Bringing new sales reps up to speed shouldn’t feel like herding cats—or cost you weeks of lost productivity. If you’ve ever watched a new hire flail between scattered docs, outdated slide decks, and a parade of “quick” meetings, you know the drill. This guide is for sales leaders, enablement pros, or honestly, anyone tired of onboarding chaos and looking for a real fix.
Here’s how to use Withlantern to make onboarding less of a mess and a lot more predictable. No magic bullets, no hype—just a clear way to get new reps selling faster.
Why Onboarding Falls Apart (And Where Withlantern Actually Helps)
Most onboarding is just information overload. Reps get buried in docs, videos, Slack threads, and then expected to “go sell.” The result? Slow ramp-up, missed quotas, and a lot of repeat questions.
Withlantern actually works best when you use it to:
- Organize everything in one place (not “just another wiki”)
- Guide reps step-by-step, so they always know what’s next
- Track progress, so you can spot bottlenecks before they’re problems
Does it replace good training or a helpful team? No. But it does cut out a ton of confusion and wasted time.
Step 1: Map Out What New Sales Reps Really Need
Before you open Withlantern, grab a notepad (or a doc) and answer these:
- What do new reps absolutely need to know in their first week? Month?
- What tools, processes, and product info do they actually use?
- Where do reps usually get stuck or ask for help?
Pro tip: Don’t try to include everything. Focus on the 20% that gets reps 80% of the way there. The rest can wait.
What to skip:
Resist the urge to dump every sales playbook, legacy doc, or “nice to know” tidbit into onboarding. Overwhelmed reps retain nothing.
Step 2: Set Up Your Onboarding Hub in Withlantern
Now, let’s put Withlantern to work.
Create a Dedicated Space
- Start a new workspace or “onboarding hub” just for sales onboarding.
- Keep it separate from customer docs or internal wikis—otherwise, new hires will get lost fast.
Build a Clear, Linear Path
- Use Withlantern’s checklists or guided flows to lay out onboarding steps in the order reps will need them.
Example: - Meet your team
- Get access to tools
- Learn the product basics
- Shadow a call
-
Practice pitch
-
For each step, link to only the docs, videos, or tasks that are actually useful.
Make It Interactive
- Add quick quizzes or “check for understanding” spots. Withlantern’s interactive blocks aren’t gimmicks—used right, they surface confusion early.
- Encourage reps to leave comments or notes as they go. If one person asks a question, ten others are thinking it.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother embedding 20-minute “welcome” videos no one watches. Short, actionable content beats long-winded intros every time.
Step 3: Get the Right People Involved (But Not Everyone)
Onboarding should be collaborative, but too many cooks spoil the broth.
- Invite team leads, top-performing reps, and maybe a product person to help build or review key sections.
- Assign owners for each onboarding segment (e.g., “CRM basics—Ask Jamie”).
- Set up feedback loops: after each onboarding cycle, ask new reps what actually helped, and what was a waste.
Pro tip:
Don’t turn onboarding into a committee project. Someone needs to have final say, or you’ll spend weeks arguing about slide colors.
Step 4: Track Progress and Spot Bottlenecks
Withlantern isn’t just a checklist. You can actually see who’s stuck where.
- Use progress tracking to see which steps take the longest, or where reps drop off.
- Set automated reminders for incomplete tasks (but don’t spam people—one nudge is plenty).
- Review analytics after the first couple of cohorts. If everyone stalls on the same module, fix it.
Honest take:
No tool will magically make people care. If a new hire isn’t moving forward, reach out directly. Sometimes it’s a tech issue; sometimes it’s just nerves.
Step 5: Keep it Up to Date—Without Losing Your Mind
Onboarding is never “done.” Stuff changes: new products, pricing updates, process tweaks.
- Assign someone (not everyone!) to own onboarding updates. Make it part of their job—not an afterthought.
- Set a recurring reminder (quarterly is plenty for most teams) to review and clean up old content.
- If something changes mid-cycle, update the doc and ping current new hires in Withlantern directly—don’t expect them to “just find it.”
What to ignore:
You don’t need to update every time a slide font changes or a logo gets tweaked. Focus on what actually impacts a rep’s day-to-day work.
Step 6: Use Withlantern for Ongoing Learning (But Don’t Overdo It)
Once onboarding is done, Withlantern can help with ongoing training—but don’t let it become a dumping ground.
- Use it for new product releases, competitive updates, or process changes that matter to sales.
- Retire or archive outdated modules so you don’t end up with a graveyard of old info.
- Point reps back to the onboarding hub when they need a refresher, instead of re-explaining the same thing in Slack.
Pro tip:
If you find yourself uploading something “just in case,” stop. Only add what’s proven useful.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Watch For
What Works
- Simple, linear onboarding: People stick with clear, step-by-step guidance.
- Real-time feedback: Withlantern’s comments and analytics help you fix gaps fast.
- One source of truth: No more hunting for “the right doc.”
What Doesn’t
- Overloading reps: More content ≠ better onboarding.
- Set-it-and-forget-it: Onboarding content gets stale fast.
- Trying to automate everything: Some things—like team culture—still need a human touch.
What to Watch For
- Content sprawl: If onboarding starts to feel like a wiki, rein it in.
- Ownership drift: Make sure someone’s still responsible six months from now.
- Blind spots: If reps keep asking the same questions, your docs aren’t clear enough.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
The best onboarding is clear, concise, and actually helps new sales reps close deals faster. Withlantern can make this a lot easier, but it’s not a magic wand. Start simple. Launch your onboarding flow, get feedback, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s getting people productive without the usual onboarding headache.
Now, go clean up that onboarding mess. Your future self (and your new reps) will thank you.