespeople need to learn from others’ experiences selling the same product to the same people.
This transfer of knowledge is critical to your success. Sales onboarding accelerates your learning curve, allowing salespeople to start performing well quickly and giving sales managers the confidence to give them autonomy.