How to plan a new seller’s first week
Give the first week a written plan with one goal per day, a named mentor and a check on Friday. By the end of the week the new seller knows the product, the deal stages and the next-step rule, and has listened to real conversations.
Before day one
Most of the first week is decided the week before. Logins to the CRM, email and the messenger work on Monday morning. The mentor knows they are the mentor and has the hours blocked in their calendar. The seller gets the one-page description of how you sell. On Friday, tell the team who is starting and who the mentor is, so nobody is surprised on Monday.
Write the goal for day 30 in one sentence and show it on day one: learn the product and the process. The seller then knows what the week is for.
A plan for five days
Give each day one goal and one piece of real work.
Keep the plan on one page so the mentor can follow it without you. Leave the afternoons lighter than seems necessary: an hour to reread notes is part of the work.
- Monday: the product, the customer and the one-page description of how you sell. Meet the team and the mentor.
- Tuesday: the deal stages in the CRM. Read four of the ten prepared deals from the first message and listen to five recorded calls.
- Wednesday: sit in on the mentor’s live calls and chats. Write down the questions customers ask.
- Thursday: the next-step rule. Set next steps on the mentor’s deals while the mentor checks them.
- Friday: a 30-minute check with you and the mentor, and a plan for week two.
Real work from the first week
Listening is useful for two or three days. After that, the seller needs to do something the mentor can check: write the next step on a deal, draft a reply to an inquiry for the mentor to send, update a deal card after a call.
Each piece becomes a task in the CRM with the seller’s name and a date, and the mentor checks it the same day. The task list then shows you both what was done, so nobody has to guess how the week went.
Keep the first pieces small enough to check in five minutes. A seller who gets a correction the same day learns faster than one who waits until Friday.
End the week with a check
On Friday, spend 30 minutes with the seller and the mentor. Ask the seller to explain the deal stages and the next-step rule in their own words, and to walk you through one deal they read. Mark what they can do alone, with help or not yet.
Then write the plan for week two in the same format. Put the Friday check into your management rhythm for the whole first month, so it happens in the weeks when you are busy too. The Sales rep onboarding 30/60/90 kit has an onboarding plan and worksheets you can use for this.
An example with invented numbers
Example (invented numbers): a seller joins a team of four on a Monday, and the mentor gives one hour a day, from 10:00 to 11:00. By Thursday the seller has read all 10 prepared deals, listened to 15 recorded calls and set next steps on 15 of the mentor’s deals. Three of them needed a correction. On Friday they explain the stages alone but still need help with the next-step rule, so week two starts there.
Do this week
Before the new seller’s first Monday, write the five-day plan on one page, name the mentor and book the Friday check in both of your calendars.
A 90-day plan for each new seller, with mentor assignments and a skills check.