August 21, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode, we’re uncovering what high-performing sales organizations do in the first 90 days to turn new hires into confident, capable contributors.
Matt is joined by Alina McComas, VP/Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, who expands on the strategies she outlined in her article for the 2025 Talent Magazine. Alina shares what new hires really need to succeed and what leaders can do to support them from day one.
Alina offers practical, actionable advice, including:
- How too many sales leaders think their job is done once they’ve hired a talented seller
- Why you should make adjustments to your onboarding plan based on the individual’s innate talents
- And, finally, why you should set clear expectations for what success looks like in their role on day one.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Sunshine (00:05):
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we'reuncovering what high-performing
sales organizations do in thefirst 90 days to turn new hires
into confident, capablecontributors.
I'm joined by Alina McComas, vp, senior Consultant at the
(00:49):
Center for Sales Strategy, whoexpands on the strategy she
outlined in her article from the2025 Talent Magazine.
Alina shares what new hiresreally need to succeed and what
leaders can do to support themfrom day one.
Alina offers practical,actionable advice, including how
(01:09):
too many sales leaders thinktheir job is done once they've
hired a talented seller, why youshould make adjustments to your
onboarding plan based on theindividual's innate talents and,
finally, why you should setclear expectations for what
success looks like in their rolefrom day one.
All right, alina, let's jumpright into this.
(01:37):
I loved your article, by theway.
In your article, you offer somegreat insights into getting new
hires ramped up quickly, andthat's a big topic.
Everyone wants to do that.
These days, it's becomingincreasingly more important.
In your experience, what's themost common onboarding mistake
(01:58):
sales leaders make?
Alina McComas (02:00):
Yeah.
So I think there's a couplethings that I see fairly
regularly.
First, it's not settingexpectations of what performance
looks like and kind of thosefuture benchmarks from day one,
right, really giving that newhire the ability to see what's
expected of them as they enterthis role, as they're in this
(02:21):
role, so they know what they'reworking towards.
I think that's a big area whereyou can help a new hire pretty
quickly early on.
I think the other big miss isthat they don't coach enough,
right, and it looks slightlydifferent in different
organizations For some, right,some of the sales leaders that I
(02:46):
work with really believe thatyou know what.
I hired really talented peopleand my work is done.
Right, I hired really talentedpeople.
They're adults, they'reprofessionals and they should be
able to just hit the ground offand running, and so they don't
think about it.
With respect to talent is, youknow, critical for success,
(03:09):
right, having that foundation,having that innate ability.
But you still need to coach anddevelop that talent, and that's
a big mistake.
What they need and is going tohelp them get to where they need
to go, or they just let them gointo the field to quote unquote
(03:34):
gain experience.
Right, they just need to do it.
They just need to get out there.
They need to do it and theydon't go alongside them to see
what they're doing well, or, youknow, provide them that
coaching that is needed toreally develop them.
Matt Sunshine (03:50):
Yeah, it's interesting you bring up setting
the expectations from the jump.
It's not uncommon when I'mtalking to newly hired people,
whether they have experience orno experience, and they're on
the job two, three, four daysand I'll get a chance to talk to
them and I'll say like hey,how's it going?
(04:11):
Just something very innocentlike that and I get and it's
almost it, it this could be aquote.
It's not, but it could be aquote.
Cause this?
I hear this all the time.
I don't know.
I mean I guess I'm just fine,no one's really talking to me,
I'm just finding stuff to do andtrying to stay busy.
(04:31):
Yeah, what I mean that youthink about that.
Someone's first experience atyour company is they don't know
if they're doing a good job.
They don't know if what they'redoing is right.
They're just trying to staybusy and find things to do.
What a job.
They don't know if what they'redoing is right.
Alina McComas (04:47):
They're just trying to stay busy and find
things to do.
What a mess.
Yeah, I think I'm doing what Ishould be doing.
Matt Sunshine (04:51):
Yeah, I think so.
No one's told me, but all right.
So it's very common to hearpeople talk about the first 90
days, and so the first 90 daysare kind of you're in this make
it or break it period, whetheror not someone has that formally
said or informally said, Ithink generally speaking, people
(05:12):
think let's see what you gotfor the first 90 days, few
months that you're here, thefirst 90 days.
