Getting new sales reps up to speed is a pain. You’ve got people who want to sell, managers who want results yesterday, and a mess of product info scattered everywhere. If you’re reading this, you probably know the feeling. The good news: onboarding doesn’t have to be a slow, confusing slog—if you set things up right.
This guide is for sales managers, enablement folks, and anyone tired of reinventing the onboarding wheel. I’ll walk you through how to use Showell—a tool for organizing sales resources and training—without getting caught up in buzzwords or wasting time on stuff that doesn’t actually help new hires close deals.
Let’s get practical.
Step 1: Decide What Actually Matters for New Reps
Before you even log into Showell, get clear on what new hires really need to know in their first weeks. It’s easy to dump every PDF, video, and product doc you have into the platform and call it a day. Don’t do that.
What works: - Focus on the 20% of info that gets reps 80% of the way there. - Prioritize: What are the top questions new reps ask? What do they need to do in their first 30 days? What’s tripped up past hires? - Start with: product basics, pricing, typical objections, and your sales process.
What to skip: - Old decks and one-pagers nobody uses anymore. - Deep product specs unless your reps are doing technical demos from day one. - “Culture” videos from three CEOs ago.
Pro Tip: Ask your current reps what they wish they’d had when they started. You’ll get more useful answers than any onboarding checklist.
Step 2: Set Up Showell with a Clean, Simple Structure
Now it’s time to get Showell working for you—not the other way around. The whole point is to make it dead simple for new reps to find what they need, when they need it.
How to do it:
- Create logical folders: Organize by use case (“Product Info,” “Objection Handling,” “Pricing”), not by department or who made the document.
- Keep naming clear: “2024 Pitch Deck” beats “Q1_Marketing_v2_FINAL_FINAL.pptx.”
- Use Showell’s tags and search: Tags make it easy to find related content. Don’t overthink it—start with broad categories.
- Pin essentials: Showell lets you highlight “must-know” docs or training videos. Use this for your onboarding essentials.
What works: - Less is more. If you’re not sure whether to include something, leave it out—or tuck it in an “Advanced” folder. - Regularly ask recent hires if they could find what they needed. If not, fix it fast.
What to ignore: - Color-coding, elaborate folder hierarchies, or custom icons. Reps want speed, not design awards.
Step 3: Build a Repeatable Onboarding Flow
Don’t just dump your new hires into Showell and hope they figure it out. You need a simple, repeatable process.
A solid onboarding flow might look like: 1. Welcome email: Give them Showell access and a 1-page “start here” guide. 2. First login: Walk them through the main folders and show them how to use search and tags. 3. Core modules: Assign 5-10 must-watch/read items. Not 50. 4. Check-in: After a week, have a manager or peer ask if they’re stuck or missing anything. 5. Mock pitch: Get them to record or run through a basic pitch using Showell materials.
Pro Tips: - Don’t try to automate everything up front. Use Showell’s analytics to see what gets used, then update your flow. - Set up a recurring “onboarding review” every quarter to cut dead weight and add anything new that’s actually useful.
What to skip: - Overcomplicating things. If you can’t explain your onboarding flow on a napkin, it’s too complex. - Making every single doc “mandatory reading.” Nobody will remember it anyway.
Step 4: Use Showell’s Resource Sharing (But Don’t Overdo It)
One of Showell’s strengths is sharing resources—internally and with prospects. For onboarding, this is great for two things: giving reps examples to follow, and making it dead easy to send out the right materials.
How to make resource sharing work: - Create “starter packs”: Bundle the most-used pitch decks, case studies, and product sheets into a single folder or collection. - Share best practices: Include real examples of winning emails, talk tracks, or demo videos. The more “real world,” the better. - Track usage: Use Showell’s analytics to see which resources reps actually use (or share with prospects). If something’s never opened, cut it.
Watch out for: - Resource overload. If new reps see 40 variants of the same deck, they’ll just pick at random or ping you for help. - Outdated materials. Set a calendar reminder every month to review and archive anything stale.
Step 5: Layer in Training—Just Enough, Just in Time
The best onboarding doesn’t try to teach everything in week one. Use Showell to deliver training in small, useful chunks.
How to do this without overwhelming: - Short videos win: Record quick hit videos (2-5 min) on key topics: “How to qualify a lead,” “How to handle pricing objections,” etc. - Attach training to milestones: When a rep gets access to a new product line or territory, unlock the next training module. - Encourage self-service: If reps can’t find an answer, make sure they know how to request new content or ask questions. - Mix in live sessions: Showell is great for resources, but real Q&A still matters. Host a weekly or biweekly “office hours” call.
What to skip: - Long, formal e-learning courses unless you’re in a highly regulated industry. - “Gamification” features unless your team actually wants them. (Most don’t.)
Step 6: Get Feedback, Adjust, and Repeat
No onboarding process is perfect out of the gate. The only way to make it work is to listen to your new hires and tweak things.
How to keep improving: - Quick surveys: After their first month, ask new reps what helped and what didn’t. - Watch the analytics: Which docs get used, which ones don’t? Let the data guide your updates. - Regular cleanups: Block time every quarter to prune old files and add fresh ones.
Pro Tip: Don’t wait for a “big annual review.” Small, regular improvements beat giant overhauls every time.
A Few Final Thoughts
There’s no magic tool that makes onboarding perfect, but Showell can help you get organized and cut the noise—if you use it with a bit of discipline. Don’t overload new reps with everything at once. Stick to the essentials, keep your structure simple, and keep asking what’s actually helpful. Iterate fast, and don’t be afraid to toss what isn’t working.
Onboarding is never finished, but that’s the point. Stay curious, keep things simple, and your new hires will ramp up faster with a lot less stress (for everyone).