Winning Sales Talent: From Offer to Onboarding Success | Ep 24
On today's episode on Veritas Vantage, Supply Chain Leaders Brian Hastings and Justin Maines dive into the best strategies for structuring an offer letter and enhancing the onboarding experience for new sales employees. They cover how to make a stellar first impression, the importance of transparency, and actionable steps to ensure a seamless integration into the company. Learn how to create a welcoming atmosphere from day one and avoid common pitfalls that lead to employee dissatisfaction. A must-watch for employers looking to retain top talent and foster growth from the very beginning.
The Logistics & Leadership Podcast, powered by Veritas Logistics, redefines logistics and personal growth. Hosted by industry veterans and supply chain leaders Brian Hastings and Justin Maines, it shares their journey from humble beginnings to a $50 million company. Discover invaluable lessons in logistics, mental toughness, and embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. The show delves into personal and professional development, routine, and the power of betting on oneself. From inspiring stories to practical insights, this podcast is a must for aspiring entrepreneurs, logistics professionals, and anyone seeking to push limits and achieve success.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to Structuring an Offer Letter
(00:34) - Crafting an Irresistible Offer Letter
(01:35) - Onboarding: The First 30 Days
(03:20) - Creating a Welcoming Environment
(05:32) - Avoiding Onboarding Pitfalls
(06:42) - The Importance of One-on-One Meetings
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Transcript
Can you imagine if brand new sales employee, day one.
Speaker A:You walk in, people just, like, walk by you.
Speaker A:We're going to go over ways to structure an offer letter, an agreement to a prospective sales applicant, as well as the customer or the employee experience.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:How do we make sure that the first several weeks, several months go really well, where they feel really good about joining your company and continue to want to grow?
Speaker A:Let's talk about the offer letter.
Speaker A:You know, you're sitting across from a rockstar salesperson.
Speaker A:I mean, what are some things that you do or what are some things that you put in that offer letter to make sure that they join your company or to be a part of the group?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think it goes back to the interview process.
Speaker B:You know, all these obviously run seamlessly, but, you know, you have a candidate who, you know, is interviewing at several competitors.
Speaker B:You want to make sure that they have an overwhelming experience and they want to be a part of your company.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, knowing, you know, their past experience, their compensation, what they're looking for.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Allows you to tailor an offer letter that's very attractive to that candidate and hard to pass up.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:So he's not interested in the other competitors or other employers that he's interviewing at.
Speaker B:He wants to be a part of your company.
Speaker A:What are some things, like, you know, for those that are out there that are listening, like, what are some things that they can do that will set themselves apart just even in the onboarding process?
Speaker A:Like, let's talk about the offer letter the day one through day 30.
Speaker A:What are.
Speaker A:What are some things that we can do there?
Speaker B:In that first month, we talked a lot about culture in our previous episode, and, you know, what you look, what to look for in a candidate.
Speaker B:The ideal candidate, I think, from the applicant's perspective, you know, you want to have a great experience and you want to trust that that's the right company and team for you and it'll fit what you are looking for.
Speaker B:So I think what you can do is just be very transparent.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love it.
Speaker B:You know, I don't think there's any.
Speaker B:Any reason to sugarcoat the role to, you know, fluff up the expectations, like, be very straightforward, put all your cards on the table and ask them to do the same.
Speaker B:And this is something that I think we do a really good job of.
Speaker B:Our interview process is very conversational.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:The goal of that process is to make sure that the candidate's a good fit for us, but also an equally important that we're a good fit for that candidate.
Speaker B:It has to go both ways and we have to line up on what we're wanting.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I never want an applicant to have, like, buyer's remorse.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:They're in the job for the first nine days and they're like, oh, shit, man, did I make the wrong decision?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I never want that to happen.
Speaker A:No, I agree with you.
Speaker A:Even with talking about the expectation piece, I think Even from day one through day 30, what are some things that employers can do to set themselves apart or to sink their teeth into the new applicant.