So what should success actuallylook like during that first 90
days for your new hire?
Alina McComas (05:26):
Yeah.
So I think a big thing is thatthey're actively doing the job
that you hired them to do.
Right, and that sounds simple.
But I'll see a lot oforganizations where you know you
got them 60 days in and they'renot.
They're not going out on calls,right, they're not setting
(05:46):
appointments, they're notsetting, you know, proposal
meetings or presenting proposalsor closing business in that
first 90 days.
And I hear sales leaders say youknow what, it just takes longer
and longer for their people toget acclimated.
And that goes back to settingthose expectations.
Right, If you know what you'reheading for, if you have a clear
(06:08):
vision of where you should be,at certain points, all of a
sudden you know where you shouldbe and you can actually get
there.
And so when I think aboutsuccess within those 90 days,
again it's doing the job thatyou hired them to do.
There should be an expectationon by this point, whether it is
four weeks in or five weeks in,you should be consistently
(06:31):
setting two, three, four CNAs aweek, right, you should be
consistently going out on one ortwo proposal meetings.
And by you know, week six, weekeight, you should have a win
under your belt, and this iswhat that win should look like
right, Really allowing them tosee where they're headed.
(06:54):
You know, it's kind of like ifyou can see it, you can make it
right.
It's kind of that mentality ofgiving them where they should be
, as opposed to just saying youknow what, we're going to put
you on a guarantee for a year,because it's going to take you a
year before you get to whereyou need to be, and then we
can't figure out why it takesthem so long to perform at the
(07:17):
level that we need them to.
Matt Sunshine (07:21):
Yeah, it's kind of like in TFM when we talk a
lot about the self-fulfillingprophecy.
Right, we talk about RogerBannister like nobody had ever
broken the four minute mileuntil somebody.
Everyone said it was impossible, Couldn't be done, no one will
ever do it.
And then one person does it andimmediately after that person
did it, others were able to doit because it kind of unlocked
it, it made it real.
(07:42):
If we're telling people it'sgoing to take a year, well then
it's going to take a year, butif all of a sudden we start
telling them, no, here's whatyou can accomplish in 90 days.
We set those expectations.
I think that you're dead on.
I think that's such animportant point.
I'm glad that you focused on it.
So let's talk about talentassessments and here's what I
(08:05):
want to know engage, ramp up,get the person started correctly
(08:26):
.
You know, as you look at,specifically when it comes to
new hires, that you're making.
Alina McComas (08:33):
Yeah.
So one of the things that Irecommend to all of my clients
is take advantage of the talentteam right.
So you have the assessment, youhave a look into their talents.
You brought them on becausethey're extremely talented.
Now you need to really thinkabout now that they're on your
team.
(08:53):
You need to think about how doyou coach to that individual,
based on what is needed to getthem to perform.
So I typically recommend, onceyou hire that individual right,
once you know that they're goingto be starting, you have a
feedback call with the talentteam.
Even if you had that pre-hirecall right, that pre-hire call
(09:14):
had a different focus and adifferent energy.
With that call, now that theyare going to be on your team,
ideally before they even start,have that call with the talent
team and understand theirtalents and how you can best
coach that individual.
And I would also recommend thatyou make adjustments to your
(09:35):
onboarding plan based on thatperson right, based on the
innate ability and how thatperson is hardwired.
Really take advantage of thetalent team and then, at the
60-day mark, right between 60and 90 days you should be
scheduling another feedback callwith the talent team, because
60 days in, right now you havereal world experience.
(09:58):
You're seeing them move about onyour sales team.
You're seeing how well they'rescheduling appointments or how
they're not schedulingappointments right.
You're seeing what they'redoing well, what they're not
doing well.
You've employed some of thosecoaching strategies.
Maybe some are workingexceptionally well and some
aren't driving the exact resultthat you want.
(10:20):
So I would always recommend,around that 60 to 90 day window
of a new hire coming in, youshould have another feedback
call with the talent team totalk to them about here's what
I'm seeing from this person,here's what I need to see more
of, or here's what I need to seethat I'm not seeing, and work
with them to develop additionalcoaching strategies for that
(10:44):
individual.
Matt Sunshine (10:46):
Yeah, I want to go back to something that you
said I think it was one or twoquestions ago.
