While onboarding is usually treated as an orientation period for new employees to get to know the company and the people they’ll be working with, employers may fail to hit key talking points that could determine future sales success. As managers go through the onboarding process with members of the training pool, they should discuss not only the layout of the office or their day-to-day responsibilities, but also the goals of the company and how they can contribute to the firm.
Here are three tips to improve your onboarding to align your and your performers’ goals:
1. Take stock of employees’ professional goals
When employees know that their employer cares about their professional development, they are more likely to be satisfied and engaged with their jobs. Managers walking through onboarding with new employees should consider asking workers about their professional goals while they’re with the company. This gives employers a chance to determine how to shape their employees’ skills and abilities to meet the company’s sales targets while also giving workers the developmental tools they need to achieve their own personal growth.
2. Raise awareness about incentives
While new workers may have already heard about opportunities to earn greater compensation through incentives and other rewards for a job well done, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate this during the onboarding process. Managers could highlight incentives that showcase high employee achievements, such as making the most sales by dollar volume in the quarter. Whatever their incentive compensation plan may entail, it’s important for managers to clearly communicate the benefits of improving employees’ performance and the rewards they stand to earn if they accomplish the company’s sales targets.
3. Give feedback early on
Although employees might only be in their first week at the company, providing feedback about how they’ve been performing so far could give them the confidence to continue doing a greater job or correct any behaviors that could affect their ability to achieve quotas in the future. For example, if employees are still struggling to effectively communicate with customers and get them through the sales funnel, it might be time to pull them aside and give them extra coaching. Managers could also consider giving them a quick and informal performance review that breaks down their strengths and weaknesses so far. Measuring sales effectiveness metrics and collecting relevant data could help managers in talking with employees about potential areas for improvement.
