A sales rep onboarding checklist keeps new hire training on track and makes sure nothing gets missed. This guide covers 17 steps organized by category, plus a template you can copy and use with your team.

Sales rep onboarding checklist overview

17-step sales rep onboarding checklist

Use this checklist to guide new reps through their first weeks on the job. Each section builds on the last, moving from setup to training to live calls.

Pre-arrival setup

Complete these steps before your new rep's first day. A smooth start sets the tone for the rest of the onboarding process.

1. Prepare system access and logins

Set up accounts for your dialer, CRM, and any other tools the rep will use. Test logins before day one so the rep can jump in right away.

2. Assign a mentor or shadow partner

Pair the new rep with a top performer who can answer questions and model good calls. Choose someone with patience and strong results.

3. Build a training schedule for week one

Map out each day with specific activities: orientation, product training, call shadowing, and practice time. Share the schedule with the new rep before they start.

Company and product training

Reps need to understand what they're selling and who they're selling to. Cover these basics before they hear their first live call.

4. Explain the company's mission and values

Give reps context on why the company exists and what it stands for. This helps them connect their work to something bigger than quota.

5. Train on products and services

Walk through each product the rep will sell. Cover features, benefits, pricing, and common use cases. Use real examples from actual customers.

6. Review the ideal customer profile

Describe the type of buyer your team targets. Include demographics, pain points, and what motivates them to buy. For Medicare teams, this might be seniors during open enrollment. For home services, it might be homeowners responding to a mailer.

7. Cover compliance and regulatory requirements

Explain the rules reps must follow on every call. Include required disclosures, recording consent, and any industry-specific regulations. Test their understanding before they take live calls.

Sales process and scripts

Reps need to know how your team sells. Walk them through the process step by step so they understand what happens on a successful call.

8. Teach the sales process from start to finish

Break down each stage: opening, qualification, presentation, objection handling, and close. Show how one stage leads to the next.

9. Review call scripts and talk tracks

Share the scripts your top reps use. Explain why certain phrases work and when to use them. Let new reps practice reading scripts out loud before they go live.

10. Train on objection handling

List the most common objections buyers raise. Teach reps how to respond to each one. Role-play these scenarios, so your reps build confidence before live calls.

11. Explain qualification criteria

Define what makes a lead qualified. Teach reps which questions to ask and what answers signal a good fit. This keeps reps focused on buyers who are ready to move forward.

Tools and systems

Reps need to know how to use your tech stack. Hands-on practice prevents mistakes and speeds up their workflow.

12. Train on the dialer and phone system

Show reps how to make calls, transfer calls, and log notes. Walk through any features they'll use daily, like click-to-dial or call recording.

13. Train on the CRM

Teach reps how to log calls, update records, and move leads through the pipeline. Explain why accurate data matters for the team.

14. Review reporting and performance dashboards

Show reps where to find their numbers. Walk through the metrics you track and how you measure success. Reps should know their targets from day one.

Call practice and live reps

New reps need practice before they take real calls. Start with shadowing, move to role-play, then transition to live calls with support.

15. Shadow live calls with top performers

Have new reps listen to calls from your best sellers. Ask them to take notes on what they hear. Debrief after each session to reinforce key takeaways.

16. Practice with role-play exercises

Run mock calls where the new rep plays the seller, and a manager or peer plays the buyer. Give feedback after each round. Repeat until the rep feels comfortable.

17. Start live calls with coaching support

Let the rep take real calls while a manager or mentor listens in. Provide feedback after each call. Increase independence as the rep builds confidence.

Sales rep onboarding checklist template

Copy this checklist and customize it for your team:

Why a structured onboarding process matters

Without a checklist, onboarding becomes a coin flip. One manager walks their new rep through objection handling for two hours. Another says "listen to a few calls and jump in when you're ready."

Three months later, one rep is closing deals. The other still stumbles through discovery.

A structured process fixes this. Reps learn what they need in the right order, and managers stop repeating themselves every time someone new joins.

The timeline matters here. Some call centers report that agents reach Time to Proficiency milestones in 4-8 weeks, on average. Some take 6-9 months.

A checklist won't erase ramp time, but it stops the training gaps that stretch six months into nine.