We were talking aboutexpectations and you made the
comment.
I believe that it's superimportant, but we all know, even
though it's super important,it's sometimes skipped For
(11:13):
whatever reason.
It's sometimes skipped that youwork with.
How do you coach them toclearly define expectations
specifically so you don'toverwhelm the new hire?
What's that balance?
Alina McComas (11:28):
Yeah.
So I think you know it comes tobeing very clear, right?
People feel overwhelmed whenthey don't know what's what.
The next thing is that that'scoming, or how they're going to
get there, or they feel likethey're not supported.
So what I would say is, whenyou are setting those
expectations, it's criticallyimportant that you sit down, you
(11:49):
have a conversation with themand you provide them with a
roadmap of how they're going toget there, right?
So if you're telling somebody,hey, the expectation you're
starting today, this is yourfirst sales job or this is, you
know, the first time you'veworked in this industry and
there's going to be a lot ofthings that you learn, but we're
expecting you in four or fiveweeks from now that you're going
(12:10):
out on two or three meetings aweek, that feels incredibly
overwhelming, right.
But if you're then sitting downwith them and saying, okay,
here's the expectation, I wantyou to know where you're going,
but here's the roadmap of howwe're going to get there, right?
So this week we've got someonline training that's going to
(12:30):
help you really understand whoyou should be focusing on.
Then you and I are going to sitdown and have a conversation
around that learning.
I'm going to answer anyquestions that you have.
We're going to talk about someof the areas where we do well,
what a good prospect looks likefor our business, and then I'm
going to have you go out andfind I'm going to have you go
out and find I'm going to haveyou go out and qualify on this
(12:51):
specific set of criteria, andthen we're going to get together
again and we're going to reviewthem and you're going to take
me through on on how you developright.
It's that coaching, that backand forth.
And once you have that, thenwe're going to work on what
you're going to say.
So take it in bite-sized piecesbut really show them how you're
going to get there so that atthe moment in week three, week
(13:14):
four, week five where they'repicking up the phone, they're
sending emails that they feel asthough they've been supported
in the process and theyunderstand the expectation that
they're working towards.
Matt Sunshine (13:27):
Yeah.
So let's kind of walk throughwhat we've discussed, you know,
so far.
We talked about this idea orthis important initiative of
getting people ramped up asquickly as possible, and we
talked about some of the thingsthat absolutely have to occur in
that first 90 days to ensurethat they're going to have
(13:48):
success, and then we talkedabout the role that talent
assessment plays and how to docoaching based on that, and then
the role that setting the rightexpectations plays.
So I think that's a goodsummary of where we are at this
point.
But now, as we kind of keepgoing on this journey of this
(14:11):
new hire, you've mentioned andyou've written about several
times this idea of early winsand just how important they are.
So what are some good examplesof some achievable, meaningful
early wins?
Alina McComas (14:28):
Yeah, you know it's oftentimes what you're
going to find is it's going tovary slightly Depending on the
individual that you're bringingin their level of experience,
their skill set, and so you needto make adjustments to that.
But often those early wins arereally going to be around
(14:48):
activity so how they're reachingout or what type of outreach
they're doing, how quicklythey're able to engage
prospective clients and schedulemeetings, whether it is with
prospects or schedulingintroduction meetings with
accounts that are on their listright or accounts that they are
(15:10):
going to be managing in thisrole.
Something that can be an earlywin often which I think is it's
an activity-based win, but it iscritical, as I hear so many
organizations struggle with it,is logging all of their activity
in the CRM right Of just makingsure that they're getting all
of their information in thereand really thinking about the
(15:34):
number of leads that they'readding to their pipeline and so
really thinking about thoseactivity-based right, those
leading indicators, thoseactivities that happen earlier
on in the sales process but arefoundational to the successful
outcome, and how do we get themdoing those and doing that,
(15:54):
often early, and celebratingthat along the way.
You know you could also look atthings based upon the individual
that you're bringing on, withrespect to how well they're
collaborating with others on theteam.
You know if they're usinginternal tools, or you know how
they are participating in groupmeetings, whether those are
(16:18):
sales meetings, and are theycoming in prepared, are they
asking really good questions?
