Of course, we all want someone we hire into a sales role to come out of onboard/training and get to enrolling new clients right away. Especially if you hired them for their experience in sales, based on all the good salesy answers they gave during the interviews, and for their network pipeline they are claiming to have access to.

And most of the time when a company hires a new salesperson it's because the company needs and/or wants sales now (and typically the company is ‘behind’ in sales…either the previous salesperson or people weren’t getting it done, or growth/expansion is needed).

But as sales leaders, theoretically we live in the real world with realistic expectations. Unless you are a sales leader who was a salesperson who caught lightning in a bottle and closed deals early and often in your new career with the company, in which you probably have the expectation that everyone should be like you. And my guess is you now have a high level of frustration and disappointment.

Okay, back to our situation.

New salesperson completes onboarding and training. Hit the sales floor – whatever that means for your business, could be the actual retail floor, the booth floor, the call-making floor, or on the road to start meeting with potential clients.

How long should it take for them to close their first deal? And, the more important question, how long for them to be effective enough to be a “B” level salesperson within your org?

Aiming for B Players

“But I want them to be an A player, like I was!”

I get that, and that’s a nice ambitious goal, but we need to take this journey one step at a time.

First focus on getting them to what you would consider a C Player, then a B Player (and of course they will go through D, to D+, to C-, to C, to C+, to B-, to B, then back to D as they dive into their first sales slump).

Progression Timeline

How long will that progression take? Better, more accurate question – how long will it take for an average sales human to do it? Not you – you’re an amazing rock star.

But an average, well-meaning new hire with some level of previous sales experience and an open and curious mindset?

Determining the Timeline

I can’t tell you what that timeline is for your industry, your business, and your product offering/pricing. It will vary for every combination. Results will vary, as the standard disclaimer says for medication, weight loss, and health/fitness ads.

Do you know what that timeline is?

Again – I know you want all A Players. Even though that is not possible to have 100% of your team be A Players, the ones who will get there won’t get there right away.

Your mission as a sales leader is to understand how long it should take them to get to a C. Then to a B. Then build your training and involvement with them around those timelines.

How much energy, time, and resources will you devote to them during those stages? What KPIs can you track to tell you they are trending in the right direction?

Setting Realistic KPIs

Again, you would love someone to hit full conversion and revenue KPIs as soon as possible…but what is realistic after 30 days? After 60 days? 90? 180? 365? 730?

I have worked in short sales cycle consumer service enrollments, and you would think in an enrollment where 70% of deals come from a one-call close and the rest from follow-ups that a new rep should hit their ideal numbers pretty quick. There is still a lot to learn in the process, keeping yourself from getting in your own way, from building that pipeline of follow-ups that actually answer/show for said follow-up.

In that environment, I found that most people should be a solid C+/B- within 30 days, 90 days a good B (after surviving their first slump), and about 6-12 months to be an A level closer with their pipeline and skills built up.

What does that look like for your sales team?

Early Career Indicators

Since sales/enrollments are a lagging indicator – meaning they tell you what happened in the past, it’s dangerous to just go on that. Especially early on in a salesperson's career with you.

At 60 days in, what KPI levels indicate that they are on the right trajectory? They might not be where you hope they will get to, but what will tell you that they deserve to stay on the team and get your time, energy, and resources even if their sales and revenue aren’t there yet?

Long-Term Investment and Patience

I was speaking with the president of a very successful business brokerage recently, and he said for someone new to get to a B level, it’s two to three years. YEARS.

How much are you willing to invest in someone?

How patient are you willing to be?

How patient can the company be?

Do you have everything in your leadership toolbox ready to support your new hire for as long as it takes?