If you're reading this, you're probably trying to get new sales reps up to speed without wasting weeks on boring training. You want them selling fast, not drowning in outdated decks or generic role-plays. If your company uses Gong, you’ve already got a goldmine of real calls. Here’s how to turn those recordings into a practical onboarding shortcut—without overcomplicating things.
Why Use Gong Call Libraries for Onboarding?
Let’s be honest—most sales onboarding is painful. Too much theory, not enough real-world context. The best way for new reps to learn? Listen to actual calls, hear what works (and what doesn’t), and get a feel for real buyer conversations.
Gong call libraries let you organize and share curated playlists of real sales calls. Done right, this beats static scripts or slide decks because reps hear the good, the bad, and the ugly—straight from the field.
But just dumping a pile of calls on a new hire won’t help. The trick is setting up Gong so new reps know what to listen to, why it matters, and what to ignore. Here’s how.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Good Looks Like
Before building a fancy call library, figure out what “good” actually means for your team. Don’t just grab random high-scoring calls—define what you want new reps to learn:
- Core Messaging: What phrases or stories land with your buyers?
- Objection Handling: What actually works to move skeptical prospects forward?
- Discovery Questions: Which questions reveal real needs?
- Closing Techniques: What closes deals in your world, not just in theory?
Pro tip: Ask your top reps or managers for 2-3 calls they wish they’d heard on day one. Build your first library from those.
Step 2: Curate, Don’t Dump
The biggest mistake? Overloading new hires with endless calls. No one has time (or patience) for that. Your goal is a tight, focused playlist—think “greatest hits,” not “entire back catalog.”
How to Curate a Call Library in Gong
- Search for Calls with Real Teaching Moments
- Use filters: By rep, stage (e.g. discovery, demo, negotiation), deal size, or call outcome.
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Don’t just pick “closed won” calls—sometimes a lost deal is more instructive.
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Listen (Yes, Actually Listen)
- Skim through and mark timestamps where something interesting happens.
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Cut out any calls where the audio stinks, the buyer is distracted, or the rep just rambles.
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Tag and Organize
- Group calls by theme: “Great Discovery Calls,” “Objection Handling,” “Demo Walkthroughs,” etc.
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Add short notes: “Listen to minute 12 for how Sarah turns around a pricing objection.”
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Keep it Short
- Aim for 5-10 calls, 15-30 minutes each. If you go longer, new reps will tune out.
What to Ignore: Don’t include calls just because they’re recent or with big-name logos. Quality over quantity. And skip anything loaded with internal talk or irrelevant tangents.
Step 3: Share Libraries the Right Way
Just sending a link isn’t enough. You want reps to know what they’re listening for—and why.
Make the Library Easy to Use
- Create Playlists: Gong lets you build “libraries” or “folders” of calls. Name them clearly (“Top Discovery Calls Q2,” not “Misc Recordings”).
- Add Context: For each call, write a 1-2 sentence blurb. Example: “Notice how Alex reframes the budget objection at 14:10—this comes up all the time.”
- Set Expectations: Tell reps how many calls to listen to, and by when. Otherwise, the playlist just sits there.
Pro tip: If you're onboarding several reps at once, make this part of a checklist or learning path. Don’t assume they’ll just “explore” on their own.
Step 4: Tie Calls to Real-World Tasks
Passive listening isn’t enough. You want reps to use what they hear.
- Assign Specific Takeaways: After each call, ask reps to jot down one thing they’d try on their own calls.
- Roleplay, Briefly: If you must, have them try one technique from the library in a mock call—keep it short and focused.
- Link to Your Sales Playbook: If you have a doc or wiki, link relevant calls directly to sections (“See this call for a live example of our pricing talk track”).
What doesn’t work: Making reps write formal summaries or fill out lengthy reflection forms. Skip the busywork. Focus on actions, not paperwork.
Step 5: Get Feedback and Update Regularly
Sales calls age fast. Buyers change, products change, and what worked last quarter might bomb today.
- Ask New Hires What Helped: Which calls were actually useful? Which ones felt like a waste?
- Swap Out Old Calls: Replace outdated or irrelevant calls every quarter or so. Don’t let the library get stale.
- Highlight Fresh Wins (and Fails): A recent “here’s how we lost a deal” call can be more educational than a polished win from two years ago.
Pro tip: Encourage top reps to flag their own calls when something goes especially well—or when they crash and burn. Both are gold for learning.
What to Avoid: Common Pitfalls
Let’s be real about what doesn’t work:
- Thinking More Calls = Better: Too much content is just noise.
- Over-Editing Calls: Don’t scrub out every “um” or awkward moment. Real calls are messy, and that’s the point.
- Assuming Everyone Learns the Same Way: Some reps need to hear a call twice; others just want the highlights. Give them notes and context, but don’t force a rigid process.
Example: A Simple Gong Library Setup
Here’s a basic structure that works for most teams:
- Library Name: “New Rep Quick-Start: Top 8 Calls”
- Sections:
- Discovery (2 calls)
- Solution Demo (2 calls)
- Objection Handling (2 calls)
- Closing/Next Steps (2 calls)
- Notes: Each call labeled with what to focus on. Total listening time: Under 3 hours.
- Follow-Up: One group debrief after new reps finish the playlist—discuss what stood out, what they’d do differently.
This isn’t fancy, but it works. And it’s way more practical than a week of PowerPoints.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a huge production to make onboarding better. The right Gong call library—kept up-to-date and focused on real situations—can get new reps selling faster, with less hand-holding.
Start small, prune ruthlessly, and keep asking what’s actually helping new hires. Skip the hype, ignore the noise, and let your best calls do the teaching. Adjust as you go. That’s how you build an onboarding process that actually works.