Right, those are small winsthat you can celebrate from a
successful standpoint.
You know it's you and I havetalked about this a number of
times over the years.
Right, there's a lot of cluesthat drop along the way to
success and it's identifyingwhat those you know, almost like
(16:42):
those breadcrumbs along the way, that if we're doing step one
and we're doing step two andwe're doing step three, and
we're doing those consistentlyand doing them well, that you're
going to see a lot of therevenue wins come as a result of
that.
Matt Sunshine (17:00):
You're going to see a lot of the revenue wins
come as a result of that.
So, yeah, I agree 100%.
So in some of the organizationsthat we work with, the sales
manager is the hiring manager,is the recruiter, is the person
that does the.
They do everything.
But we also have plenty ofclients that we work with where
(17:22):
there is a hr role.
Um, they're, they're fortunateenough to have a company where
there is actually an hr role.
So, from your point of view,where should that handoff happen
between the hr role in theonboarding process and then the
frontline sales manager's rolein that?
(17:43):
Where's the responsibility,where's the handoff?
Alina McComas (17:47):
I mean honestly, for me it's day one, right.
I mean every organization isslightly different, but the
sales manager should beresponsible from day one.
They might be doing things withHR with respect to getting their
badge and their parking spaceand their computer and all those
kinds of things, but themanager needs to play an
(18:08):
integral part in day one fromthe standpoint that they should
be building a relationship withtheir new hire and investing in
them from day one.
Right, the conversation aroundexpectations needs to happen as
close to, if not always on dayone as possible.
And that relationship I meanthink about it from the
(18:29):
standpoint of a new hire comingin right that if their manager
isn't involved at that leveluntil a week or two weeks in
right, all of a sudden it's like, well, they're too busy for me,
they they're, they're notinterested in me and my
development.
I I'm a firm believer that,whether it's it's a formal
(18:53):
handoff of you've sat with HRfor two days and now your
manager is kind of responsiblefor your onboarding.
Again, I think everyorganization is slightly
different, but I think themanager has to play a role in
that from the very, very start.
Matt Sunshine (19:08):
Yeah.
So last question for you, thisis I love this.
I mean I could.
I could ask you a million morequestions, but I'm not going to.
I'm going to ask you one morequestion.
So what's a great question?
That a manager could, or shouldask their new hire in their
(19:29):
first week on the job to reallystart building that trust and
that alignment so that this getskicked off the best way
possible.
Alina McComas (19:42):
Yeah.
So question that I love is justasking them what does great
support from a manager look liketo you?
Because everybody's a littlebit different, everybody has
different expectations, and itallows you to show them that
you're investing in them andwhat's important to them you
know, and just learning how youcan best support them and build
(20:08):
that trust right.
And build that trust early onby understanding what's
important to them.
Matt Sunshine (20:14):
And yeah, that's a great question.
I don't think it probably sitsas well on day one as it does on
day five, maybe right Becauseyou've had a chance to get to
know the person a little bitbetter.
They probably feel a little bitmore comfortable with you after
meeting with you a few times,but sometime in that first week,
asking them that question, youcould really see how that would
(20:37):
start you off on the right footof growing, developing that
person and making sure that theyrealize that you are vested in
them having success, which, bythe way, sales managers should
be vested in their salespeoplehaving success, right.
Alina McComas (20:55):
Yeah, I also think that it can go a long way
to open the door to honest andopen dialogue with that new
person.
Right it's, it's open and endedenough where you can really get
some good insight and kind ofsee how does this person really
want to be supported, supported,and you know, hopefully you've
(21:17):
got a little bit of insight tothat before you brought them in,
because if it's an answer thatyou're not interested or that
you don't want to know, thatyou've.
You've learned a little bit ofthat through the interview
process with them.
Matt Sunshine (21:29):
That's exactly right.
All right, alina, thank you somuch for being a guest on the
podcast.
I certainly appreciate it.
I know everyone listeningreally appreciates it because
you're such a wealth ofinformation for anyone that
would like to get a hold ofAlina or to continue this
conversation or any conversationon this sort of a topic.
I'll put her information in theshow notes, but you can always
(21:51):
reach out to her on LinkedInthat's a great way of doing it
and direct message her.
