10 Tips for Training New Salespeople

Getting new hires ready to sell isn't easy, even if they have plenty of experience.

You can't let training stretch on too long—that's a waste of money. But you also need to put your new salespeople in a position to succeed.

To help you find the balance, we're going to give you ten important tips for training new salespeople and show you how to implement some of them with our industry-leading power dialing software.

1. Streamline the Duller Parts of Training

Will your new salespeople sit through hour-long lectures or training videos? Yes. And their attention will wane after 20 minutes, tops.

For training where people will naturally stop paying full attention, cut it down to only the key points.

It’s also helpful to send summaries in bullet points after these meetings so that team members can refer back to them. Try using PhoneBurner’s CRM to create and share scripts and other training materials with your team.

2. Get Them Comfortable with Your Software Immediately

Your salespeople will learn a lot on the job, but they need to be able to use your software like the back of their hand. Make that a focus, and consider having them learn that first.

Our power dialing software is designed for ease of use. Take a 1-minute tour of PhoneBurner here and see for yourself.

3. Have Them Shadow Live Calls

The best way to learn is to listen to sales calls in action. Have new salespeople shadow experienced members of your sales team to see what they're learning in action.

There are a few different ways to do this, depending on the dialing software you use. PhoneBurner’s Listen-In feature is one great method—learn about our call coaching and monitoring tools here.

4. Assign Partners

It helps new salespeople when they have someone to turn to for support. Having a go-to person makes people feel more comfortable asking questions and raising concerns as well. Pair new members of your team with your seasoned vets to help them adjust more quickly.

5. Provide Simpler Sales to Start

Selling is challenging to begin with. Having to learn the intricacies of technical products or varied product lines can be overwhelming. So if you have simpler products or services to sell, start your new salespeople with those. They'll develop more quickly when they aren't thrown into the deep end right away.

A key part of doing this correctly is to assign the right leads to the right reps. Doing this manually can be tedious, but lead distribution tools like PhoneBurner’s LeadStream can make it seamless.

6. Show Them How to Look Up Information

Answer a new salesperson's question, and they'll turn to you every time they have one. Show them where they can find answers themselves, and you'll develop self-sufficient salespeople.

We recommend keeping a database of scripts, email templates, and other training materials on-hand in your CRM software. Create these once, share them with your team, and update them as needed—then your team members will be able to access those tools when necessary instead of constantly requiring hands-on assistance from you.

7. Avoid Information Overload

If you give new salespeople too much to remember, they'll be stressed and probably only retain bits and pieces of what they were taught.

You're better off starting them off with the basics, and then letting them learn more as they go. Stagger your training and give them time to digest what they’ve learned between sessions for best results.

8. Set Expectations & Goals

New sales reps need to know what's expected of them. Set reasonable expectations and goals as they relate to both effort and output, so new hires have a target to work towards. This will ensure they are self-driven and focused on results.

9. Monitor Performance

Use analytics tools and call recordings to see how new salespeople are doing. Make sure you pay attention not just to their results, but their process and skill-set as well. You're sure to find areas that are in need of improvement.

10. Use Follow-up Training When Needed

Nip problems in the bud before they become bad habits. That means setting up additional training when a new salesperson needs it. This is why monitoring performance and gauging challenges is so important.

Train New Members for Your Team with Effective Tools

Improving your sales training will make the process more efficient and better prepare new hires for their first sales calls. Using the right techniques and providing the resources new reps need will make them less likely to struggle, and more likely to succeed out of the gate.

Remember: dialing software and other technology is a critical part of any new sales rep’s toolkit. Start a free trial of PhoneBurner here if you don’t use it already and see how features like these can benefit your new hires:

• Built-in CRM with 200+ integrations
• Power dialer to reach up to 4x as many prospects
• Smart lead distribution to get the right leads to the right reps
• And more