If you’re responsible for getting sales reps up to speed—or keeping them sharp—you’ve probably noticed that off-the-shelf training rarely hits the mark. You need something tailored to your team, not a generic playlist. That’s where Wonderway comes in. It’s a platform built to help you create custom learning paths for sales teams, but knowing where to start (and what to skip) makes all the difference.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building learning paths in Wonderway that actually help your salespeople sell—not just click through content.
Before You Start: What You Really Need (And What You Don’t)
Let’s keep this honest: Don’t start by mapping out 20 modules nobody will finish. Instead, talk to your sales reps and managers. Find out:
- Where do reps get stuck in the sales process?
- Which skills separate your top performers from the rest?
- What’s already working, and what’s just noise?
Jot down the top 2-3 issues. If you’re pressed for time, just pick the one that’s costing you the most deals.
Pro tip: Skip “soft skills” fluff unless your team is actually struggling with them. Focus on the stuff that closes deals.
Step 1: Define Your Sales Goals
Set a clear goal for the learning path—something measurable, like:
- Reduce ramp-up time for new reps by two weeks
- Improve cold call conversion rates by 10%
- Boost average deal size
If you can’t tie your path to a real sales metric, rethink it. You’re not building this for a trophy case.
Step 2: Map Out the Skills and Knowledge Gaps
Now break that big goal down. For each challenge, ask:
- What specific knowledge or skill is missing?
- Is it product knowledge? Negotiation? Objection handling?
- Is this something best learned by reading, watching, or doing?
Keep it simple. If you’re not sure what the gap is, shadow a couple of reps or listen to call recordings. Patterns show up quickly.
Step 3: Sketch the Learning Path Structure
Don’t overcomplicate it. Most effective sales learning paths look like:
- Short intro (why this matters)
- Key concept or demo (the meat)
- Real-world example or case study
- Practice or quiz
- Quick feedback or recap
Resist the urge to add more unless there’s a real reason. If a topic is big, break it into bite-sized chunks.
What to ignore: Long, generic video lectures. If it’s not actionable or directly relevant, cut it.
Step 4: Gather and Create Content
This is where most people get bogged down. Wonderway lets you use:
- Your own materials (call recordings, slides, PDFs)
- External links (YouTube, articles, podcasts)
- Native quizzes and assignments
What works: - Real sales calls from your team (good and bad) - Short, focused videos (2-5 minutes) - Simple, scenario-based quizzes or roleplays
What doesn’t: - Endless PDFs nobody reads - Vendor-made “sales 101” courses - Anything that feels like homework for its own sake
If you don’t have custom content, start with what you do have. You can swap pieces out later.
Step 5: Build the Path in Wonderway
Here’s how to get your hands dirty:
- Log in and head to “Learning Paths.”
- Create a new path. Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Discovery Call Mastery” beats “Sales Training 2024”).
- Add modules. For each skill or topic, create a module. Attach content—videos, links, quizzes, whatever you mapped out.
- Set prerequisites (if needed). Only use these if the order really matters. Otherwise, let reps move at their own pace.
- Assign to your team or groups. Wonderway lets you target by role, region, or team.
- (Optional) Set due dates. Use this sparingly. For ongoing skills, flexibility usually beats rigid deadlines.
Pro tip: Preview the path as a learner. If it feels tedious or confusing, trim it down.
Step 6: Make It Interactive and Real
Salespeople learn by doing, not just watching. Within Wonderway, you can:
- Add assignments that require reps to record a call or pitch
- Create peer review steps (have reps give each other feedback)
- Use quizzes that focus on real scenarios, not trivia
Skip: Multiple-choice quizzes for the sake of having a quiz. If it doesn’t mimic a real sales challenge, rethink it.
Step 7: Get Feedback Early
Roll out your path to a small group first. Ask them:
- Was anything unclear or pointless?
- Did something actually help close a deal?
- What would they change?
You’ll spot dead weight quickly. Don’t be precious—cut or fix what doesn’t work.
Step 8: Measure What Matters
Wonderway gives you analytics on completion, quiz scores, and more. That’s fine, but remember:
- Completion rates don’t close deals
- Quiz scores aren’t sales metrics
Watch for real outcomes: Are new reps ramping faster? Are more deals moving to the next stage? If not, adjust your content and approach.
Step 9: Keep Tweaking (But Don’t Overthink It)
No learning path is perfect out of the gate. Plan to update it every quarter—or sooner if feedback points to something broken.
- Add new objection handling if market changes
- Replace outdated product info
- Trim anything nobody uses
Warning: Don’t turn this into a never-ending project. Good enough beats perfect.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
- Gamification for its own sake: Badges and leaderboards don’t make people better sellers.
- Overly complex branching paths: Simple, linear paths work best for most teams.
- Training “just in case”: Only teach what’s needed right now.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Useful
Custom learning paths in Wonderway aren’t about fancy features—they’re about helping your team do their jobs better. Start with your real sales goals, build only what you need, and stay skeptical of anything that sounds impressive but adds no value.
Iterate as you go. The simpler and more focused your training, the more likely your team will actually use it—and that’s what moves the needle.