The Hunt

Onboarding a sales hire is an essential but often neglected part of the recruiting process. The more thoroughly and thoughtfully you introduce new sales hires to your company, the faster they will have an impact and the less likely they will be to quit. You’ve made a big investment in finding the right candidate. Now give them every available tool to succeed. As you work to improve your onboarding process, make sure you incorporate these four important elements:

Start Early and Commit to the Long Term

In most cases, effective onboarding initiatives last up to a year. And they begin the minute you offer a candidate a job and shake their hand. The earliest stages of a new job are the most confusing and anxiety inducing, which is why you need to offer intensive support in the first weeks and months. As time goes on, don’t give up on the onboarding process even if a new hire seems to be succeeding. Continue to be proactive about the process, and make it clear that you are always a resource the new hire can turn to with question/issues.

Orient the Sales Hire to Your Culture

Don’t operate under the assumption that your new hire will pick up on your company culture simply by working in the office and interacting with co-workers. Instead, make an effort to teach your culture to ensure that essential features are not neglected. One of the best ways to do this is to use anecdotes of actual employees exemplifying the culture you hope to foster.

Make Your Strategic Intent Clear

If you want your new hire to start making a difference at your company ASAP, they need to understand what kinds of goals your company has for the future and what strategies will be used to accomplish them. Make your company’s strategic intent clear, then show the new hire exactly how they fit into those plans. Be as explicit as possible.

Help the Sales Hire Foster Meaningful Relationships

Feeling comfortable and familiar with co-workers is important for success on any job. Rather than waiting for these relationships to develop naturally but slowly, take steps to connect your new sales hire and the people they will work with day in and day out. Send a small group out to lunch together, have the new hire work with a variety of different team members, and make sure your organizational structure is explained clearly.

The steps you take before the onboarding process starts have a major effect on how well it goes. When you recruit and hire elite candidates, you have to invest fewer of your own resources to see that they succeed. To start connecting with these candidates, contact Artemis Consultants.