I know she's highly responsivethere, and thank you everyone
for tuning in and listening andwe look forward to seeing you on
the next episode of ImprovingSales Performance.
Alina McComas (22:05):
Thanks for having me, Matt.
Matt Sunshine (22:11):
This has been Improving Sales Performance.
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
(22:32):
improving your sales performance.
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we'reuncovering what high-performing
sales organizations do in thefirst 90 days to turn new hires
into confident, capablecontributors.
I'm joined by Alina McComas, vp, senior Consultant at the
(00:49):
Center for Sales Strategy, whoexpands on the strategy she
outlined in her article from the2025 Talent Magazine.
Alina shares what new hiresreally need to succeed and what
leaders can do to support themfrom day one.
Alina offers practical,actionable advice, including how
(01:09):
too many sales leaders thinktheir job is done once they've
hired a talented seller, why youshould make adjustments to your
onboarding plan based on theindividual's innate talents and,
finally, why you should setclear expectations for what
success looks like in their rolefrom day one.
All right, alina, let's jumpright into this.
(01:37):
I loved your article, by theway.
In your article, you offer somegreat insights into getting new
hires ramped up quickly, andthat's a big topic.
Everyone wants to do that.
These days, it's becomingincreasingly more important.
In your experience, what's themost common onboarding mistake
(01:58):
sales leaders make?
Alina McComas (02:00):
Yeah.
So I think there's a couplethings that I see fairly
regularly.
First, it's not settingexpectations of what performance
looks like and kind of thosefuture benchmarks from day one,
right, really giving that newhire the ability to see what's
expected of them as they enterthis role, as they're in this
(02:21):
role, so they know what they'reworking towards.
I think that's a big area whereyou can help a new hire pretty
quickly early on.
I think the other big miss isthat they don't coach enough,
right, and it looks slightlydifferent in different
organizations For some, right,some of the sales leaders that I
(02:46):
work with really believe thatyou know what.
I hired really talented peopleand my work is done.
Right, I hired really talentedpeople.
They're adults, they'reprofessionals and they should be
able to just hit the ground offand running, and so they don't
think about it.
With respect to talent is, youknow, critical for success,
(03:09):
right, having that foundation,having that innate ability.
But you still need to coach anddevelop that talent, and that's
a big mistake.
What they need and is going tohelp them get to where they need
to go, or they just let them gointo the field to quote unquote
(03:34):
gain experience.
Right, they just need to do it.
They just need to get out there.
They need to do it and theydon't go alongside them to see
what they're doing well, or, youknow, provide them that
coaching that is needed toreally develop them.
Matt Sunshine (03:50):
Yeah, it's interesting you bring up setting
the expectations from the jump.
It's not uncommon when I'mtalking to newly hired people,
whether they have experience orno experience, and they're on
the job two, three, four daysand I'll get a chance to talk to
them and I'll say like hey,how's it going?
(04:11):
Just something very innocentlike that and I get and it's
almost it, it this could be aquote.
It's not, but it could be aquote.
Cause this?
I hear this all the time.
I don't know.
I mean I guess I'm just fine,no one's really talking to me,
I'm just finding stuff to do andtrying to stay busy.
(04:31):
Yeah, what I mean that youthink about that.
Someone's first experience atyour company is they don't know
if they're doing a good job.
They don't know if what they'redoing is right.
They're just trying to staybusy and find things to do.
What a job.
They don't know if what they'redoing is right.
Alina McComas (04:47):
They're just trying to stay busy and find
things to do.
What a mess.
Yeah, I think I'm doing what Ishould be doing.
Matt Sunshine (04:51):
Yeah, I think so.
No one's told me, but all right.
So it's very common to hearpeople talk about the first 90
days, and so the first 90 daysare kind of you're in this make
it or break it period, whetheror not someone has that formally
said or informally said, Ithink generally speaking, people
(05:12):
think let's see what you gotfor the first 90 days, few
months that you're here, thefirst 90 days.
So what should success actuallylook like during that first 90
days for your new hire?
Alina McComas (05:26):
Yeah.
So I think a big thing is thatthey're actively doing the job
that you hired them to do.
Right, and that sounds simple.
But I'll see a lot oforganizations where you know you
got them 60 days in and they'renot.
