By Kazim Ladimeji, 

Hiring and on-boarding a new sales person is one of the most crucial events in the HR calendar. A news sales person represents dynamism, energy, sales growth, commercial stability, bigger profits and bigger bonuses.

And the last thing you want to happen is for that sales person to crash out of the business after a few weeks or months into the job. It can be both damaging for your finances and your team morale, especially in smaller organizations where one sales person might be responsible for a large proportion of your revenue. Customers, employees and potential new hires can get very nervous if they see a sales person walking out the door.

So, it’s vital that employers take steps to effectively integrate their new sales hire into the organization so they reach their top performance level quickly. Here are some tips to help you do this, which I have drawn from the 2012 Sales Person Onboarding Survey by salesarchitects.net.

1. Well-defined first day program

The survey found that most of the sales people who were satisfied and on-boarded quicker had a well-defined first day program.

So, it’s crucial to develop an excellent, scene-setting, well-scheduled first day that espouses the vision, plans, structures, key personalities, key contacts and their individual plan for the first 90 days – and where all necessary organizational contacts are available as required.

2. Longer, structured on-boarding programs

The sales architects survey told us that it can take a new sales person anywhere from 8 months to over a year to perform at the same level as their more experienced colleagues, but they found that many companies spend less than 1 month on-boarding. Actually, the least satisfied sales hires had an on-boarding scheme lasting 28 days and the most satisfied had on-boarding programs that lasted 55 days, and incidentally, got up to speed four months earlier.

So, the clear message here is that sales people need longer, more comprehensive on-boarding programs than what is generally being offered.

3. Have a testing, coaching and retesting phase at the end of on-boarding

The survey found that the most effective on-boarding programs were very structured and comprehensive and included things such as sales simulations (role plays), CRM practicals, and written exams at the conclusion of on-boarding with testing.

So, the clear takeaway is to have a testing phase at the end of the on-boarding program so you can identify strengths and weaknesses and you can identify a follow-up coaching plan to both exploit strengths and develop weaknesses, reducing the time-to-productivity and increasing their overall contribution.

4. Start with some quick wins

One of the quickest ways to build confidence in new hires are quick wins. In fact, an AT&T studyshowed that individuals who make quick wins ultimately progress better in the organization. Can you get the new hire focused on products or services that are easy to sell and leave the more complicated ones for later once they have built their confidence?