Instead of easing new reps in, immediately immerse them in realistic role-plays with difficult objections. This builds resilience from day one and prepares them for live calls in week two, allowing them to practice in a safe space rather than on real prospects.

Eliminate guesswork for new hires by providing a detailed calendar outlining the ideal week of a top-performing rep. This 'Road to President’s Club' shows them precisely when to prospect, prepare, and rest, creating a clear blueprint for success.

Go beyond ad-hoc coaching and build a scalable system. Create a dashboard for each salesperson tracking key leading indicators (e.g., pipeline generation). Reviewing this data weekly allows leaders to spot specific gaps and deliver precise, data-driven coaching across a large organization.

View metrics like call volume and conversion rates not just as numbers for your manager, but as your personal scoreboard. This perspective provides immediate, unbiased feedback on your own performance. It shifts the focus from external pressure to internal analysis, empowering you to identify weak spots and take ownership of your improvement.

Instead of focusing on a large quota, leaders should reverse engineer it. Calculate the number of deals needed based on win rate and average contract value, then break that down into weekly opportunity creation goals for reps.

To maintain momentum and ensure rapid onboarding, ElevenLabs sets the expectation for new sales hires to sign their first contract—regardless of size—within their first two weeks. This forces them to learn the product quickly, get on calls immediately, and demonstrate a bias for action from day one.

For reps with long sales cycles, a formal graduation event at the end of their ramp provides a crucial dopamine hit and validates their progress before they close a deal. Making it a big deal—with praise and a certificate—boosts morale and reduces turnover.

To combat early discouragement in sales, create leaderboards and rewards for leading indicators like 'most doors knocked' or 'most calls made.' You can even award a prize for the 'biggest cuss out' to gamify rejection, creating early wins and de-stressing the process.

Don't measure deal progress by the number of meetings held. Instead, define specific exit criteria for each sales stage. A deal only moves forward when the prospect meets these criteria, which can happen with or without a live meeting. This reframes velocity around outcomes, not activities.