They're not going out on calls,right, they're not setting
(05:46):
appointments, they're notsetting, you know, proposal
meetings or presenting proposalsor closing business in that
first 90 days.
And I hear sales leaders say youknow what, it just takes longer
and longer for their people toget acclimated.
And that goes back to settingthose expectations.
Right, If you know what you'reheading for, if you have a clear
(06:08):
vision of where you should be,at certain points, all of a
sudden you know where you shouldbe and you can actually get
there.
And so when I think aboutsuccess within those 90 days,
again it's doing the job thatyou hired them to do.
There should be an expectationon by this point, whether it is
four weeks in or five weeks in,you should be consistently
(06:31):
setting two, three, four CNAs aweek, right, you should be
consistently going out on one ortwo proposal meetings.
And by you know, week six, weekeight, you should have a win
under your belt, and this iswhat that win should look like
right, Really allowing them tosee where they're headed.
(06:54):
You know, it's kind of like ifyou can see it, you can make it
right.
It's kind of that mentality ofgiving them where they should be
, as opposed to just saying youknow what, we're going to put
you on a guarantee for a year,because it's going to take you a
year before you get to whereyou need to be, and then we
can't figure out why it takesthem so long to perform at the
(07:17):
level that we need them to.
Matt Sunshine (07:21):
Yeah, it's kind of like in TFM when we talk a
lot about the self-fulfillingprophecy.
Right, we talk about RogerBannister like nobody had ever
broken the four minute mileuntil somebody.
Everyone said it was impossible, Couldn't be done, no one will
ever do it.
And then one person does it andimmediately after that person
did it, others were able to doit because it kind of unlocked
it, it made it real.
(07:42):
If we're telling people it'sgoing to take a year, well then
it's going to take a year, butif all of a sudden we start
telling them, no, here's whatyou can accomplish in 90 days.
We set those expectations.
I think that you're dead on.
I think that's such animportant point.
I'm glad that you focused on it.
So let's talk about talentassessments and here's what I
(08:05):
want to know engage, ramp up,get the person started correctly
(08:26):
.
You know, as you look at,specifically when it comes to
new hires, that you're making.
Alina McComas (08:33):
Yeah.
So one of the things that Irecommend to all of my clients
is take advantage of the talentteam right.
So you have the assessment, youhave a look into their talents.
You brought them on becausethey're extremely talented.
Now you need to really thinkabout now that they're on your
team.
(08:53):
You need to think about how doyou coach to that individual,
based on what is needed to getthem to perform.
So I typically recommend, onceyou hire that individual right,
once you know that they're goingto be starting, you have a
feedback call with the talentteam.
Even if you had that pre-hirecall right, that pre-hire call
(09:14):
had a different focus and adifferent energy.
With that call, now that theyare going to be on your team,
ideally before they even start,have that call with the talent
team and understand theirtalents and how you can best
coach that individual.
And I would also recommend thatyou make adjustments to your
(09:35):
onboarding plan based on thatperson right, based on the
innate ability and how thatperson is hardwired.
Really take advantage of thetalent team and then, at the
60-day mark, right between 60and 90 days you should be
scheduling another feedback callwith the talent team, because
60 days in, right now you havereal world experience.
(09:58):
You're seeing them move about onyour sales team.
You're seeing how well they'rescheduling appointments or how
they're not schedulingappointments right.
You're seeing what they'redoing well, what they're not
doing well.
You've employed some of thosecoaching strategies.
Maybe some are workingexceptionally well and some
aren't driving the exact resultthat you want.
(10:20):
So I would always recommend,around that 60 to 90 day window
of a new hire coming in, youshould have another feedback
call with the talent team totalk to them about here's what
I'm seeing from this person,here's what I need to see more
of, or here's what I need to seethat I'm not seeing, and work
with them to develop additionalcoaching strategies for that
(10:44):
individual.
Matt Sunshine (10:46):
Yeah, I want to go back to something that you
said I think it was one or twoquestions ago.
We were talking aboutexpectations and you made the
comment.
I believe that it's superimportant, but we all know, even
though it's super important,it's sometimes skipped For
(11:13):
whatever reason.
It's sometimes skipped that youwork with.
