In-person sales kickoffs provide the most value when focused on activities that can't be done remotely, like role-playing, interactive workshops, and building team energy. Reserve "stand and deliver" content for virtual pre-work sessions to maximize the impact of face-to-face time.

Successful onboarding prioritizes real, but supervised, selling activities early on. It avoids long, theoretical classroom sessions and instead uses top performers to demonstrate best practices, making training more practical and aspirational for new hires.

Traditional slide-based pitches are stressful for the seller and boring for the buyer. By incorporating fun, storytelling, and sensory experiences, you create a memorable and persuasive event that builds a genuine connection, making your message stand out from the competition.

For door-to-door sales, training must approximate field conditions. Install freestanding doors for reps to physically knock, practice scripts, and even run between them to build muscle memory and desensitize them to the real environment, including aggressive role-playing.

Experiencing the difficulty of initial sales conversations firsthand gives technical team members a newfound respect for the sales process and fosters better inter-departmental collaboration and appreciation for supporting functions.

Instead of traditional classroom training, Stone would take new salespeople on live sales calls. They'd observe him, attempt a pitch themselves, and receive immediate feedback. This rapid, immersive cycle built competence and confidence quickly, even for those without a college degree.

A sales kickoff's primary goal should be arming the team with practical skills. Forcepoint's SKO focused on role-playing and certifying staff on new messaging, which was then cascaded to partners. This shifts the focus from simple revenue motivation to building genuine, scalable capability.

New hires at Pure Storage are not drilled on products and pricing during onboarding. Instead, the training focuses entirely on "business value selling." The core skill taught is understanding a customer's challenges and demonstrating how the solution helps them achieve their desired business outcomes, fundamentally reframing the sales conversation.

To ensure employees deeply understand their customers, Tekmetric requires all new hires to visit auto repair shops. This first-hand experience of the customer's environment—the sights, smells, and feel—is crucial for building authentic marketing and product strategies.