Onboarding has become a typical stage in the recruitment process, but what is the purpose of it? The process should be designed so that your new employee understands from the get-go: what is expected of them, how they should achieve this and what they should expect from the company in return. One study found that companies with a standardised onboarding process benefitted from a 54% boost in the new employee’s productivity. So, it’s clear how important onboarding is but there remains the challenge of rolling it out remotely.
You’ve navigated the ins and outs of virtual interviews and now you must rely on technology again to integrate your latest recruit into the team. Onboarding a sales person can be a very hands-on job, what with the many questions they’ll have from that very first day, but with these five tips you can manage the process remotely and ensure your new sales person hits the ground running.
Schedule regular catch-ups
Employee engagement has been a top priority for sales managers for some time and with the global transition to remote working it’s more important than ever to keep your sales team motivated. One way to do this is through regular catch-ups. 84% of HR managers reveal that feedback – and in particular recognition – has an undeniable impact on employee engagement. By scheduling in time to offer your new sales person praise for their efforts and constructive criticism, you’ll ensure they feel supported from day one.
Be available to them
This should not come at the expense of having an open-door policy, or in this case an open-inbox policy. By encouraging your new sales hire to send queries through on your internal messaging system or via email you’ll ensure they’re never at risk of feeling unsupported. Make yourself available to your new team member, remind them that no question is too small to ask and assure them they don’t have to wait until your catch-up to raise an issue. Communicate this to your sales person and you’ll enable them to hit their maximum productivity.
Bring the team together
Sales is a sociable job and one where employees get their buzz from speaking to people and helping to uncover the customer’s needs. Now that your team are working remotely it’s essential that you promote a strong team culture. Connect your new sales person with other team members through weekly meetings, or more frequently depending on what’s right for your team. These group video calls are also the perfect time to recognise sales people who are hitting their targets and strengthen your culture despite the distance.
Focus on a consistent process
One benefit of onboarding an employee remotely is that it’s easier to approach the process with consistency. Each individual will need support in different areas but to onboard your new hire successfully you need a more regimented method – think role clarity, pipeline transparency and well-defined expectations. Around two in three employees believe they’re given unclear job descriptions and this is particularly a problem for hiring managers who are not within earshot of their new team member.
With a consistent onboarding process, sales managers can build a cohesive team who all work towards the same goal and not against one another – these are the foundations which make for a high-performance sales team.
Encourage development from the offset
94% of employees admit that their decision to stay with a company is impacted by the training they receive, highlighting how essential it is to show your sales people from the beginning that you’re invested in their career. What’s more, studies show this is particularly important when hiring and onboarding Generation Z and Millennials. Though you might nurture a learning culture in your workplace, with a dispersed team it’s harder for new recruits to see how invested you are in their career so you must communicate this throughout the onboarding process.
Are you looking for the next addition to your high-performance sales team?
We have 30 years’ experience identifying the top sales talent for our clients. Over this period, we’ve helped businesses navigate hiring throughout periods of uncertainty making our sales consultants well-placed to help you find the next sales person in this current climate. Get in touch to hear how we can help make the recruitment process easy for you and provide first-rate support throughout.