How do you coach them toclearly define expectations
specifically so you don'toverwhelm the new hire?
What's that balance?
Alina McComas (11:28):
Yeah.
So I think you know it comes tobeing very clear, right?
People feel overwhelmed whenthey don't know what's what.
The next thing is that that'scoming, or how they're going to
get there, or they feel likethey're not supported.
So what I would say is, whenyou are setting those
expectations, it's criticallyimportant that you sit down, you
(11:49):
have a conversation with themand you provide them with a
roadmap of how they're going toget there, right?
So if you're telling somebody,hey, the expectation you're
starting today, this is yourfirst sales job or this is, you
know, the first time you'veworked in this industry and
there's going to be a lot ofthings that you learn, but we're
expecting you in four or fiveweeks from now that you're going
(12:10):
out on two or three meetings aweek, that feels incredibly
overwhelming, right.
But if you're then sitting downwith them and saying, okay,
here's the expectation, I wantyou to know where you're going,
but here's the roadmap of howwe're going to get there, right?
So this week we've got someonline training that's going to
(12:30):
help you really understand whoyou should be focusing on.
Then you and I are going to sitdown and have a conversation
around that learning.
I'm going to answer anyquestions that you have.
We're going to talk about someof the areas where we do well,
what a good prospect looks likefor our business, and then I'm
going to have you go out andfind I'm going to have you go
out and find I'm going to haveyou go out and qualify on this
(12:51):
specific set of criteria, andthen we're going to get together
again and we're going to reviewthem and you're going to take
me through on on how you developright.
It's that coaching, that backand forth.
And once you have that, thenwe're going to work on what
you're going to say.
So take it in bite-sized piecesbut really show them how you're
going to get there so that atthe moment in week three, week
(13:14):
four, week five where they'repicking up the phone, they're
sending emails that they feel asthough they've been supported
in the process and theyunderstand the expectation that
they're working towards.
Matt Sunshine (13:27):
Yeah.
So let's kind of walk throughwhat we've discussed, you know,
so far.
We talked about this idea orthis important initiative of
getting people ramped up asquickly as possible, and we
talked about some of the thingsthat absolutely have to occur in
that first 90 days to ensurethat they're going to have
(13:48):
success, and then we talkedabout the role that talent
assessment plays and how to docoaching based on that, and then
the role that setting the rightexpectations plays.
So I think that's a goodsummary of where we are at this
point.
But now, as we kind of keepgoing on this journey of this
(14:11):
new hire, you've mentioned andyou've written about several
times this idea of early winsand just how important they are.
So what are some good examplesof some achievable, meaningful
early wins?
Alina McComas (14:28):
Yeah, you know it's oftentimes what you're
going to find is it's going tovary slightly Depending on the
individual that you're bringingin their level of experience,
their skill set, and so you needto make adjustments to that.
But often those early wins arereally going to be around
(14:48):
activity so how they're reachingout or what type of outreach
they're doing, how quicklythey're able to engage
prospective clients and schedulemeetings, whether it is with
prospects or schedulingintroduction meetings with
accounts that are on their listright or accounts that they are
(15:10):
going to be managing in thisrole.
Something that can be an earlywin often which I think is it's
an activity-based win, but it iscritical, as I hear so many
organizations struggle with it,is logging all of their activity
in the CRM right Of just makingsure that they're getting all
of their information in thereand really thinking about the
(15:34):
number of leads that they'readding to their pipeline and so
really thinking about thoseactivity-based right, those
leading indicators, thoseactivities that happen earlier
on in the sales process but arefoundational to the successful
outcome, and how do we get themdoing those and doing that,
(15:54):
often early, and celebratingthat along the way.
You know you could also look atthings based upon the individual
that you're bringing on, withrespect to how well they're
collaborating with others on theteam.
You know if they're usinginternal tools, or you know how
they are participating in groupmeetings, whether those are
(16:18):
sales meetings, and are theycoming in prepared, are they
asking really good questions?
Right, those are small winsthat you can celebrate from a
successful standpoint.
You know it's you and I havetalked about this a number of
times over the years.
Right, there's a lot of cluesthat drop along the way to
success and it's identifyingwhat those you know, almost like
(16:42):
those breadcrumbs along the way, that if we're doing step one
and we're doing step two andwe're doing step three, and
we're doing those consistentlyand doing them well, that you're
going to see a lot of therevenue wins come as a result of
that.
