Create a sales onboarding training plan centered on goal setting
Having clear goals helps everyone keep track of their progress and makes room for self-improvement. Defining and setting clear goals in an industry as target-focused as sales can improve overall performance, strategy and customer experience (CX). From early on, you can teach your new team members how to set and achieve their own targets by incorporating sales goal setting into their personal training program.
6 Ways to Use Goal Setting in Your New Sales Training
Setting the wrong goals or having unrealistic expectations of your new sales force can set them up for failure. Done correctly, goal setting teaches your employees how to define success and how to break a milestone into smaller, more manageable increments so they climb each step of the ladder. So how can you incorporate goal setting into your sales training program?
1. Provide a Guide
Having a clear, fixed point of reference when setting goals on their own can help a new salesperson tremendously. What constitutes a goal? Be transparent with your expectations and the goals of your company. Create a checklist that outlines what your organization aims to achieve this year and what your targets are for the coming years. Allow your sales apprentices to build on the foundations in a way that will best serve your company. After that, they can define how to incorporate themselves into your decisions based on their experience, expertise and skills. Also consider the nature of your training curriculum; is it onsite, online or mixed? A handy, in-person demonstration on how to define your sales goals differs from an online training course that offers the most effective ways to set achievable targets. Finally, make sure the baseline you present is realistic and easily accessible, anytime, anywhere.
2. Create a Training Objective
The onboarding process can be tedious because it involves enormous amounts of information to retain, and sometimes it seems like a mountain to climb. To avoid overwhelming your new hires, break your training into small goals that need to be checked off. Define what your company expects them to achieve over the next few months. Even the most inconspicuous, mundane task—like keeping your workspace organized—deserves to be crossed off the list as a goal successfully accomplished. This can be a good direction for new hires to follow when it comes to setting sales goals or celebrating small successes. This line of action can be used throughout their tenure to optimize the process of defining their own goals while having a clear idea of their company’s method of goal setting. In addition, being aware of what their next months will look like can ease the stress.
3. Give your pupils a turn
The best way to incorporate goal setting into your training plan is to teach your new members how to do it themselves from day one. It’s also a great way to document progress. Ask your new sales staff to set some goals for their first day. The early start of a job often raises many questions about the company itself, its processes and its culture; your pupils can use those questions to define their first day objectives. As they move forward with their training, they can create new lists either on a daily or a weekly basis. After a few months have passed, they’ll review each goal they’ve accomplished and everything they’ve learned, which is a great incentive to get refreshers on things they’ve found challenging. At the end of their first year, your tenants will have a list of accomplishments showing their progress from the very first day. Not to mention, getting into the habit of setting sales goals early on will be helpful when the onboarding phase is complete.
4. Offer rewards
Even if they’ve just started training, a reward system can be in place to help new salespeople realize the value of achieving the goals they’ve set for themselves. Achieving targets should be a positive experience that serves as a motivator when things get a little stagnant or when they need a boost of confidence. This is also something that deserves recognition. Find out how each person prefers to be rewarded and put it into action when they reach a goal they set. For example, competing salespeople may want their achievements displayed on a leaderboard in the middle of the office. Others might appreciate a company-wide email celebrating their latest sale. Connect with your team to find out how they respond to your reward system and show your appreciation in a way that respects their primary drives.
5. Implement Goal Setting in L&D courses
There are several creative ways to implement short-term and long-term sales goal setting in your training courses, such as gamification, certification or progress bars. Aside from the in-course goals you set for your newest team members, encourage them to create milestones on their own based on gaps and job roles. For example, should they allocate more time to building interpersonal or adjacent skills to meet their monthly targets and improve customer satisfaction scores?
6. Check in often
Every well-structured sales training program should include regular one-on-one time with your new staff members to discuss the process and their progress. Are they satisfied with the goals they have achieved so far? How do they evaluate their performance? If your employees are unhappy with their career path, this is a clear sign that their goals are not aligned with their areas for improvement or job responsibilities. Discuss their goals and provide feedback to clarify their goals.
Closure
Training your new sales staff in goal setting is an asset in the long run. Salespeople who know how to set achievable goals also know how to achieve them using the available resources. Optimize your team’s skills by incorporating goal-setting objectives into their onboarding curriculum. Be sure to help your team create realistic targets, and remember to celebrate every bullseye. You can also browse our Top Content Providers for Employee Onboarding list to find the right sales solution for your organization.
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