The first seller's first 90 days
A new seller needs a plan, a mentor and three checkpoints. Write what they do in 30, 60 and 90 days, who teaches each skill and how you will check it, on real work and not on feel.
Where it goes wrong
A new seller started on a Monday. The owner introduced him to the team, gave him a login and said “sit with Anton for a few days”. Anton had two deals closing that week and did not have the hour a day it takes. By day 30 the new seller had listened to forty calls and led none. At the review the owner said he “did not seem to be getting it”.
He had been introduced to everyone and given no plan. Nobody had said what “getting it” would look like on day 30, so nobody could say that he had or had not.
Write three goals
Thirty days: learn the product and the process. Sixty: handle conversations with a mentor beside them. Ninety: own their inquiries. One sentence each, and each one names something you can watch the person do.
Show the three sentences to the seller on day one. People do better when they know the finish line, and it gives them something to point to when they want to ask for help.
Name a mentor for each skill
One person teaches one skill at a time. Put a name against each task so the training does not depend on whoever is free. If the best seller is busy, the plan says who steps in, and it says how many minutes a week the mentor is expected to give.
A mentor does not have to be the best performer. The person who explains clearly and is patient with questions often teaches more than the one with the highest numbers.
Check on real work
At days 30, 60 and 90 look at actual conversations and deals against a short list of skills. Mark each as can do alone, can do with help or not yet. Three marks are enough. With them the review is about what the seller did, and nobody has to judge the person.
The onboarding kit has the plan, the mentor assignments and a skills map for this, and a filled example so you can see how much detail is useful.
See the onboarding kitDo not promise speed
Do not tell the seller or the owner how fast the seller will reach plan. Tell them what you will check and when. A promise of speed turns a slow first month into a failure, when it may be exactly what the sales cycle predicts.
When you want a closer look at one person, the salesperson diagnostic compares their view of their own work with yours and turns the gap into a 90-day plan.
See the salesperson diagnosticDo this week
- Write the three goals for 30, 60 and 90 days.
- Put a mentor’s name against each task and agree the minutes a week.
- Fix the dates of the three checkpoints in the calendar.
A 90-day plan for each new seller, with mentor assignments and a skills check.