For regulated industries, a checklist protects you. Medicare and insurance teams need documented proof that every rep learned compliance rules before taking their first call. When regulators ask for training records, "we're pretty sure they shadowed someone" won't cut it.

Common sales onboarding mistakes to avoid

Even teams with a checklist can fall into traps that slow down ramp time. Watch out for these common mistakes:

1. Rushing through product training: Reps who don't understand the product struggle to answer buyer questions. Give them enough time to learn before they take calls.

2. Skipping role-play practice: Some managers skip role-play because it feels awkward. But reps who practice before going live make fewer mistakes and ramp faster.

3. Training on scripts without context: Handing a new rep a script without explaining why it works leads to robotic delivery. Teach the reasoning behind each section so reps can adapt when needed.

4. Waiting too long to start live calls: Training matters, but reps learn fastest by doing. Don't keep them in the classroom for weeks. Get them on real calls with support as soon as they're ready.

5. No check-ins after the first week: Onboarding doesn't end after day five. Schedule regular check-ins for the first 30, 60, and 90 days to catch issues early and keep reps on track.

How to measure onboarding success

Track these metrics to see if your onboarding process is working. Compare results across cohorts to spot what's improving and where you need to adjust.

Time to first sale

How long does it take a new rep to close their first deal? Shorter times signal effective onboarding. Track this by cohort and compare against your team's average. If one group ramps faster, look at what was different in their training.

Ramp time to full productivity

How many weeks or months before a rep hits quota? This is the most common measure of onboarding success. Set a target based on your current average, then work to beat it with each new hire class.

Call quality scores

If you score calls, track how new reps perform in their first 30, 60, and 90 days. Look for steady progress over time. Reps who plateau early may need additional coaching or a different approach.

Compliance pass rate

For regulated industries, track how many reps pass compliance checks on the first try. A low pass rate means your compliance training needs work. A high rate means reps are absorbing the rules before they hit the phones.

New hire retention

Reps who feel supported during onboarding are more likely to stay. Track turnover in the first 90 days to see if your process needs work. High early turnover often points to gaps in training or unclear expectations.

Turn your checklist into faster ramp times with Alpharun

A new rep finishes onboarding and takes their first call. They reviewed the scripts. They passed the compliance quiz. They shadowed a few calls. But the buyer asks a question they didn't prepare for, and they freeze.

This is where most onboarding checklists end, and where ramp time actually begins. The gap between training completion and reaching consistent quotas is where reps need the most support. Every fumbled objection, every missed compliance moment, every awkward pause adds weeks to productivity.

Traditional onboarding teaches the process. Alpharun coaches reps through thousands of real conversations until winning behaviors become automatic.

Alpharun builds custom playbooks from your top performers’ actual winning calls. The platform studies calls from your best reps and turns those winning behaviors into a custom-built playbook new hires follow from day one.

• Custom playbooks from your best reps. Not generic coaching. New hires learn the phrases, moments, and techniques that close deals for your team.

• Compliance built in to every call. Alpharun tracks disclosures and industry-specific regulatory rules automatically. It meets SOC 2 Type 2 standards for Medicare and insurance teams, where compliance failures cost deals and trigger penalties.

• Sentence-level coaching during live calls. Reps get real-time guidance while they're still talking to buyers.

• Every call scored automatically. Managers get a weekly digest. Reps get short coaching notes after each call.

• Faster ramp, higher quota attainment. Reps who learn from your best performers' actual calls reach productivity faster and close at higher rates than those trained on generic scripts.

• Managers coach smarter, not harder. Instead of listening to every call, managers receive weekly digests highlighting exactly which reps need help with which skills and the specific calls where coaching will make the biggest impact.

Your sales rep onboarding checklist gets reps through training. Alpharun coaches them through their first months of live calls, turning every conversation into a learning opportunity until they perform like your best.

Alpharun offers the best of both worlds: rep coaching and AI automation. This coaches your reps on every call while AI agents handle repetitive tasks like scheduling and after-hours qualification, freeing your team to focus on closing deals.

Schedule a demo to see how Alpharun turns your top performers’ calls into a playbook that accelerates ramp time.