Matt Sunshine (17:00):
You're going to see a lot of the revenue wins
come as a result of that.
So, yeah, I agree 100%.
So in some of the organizationsthat we work with, the sales
manager is the hiring manager,is the recruiter, is the person
that does the.
They do everything.
But we also have plenty ofclients that we work with where
(17:22):
there is a hr role.
Um, they're, they're fortunateenough to have a company where
there is actually an hr role.
So, from your point of view,where should that handoff happen
between the hr role in theonboarding process and then the
frontline sales manager's rolein that?
(17:43):
Where's the responsibility,where's the handoff?
Alina McComas (17:47):
I mean honestly, for me it's day one, right.
I mean every organization isslightly different, but the
sales manager should beresponsible from day one.
They might be doing things withHR with respect to getting their
badge and their parking spaceand their computer and all those
kinds of things, but themanager needs to play an
(18:08):
integral part in day one fromthe standpoint that they should
be building a relationship withtheir new hire and investing in
them from day one.
Right, the conversation aroundexpectations needs to happen as
close to, if not always on dayone as possible.
And that relationship I meanthink about it from the
(18:29):
standpoint of a new hire comingin right that if their manager
isn't involved at that leveluntil a week or two weeks in
right, all of a sudden it's like, well, they're too busy for me,
they they're, they're notinterested in me and my
development.
I I'm a firm believer that,whether it's it's a formal
(18:53):
handoff of you've sat with HRfor two days and now your
manager is kind of responsiblefor your onboarding.
Again, I think everyorganization is slightly
different, but I think themanager has to play a role in
that from the very, very start.
Matt Sunshine (19:08):
Yeah.
So last question for you, thisis I love this.
I mean I could.
I could ask you a million morequestions, but I'm not going to.
I'm going to ask you one morequestion.
So what's a great question?
That a manager could, or shouldask their new hire in their
(19:29):
first week on the job to reallystart building that trust and
that alignment so that this getskicked off the best way
possible.
Alina McComas (19:42):
Yeah.
So question that I love is justasking them what does great
support from a manager look liketo you?
Because everybody's a littlebit different, everybody has
different expectations, and itallows you to show them that
you're investing in them andwhat's important to them you
know, and just learning how youcan best support them and build
(20:08):
that trust right.
And build that trust early onby understanding what's
important to them.
Matt Sunshine (20:14):
And yeah, that's a great question.
I don't think it probably sitsas well on day one as it does on
day five, maybe right Becauseyou've had a chance to get to
know the person a little bitbetter.
They probably feel a little bitmore comfortable with you after
meeting with you a few times,but sometime in that first week,
asking them that question, youcould really see how that would
(20:37):
start you off on the right footof growing, developing that
person and making sure that theyrealize that you are vested in
them having success, which, bythe way, sales managers should
be vested in their salespeoplehaving success, right.
Alina McComas (20:55):
Yeah, I also think that it can go a long way
to open the door to honest andopen dialogue with that new
person.
Right it's, it's open and endedenough where you can really get
some good insight and kind ofsee how does this person really
want to be supported, supported,and you know, hopefully you've
(21:17):
got a little bit of insight tothat before you brought them in,
because if it's an answer thatyou're not interested or that
you don't want to know, thatyou've.
You've learned a little bit ofthat through the interview
process with them.
Matt Sunshine (21:29):
That's exactly right.
All right, alina, thank you somuch for being a guest on the
podcast.
I certainly appreciate it.
I know everyone listeningreally appreciates it because
you're such a wealth ofinformation for anyone that
would like to get a hold ofAlina or to continue this
conversation or any conversationon this sort of a topic.
I'll put her information in theshow notes, but you can always
(21:51):
reach out to her on LinkedInthat's a great way of doing it
and direct message her.
I know she's highly responsivethere, and thank you everyone
for tuning in and listening andwe look forward to seeing you on
the next episode of ImprovingSales Performance.
Alina McComas (22:05):
Thanks for having me, Matt.
Matt Sunshine (22:11):
This has been Improving Sales Performance.
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
(22:32):
improving your sales performance.
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