Getting new sales reps up to speed is painful. There’s the firehose of information, awkward shadowing, and those endless “ride-along” calls where nobody’s really sure what to listen for. Worse, you’re burning time, money, and—let’s be honest—your own patience.
If you’re in charge of onboarding and you want reps closing deals instead of drowning in docs, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through a practical, no-fluff process for using Sybill to ramp up new sales hires faster. Skip the theory—let’s get to what actually works.
Why Traditional Onboarding Fails (and What Sybill Fixes)
Most onboarding is a mess: - Shadowing random calls with no context - Overloaded training decks that nobody reads - “Just ask if you have questions” (nobody does) - Feedback that’s too late, too vague, or both
The result? New reps imitate bad habits, miss key moments, and take months to become productive—if they last that long.
Here’s where Sybill actually helps: - Real sales calls, not staged examples: Reps see and hear what works in your real pipeline. - Automatic call breakdowns: No guessing what happened or what went wrong; Sybill highlights it. - Consistent feedback: Reps know exactly where they’re off track, in plain English.
But don’t expect Sybill to magically “make onboarding easy.” You’ll still need structure and a bit of human effort. Let’s walk through, step by step.
Step 1: Set Up Your Sybill Environment for Onboarding
Before you bring a new rep into the mix, get your Sybill workspace organized. A little prep here saves headaches later.
What to do: - Connect your team's calendars and conferencing tools so all sales calls are auto-recorded. - Tag calls by type (discovery, demo, negotiation, etc.). If you skip this, you’ll end up with a mess of random meetings—useless for learning. - Create folders or playlists for “gold standard” calls and learning moments (good and bad). Label them clearly: “Great Objection Handling,” “How Not to Run a Demo,” etc. - Decide who can access what. New reps should see a curated set, not every call ever.
Pro tip: Don’t bother saving every call. Quality beats quantity. One solid discovery call, broken down well, is more valuable than a playlist of 50 so-so demos.
Step 2: Build a Realistic Learning Path
You don’t want to throw reps into the deep end, but you also don’t want them stuck in “training mode” forever. The sweet spot is a structured, week-by-week ramp with clear outcomes.
How to use Sybill here: - Week 1: Observation - Assign reps a short list of 3–5 calls to watch. - Use Sybill’s highlight feature to point out key moments: great openers, tough objections, buying signals. - Have reps jot down what they notice—don’t spoon-feed everything.
- Week 2: Light Participation
- Let reps join live calls (muted, camera off).
- After each, have them review the Sybill summary and compare their notes.
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Ask: Did they spot the same things? What did they miss?
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Week 3: Practice & Feedback
- Reps start running mock calls (role-playing with managers or peers).
- Use Sybill to record, transcribe, and analyze these calls.
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Give pointed, actionable feedback right in the platform.
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Week 4: Real Calls, Real Stakes
- Reps take live calls with a manager shadowing.
- Use Sybill’s breakdowns to debrief each call—focus on improvement, not punishment.
Shortcuts to skip: Don’t waste time with generic “sales training” videos that aren’t tailored to your product or process. The best learning comes from your own calls, warts and all.
Step 3: Make Feedback Fast, Specific, and Ongoing
Feedback is where most onboarding falls apart. Vague advice like “be more consultative” is useless. Sybill lets you get specific, fast.
Practical ways to use Sybill for feedback: - Highlight moments: “Here’s where the prospect went cold—what could you have done?” - Call out missed cues: If a rep talks over a buying signal, flag it. - Document progress: Keep a running log of what’s improving and what’s stuck.
What works: - Immediate, bite-sized feedback: Don’t save it all for a weekly review. Drop comments right after the call. - Show, don’t tell: Use Sybill’s actual call clips to illustrate points.
What doesn’t: - Overloading with nitpicks: Focus on one or two key areas at a time. - Long-winded analysis: Reps tune out if it feels like school.
Step 4: Turn Real Calls into Teach-Once Assets
You don’t want to repeat yourself every time a new hire joins. The best onboarding programs build up a library of teach-once, use-often resources.
How to do it with Sybill: - Clip and save “teachable moments” from actual sales calls—both wins and trainwrecks. - Tag clips by skill or objection: “Handling pricing pushback,” “Qualifying budget,” etc. - Create a resource bank: New hires can binge these clips on their own time.
Honest advice: Don’t try to script the perfect call. Show the messy reality—awkward silences, tough questions, and how your team handles them. That’s what new reps need to see.
Step 5: Keep Iterating (and Ignore the Fancy Features You Don’t Need)
Sybill rolls out new bells and whistles all the time. Some are genuinely useful (automated summaries, key moment tagging), others are nice-to-haves you’ll never use.
What’s worth your time: - Key moment tagging - Automated call summaries - Searchable transcripts
What’s mostly hype: - AI “coaching scores” — Sometimes helpful, but take them with a grain of salt. Machines don’t know your sales culture. - Fancy sentiment analysis — Neat, but don’t overthink it. Focus on actual conversations.
Keep it simple: - Build your onboarding process around real calls and honest feedback. - Add new tools or features only if they solve a real pain point.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overcomplicate This
Getting new sales reps up to speed doesn’t require a fancy playbook or the latest AI wizardry. The real trick is giving them access to real calls, structured feedback, and the chance to practice in a safe space. Sybill is a good tool for making that easier, but it won’t do the thinking for you.
Start small, focus on what actually helps new hires close deals faster, and tweak as you go. You’ll save time, keep your sanity, and—most importantly—your new reps will thank you.