Ever watched a new sales rep drown in endless training decks, then forget everything as soon as they hit the phones? Yeah, you’re not alone. Most companies burn weeks (sometimes months) getting reps up to speed, only for half the knowledge to vanish by lunchtime. If you’re leading a sales team or running enablement, you know onboarding is often slow, clunky, and way more painful than it should be.
There are tools out there promising to fix this, but a lot of them just add more noise. Spekit claims it’s different: bite-sized training, in the flow of work, without the bloat. So, does it actually help sales teams ramp faster and close more deals? Let’s break down what works, what doesn’t, and how to get real value out of it.
Why Traditional Sales Onboarding Fails (and What to Do Instead)
Let’s be honest: most onboarding is a mess of scattered docs, endless slide decks, and one-and-done Zoom calls. Here’s why that doesn’t work:
- Information overload: Reps are hit with everything at once and remember almost nothing.
- Knowledge silos: Tribal knowledge lives in Slack threads or “ask Jane” moments.
- Outdated materials: Playbooks are stale before the ink dries.
- Interrupt-driven learning: Reps stop work to hunt for info, killing momentum.
What actually helps? Cutting the fluff, giving clear answers right at the moment of need, and making it dead simple for reps to find help while they work.
This is where Spekit tries to help: surfacing micro-learning and just-in-time guidance inside the tools your team already uses. No more “check the wiki” rabbit holes.
What Is Spekit? (And What Makes It Different)
Spekit is a digital enablement platform that plugs guidance, training, and process tips right into your existing apps—think Salesforce, Outreach, Slack, and Chrome. Instead of digging through a separate LMS or knowledge base, reps see bite-sized help pop up when and where they need it.
Key features:
- In-app tooltips and walkthroughs: Short “Speks” that explain fields, processes, or next steps.
- Searchable knowledge: A command bar to instantly pull up answers.
- Automated onboarding flows: Prebuilt learning paths for new hires.
- Real-time updates: Changes roll out instantly—no more old PDFs lurking in the wild.
Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step up from static wikis and endless docs. Still, you have to set it up right, or it’s just another tab to ignore.
Step-by-Step: How to Use Spekit to Ramp Sales Teams Faster
Here’s how to actually put Spekit to work—without just creating more busywork.
1. Map Out the Actual Sales Process (Not the Wishful Thinking Version)
Don’t start by dumping all your old training materials into Spekit. First, get real about what your reps actually do, where they get stuck, and what they need to know in the moment.
- Watch new reps in action: Where do they hesitate? What questions come up again and again?
- Talk to your top performers: What “unwritten rules” do they follow?
- List the key steps: From prospecting to close. Focus on the sticking points, not every possible workflow.
Pro tip: Skip the “nice-to-know.” Prioritize info that unblocks deals and shortens ramp time.
2. Build Bite-Sized “Speks” for High-Impact Moments
Now, create content that answers specific questions at the point of need. Think short, clear, and right-to-the-point—not another 12-slide deck.
Examples:
- What does this Salesforce field actually mean?
- How do I handle a common objection on a discovery call?
- What’s the process for getting a discount approved?
Best practices:
- Keep each Splik (Spekit’s micro-lesson) under 200 words.
- Use screenshots or GIFs to show, not just tell.
- Link out to deeper resources only if absolutely necessary.
3. Embed Guidance Directly Where Reps Work
Don’t make reps switch tabs or search around. Drop Speks right into the tools they use every day.
- Salesforce: Add tooltips to fields, objects, and processes—so reps see context as they work.
- Outreach/Engagement tools: Surface call scripts or talk tracks on the fly.
- Slack: Let reps search for Speks or get nudges in real time.
What works: In-context help that’s impossible to miss, but easy to dismiss if it’s not relevant.
What to avoid: Overloading every field with a tooltip. Too much noise = ignored content.
4. Build Real Onboarding Flows—But Keep Them Flexible
Spekit lets you string together Speks into onboarding paths. Use this to walk new hires through the essentials, day by day.
- Start with “just enough” to get reps selling.
- Mix process steps with product knowledge and objection handling.
- Make it easy to skip or revisit topics—people learn at different paces.
Heads up: Don’t treat onboarding flows as one-and-done. Update them as your process changes, or you’ll fall back into the “outdated playbook” trap.
5. Keep Content Fresh and Ruthlessly Relevant
Outdated info is worse than no info. Assign someone (usually sales enablement or a power user) to review and update Speks regularly.
- Set up a monthly review cadence.
- Use analytics to see which Speks get used—and which ones get ignored.
- Kill or rewrite anything that confuses reps or doesn’t get traction.
Pro tip: Encourage reps to flag confusing or missing content. Make it a team sport.
What Spekit Does Well (and Where It Falls Short)
Where Spekit shines:
- Speeds up onboarding: Reps get answers fast, so they’re not stuck in training purgatory.
- Reduces interruptions: Fewer “Hey, where’s that doc?” Slack messages.
- Keeps guidance up to date: Fast edits mean less stale info floating around.
- Fits existing workflows: No new tabs, new logins, or separate training portals.
Where it’s less magical:
- Still needs good content: Garbage in, garbage out. If your Speks are vague or overloaded, reps will tune out.
- Can get noisy: Over-annotate everything and you’ll annoy more than you’ll help.
- Not a miracle cure: If your sales process is broken, Spekit won’t fix that. It just makes your existing process easier to follow.
What to Ignore (and What Not to Overthink)
Some advice you’ll hear about enablement tools is just not worth your time:
- Don’t try to capture every possible scenario. Focus on the 20% of questions that trip up 80% of your team.
- Ignore fancy formatting. Clear, concise answers beat pretty layouts.
- Skip the “gamification” features—unless your team actually responds to them. Most salespeople just want to hit quota, not collect badges.
Measuring Success: What to Actually Track
Forget vanity metrics. Here’s what really matters:
- Ramp time: How fast do new reps hit quota or close their first deal?
- Content usage: Are reps actually using the Speks? Which ones get the most traffic?
- Fewer interruptions: Are managers and top reps spending less time answering the same basic questions?
- Feedback loops: Are reps suggesting improvements, or is everything top-down?
If you’re not seeing progress in these areas, it’s time to tweak your approach.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Spekit can be a real asset for sales teams—if you use it to cut down on noise, not add to it. Focus on just-in-time answers, keep content brutally relevant, and don’t be afraid to ditch what isn’t working. Onboarding doesn’t have to be a marathon of PowerPoints. Make it simple, keep it fresh, and keep listening to your team. That’s how you actually drive revenue.