How to Train a New Sales Rep on Your Offer

A new setter or closer can be good at sales and still not know your business. They don't know your customers yet, why people buy from you or how you like things done. Training is how they learn all of that, and it doesn't need to be a big program.

This is a simple way to do it, whether you're bringing on a setter or a closer.

What they need to know about your company

Before they talk to a lead, walk them through:

• Who you help. The kind of customer you serve, and who isn't a fit.
• The problem you solve. What's going on for a customer before they come to you.
• What the customer gets. What's included, how it's delivered and how long it takes.
• Why people buy. Customer stories, results and the reasons people give for saying yes.
• Why people say no. The objections that come up most, and how you usually answer them.
• What they can't promise. Any claims about results, refunds or guarantees that are off limits.

Put this in one shared document. It doesn't need to look nice, because the rep will just keep coming back to it during their first few weeks.

Have everything ready for day one

A rep can't do much while they wait on logins. Before they start, get these ready:

• Access to your CRM, calendar, phone or DM accounts, and whatever they use to take payment.
• Your call outline or DM scripts.
• A few of your best call recordings or conversations, plus a few that didn't go well.
• The name of the person they should ask when they get stuck.
• Their pay in writing: the commission, what counts as collected and when they get paid.

Week one: learn the offer

1. Go through the company document together. Give them time to ask every question they have.
2. Have them study recordings. Ask them to write down the questions that worked, the objections that came up and where calls went off track.
3. Let them shadow. A closer can listen in on live calls, and a setter can read along with live conversations. Talk through what happened afterward.
4. Roleplay at the end of the week. Play the prospect and use objections your leads actually say. Keep going until they can explain the offer in their own words.

Week two: start selling with support

Now let them work with live leads, and stay close to what they're doing.

• Closers: have them take calls, and review the recordings together every day.
• Setters: have them start conversations, and look over a sample of their messages or calls every day.

Pick one or two things for them to work on at a time. Most people can't change ten things at once. If you can, start them on your warmer leads, so they get some wins while they're still learning.

Let them sound like themselves

Give them your outline as a starting point and let them adjust the wording. A rep usually sells better when they sound like themselves. The parts that shouldn't change are the facts about the offer, your qualifying questions and anything you've told them not to promise.

How to work together after that

Once they're up and running, a simple routine goes a long way:

• Review calls every week. Pick one or two recordings, and ask what they'd change before you tell them what you noticed.
• Look at the same numbers every week. For a setter, that's conversations, calls booked and show rate. For a closer, it's calls taken, close rate and cash collected.
• Tell them what's changing. They're the ones explaining your offer, so they need to hear about new prices, new offers or new ads before your leads do.
• Ask what they're hearing. Your rep talks to your leads all day, so they may notice a new objection before you do.
• Pay them when you said you would. If something changes with their pay, tell them early.

What makes a rep do well at your company

If you're a rep reading this, a lot of it comes down to you too:

• Learn the offer well enough to explain it without notes.
• Listen to your own calls, and bring your questions to the review.
• Tell your manager early when something isn't working, like lead quality or a part of the script.
• Hit the hours you agreed to, and keep your CRM up to date.
• Be honest about your numbers, including the bad weeks.

What to look for by day 30

By the end of the first month, a rep should be able to explain the offer in their own words, handle your common objections and tell you their numbers. If they're not there yet, check whether they've had enough leads and support before you decide it's the rep.

How I help

Training stays with you, since you know your offer best. When I place a rep with you, I share an onboarding playbook to help them get off to a strong start, and I'll try to check in during their first few weeks.

Frequently asked questions