Bringing new sales reps up to speed shouldn’t feel like herding cats or dumping them into a 200-slide presentation marathon. If you’re tired of onboarding that drags on and still leaves reps confused, you’re not alone. This guide is for sales leaders, trainers, and anyone tasked with turning new hires into productive sellers—specifically, if you’re using (or considering) Flowla guided workflows to do it.
Let’s skip the fluff. Here’s how to actually get onboarding right, what to avoid, and how to make Flowla work for you—without becoming a full-time “workflow admin.”
Step 1: Get Clear on What Matters (and Ignore the Rest)
Before you crack open Flowla, get honest about what your new reps really need to know. Most onboarding programs try to do too much—then nothing sticks.
What works: - Focus on high-impact skills: how your sales process works, what your product actually solves, and what “good” looks like on your team. - Cut the endless product deep-dives and 20-page culture decks. Reps need to know how to sell, not the founder’s favorite inspirational quotes. - Make a list: What do top reps do in their first 30 days? Build your onboarding around that.
What to skip: - Don’t cram every possible scenario into onboarding. Teach the basics, then let reps learn the edge cases on the job. - Avoid “one and done” onboarding. It’s a process, not a firehose.
Pro tip: Ask one of your newest successful reps what actually helped them ramp up. Their answer will be shorter than your current checklist—trust me.
Step 2: Map Out Your Workflow Before You Touch Flowla
Flowla’s great, but software can’t fix a messy onboarding process. Before you start clicking, sketch out your ideal onboarding flow on paper or a whiteboard.
Key things to map: - What’s the first thing a new rep sees on day one? - What do they need to complete in week one, week two, week four? - Where do most new reps get stuck or frustrated? - Who’s responsible for what—manager, trainer, rep?
What works: - Break onboarding into clear, bite-sized milestones. - Tie every step to a real outcome (“Book a mock call,” “Demo the product to a teammate”), not just “read this” or “watch that.”
What to skip: - Don’t build a 60-step onboarding checklist. No one finishes those. - Avoid steps like “Review sales handbook (2 hours).” That’s not a workflow, that’s a reading assignment.
Step 3: Build Your Flowla Guided Workflow (Keep It Simple)
Now, open up Flowla and start laying out your workflow. Remember: less is more.
Setting up your Flowla workflow: - Create a new guided workflow for “New Sales Rep Onboarding.” - Break it into logical stages: “Welcome,” “Product Basics,” “Pitch Practice,” “First Call.” - For each stage, add only the essential tasks and resources. - Use Flowla’s checklists and embedded content (videos, docs, links) sparingly—only what’s actually useful.
What works: - Short videos or live demos beat static PDFs any day. - Make each step actionable: “Record a 2-minute elevator pitch,” “Shadow a sales call and jot down 3 questions.” - Use Flowla’s automation to nudge reps when they’re stuck, but don’t overdo the reminders.
What to skip: - Don’t overload each step with 10 links or “bonus” reading. If it’s optional, it’s distracting. - Avoid making everything mandatory. Trust reps to self-pace where it makes sense.
Pro tip: Ask a non-sales person to run through your workflow. If they’re confused, your reps will be, too.
Step 4: Assign, Track, and Actually Coach
Workflows aren’t magic. Assign the Flowla onboarding to each new rep, but don’t just “set it and forget it.”
What works: - Schedule weekly check-ins to see how reps are progressing—and where they’re stuck. - Use Flowla’s tracking to spot bottlenecks (e.g., everyone gets stuck on the pricing module? Time to simplify.) - Encourage reps to leave feedback or questions right in the workflow.
What to skip: - Don’t treat Flowla as a substitute for real coaching. Software can organize, but it can’t motivate or clarify. - Avoid vanity metrics (“everyone completed 100% of the onboarding!”) if reps still can’t run a call.
Pro tip: If a step keeps tripping people up, fix it. Don’t assume it’s user error.
Step 5: Close the Loop (and Keep Improving)
No onboarding process is perfect the first time. Use Flowla’s data to keep iterating.
What works: - After 30-60 days, sit down with your most recent hires. Ask: What was confusing? What was helpful? What was a waste of time? - Update your Flowla workflow regularly. The best onboarding processes are living documents. - Remove steps that aren’t adding value. Add quick “how-to” videos or FAQs where confusion lingers.
What to skip: - Don’t wait for some “big overhaul.” Small, regular tweaks work better. - Avoid the temptation to cram in every new best practice or sales hack you read about on LinkedIn.
Pro tip: Document what you remove. If no one misses it, it was dead weight.
What Actually Works (and What’s Just Noise)
Let’s be honest about what matters for onboarding with Flowla—or any tool:
Focus on: - Getting reps to real-world practice fast (shadowing, mock calls, live feedback) - Clarity: clear steps, clear outcomes, no endless detours - Feedback: both ways—reps should help you improve the process
Ignore: - Fancy onboarding “gamification” gimmicks (badges, leaderboards). Fun, but rarely move the needle. - Over-reliance on checklists. If everything’s a checkbox, nothing is prioritized. - Automation for the sake of automation. Use it to save time, not to avoid talking to your team.
Keep It Simple. Iterate Fast.
You don’t need a “perfect” onboarding process. You need one that actually gets new sales reps selling, fast, and lets you spot (and fix) what’s not working.
Start with the basics. Use Flowla to keep things organized and track what’s working. Listen to your reps, update your workflow, and don’t be afraid to cut what’s not helping. Most of all, remember: The best onboarding is the one your team actually completes—and benefits from.
Now, go build a workflow that gets your new hires out of “learning mode” and into real sales conversations—without all the noise.