Speaker A:That's a rock star.
Speaker A:That's going to have a quick ROI that you're super excited about in month three.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:So offer letters, sign, you guys come to an agreement, everyone's happy and excited.
Speaker B:You know, I think a big thing is like, the onboarding process starts in the interview process.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:There's touch points in between the interview process and their actual first day.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So making sure the team's involved, making sure that candidate knows that the team is very excited to have them apart.
Speaker B:Like, let's hit the ground running.
Speaker B:You know, it's a sales company.
Speaker B:Let's.
Speaker B:Let's beat our chest, get, you know, the whole nine yards.
Speaker B:Not necessarily that, but, you know, who's your direct supervisor?
Speaker B:Like, remove any doubt or concern about their first day, their anxiety about that first day, remove all that and make them feel comfortable and ready to go on the first day.
Speaker B:So have their direct supervisor, but also upper level management or executives reach out to them.
Speaker B:Maybe a handwritten card or a text.
Speaker B:Hey, you know, John Doe, Very excited for you to get started on Monday.
Speaker B:This is my cell phone number.
Speaker B:If you need anything at all, dress codes, this on your first day.
Speaker B:We got your lunch taken care of.
Speaker B:Here are the hours, so on and so forth.
Speaker B:So they're not just, you know, showing up, have no idea what they expect on their first day.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Just being a random person.
Speaker A:I love that, man.
Speaker A:I love the personal touch.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like even a call on the Friday before, or, you know, you mentioned it, like a text or a call on the morning of, you know, even like lunch on day one.
Speaker A:And, you know, making sure that they're being visible to the team.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Having the team come over, shake their hand, say, hey, we're glad that you're a part of the team.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:To me, those are like two or three things that, like, don't take a lot of effort but bring so much value, especially that applicant, that you want to be there, you know, for the long run.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I would say, you know, from the time they walk in, you know, this is.
Speaker B:Give them a tour.
Speaker B:I know they saw it in the interview process, but they may not have seen the entire office.
Speaker B:But, you know, this is your desk.
Speaker B:Here's who you'll be sitting with.
Speaker B:This is your team.
Speaker B:Here's your notepad, pins.
Speaker B:This is where the supply closet is.
Speaker B:Here's your swag, your cup, your shirt, whatever it may be.
Speaker B:That way they're starting to get that sense of pride in the company that they now work at.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think, I mean, even like thinking about that, like, love all of this that we're talking about.
Speaker A:And I think there's some really, like, good takeaways, especially, you know, for people that are listening.
Speaker A:But I also, like, okay, let's flip that 180, right?
Speaker A:Can you imagine if brand new sales employee, day one.
Speaker A:You walk in, people just like walk by you, right?
Speaker A:And then, like, you have no idea.
Speaker A:There's no pen at your desk, there's no notebook.
Speaker A:You know, the manager comes over, gives you like a head nod.
Speaker A:I mean, can you imagine?
Speaker B:Well, as a candidate, you're sitting there like, what am I supposed to be doing?
Speaker A:Wait a second.
Speaker A:Yeah, hold on.
Speaker B:This is uncomfortable.
Speaker A:I need some direction here.
Speaker B:But when everyone's there and you feel comfortable to turn to your right, left, forward, behind you, and say, hey, do you know what I should be doing?
Speaker B:Or they have a sense of direction and they feel comfortable.
Speaker B:So you're exactly right.
Speaker B:They kind of eliminate those first date jitters.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I think it's great, man.
Speaker A:I think the onboarding process is crucial, and I don't think a lot of companies don't pay attention to it.
Speaker A:And I think that there needs to be more of an awareness on that because I think that's how, that's how you retain people.
Speaker B:That's how you set people up for success 100%.
Speaker A:And I think, like, that's how, you know, okay, is this person, you know, the first 30 days, especially in a sales role where maybe they got another offer they felt good about, you know, your company, and maybe that turns in the first, you know, 14 to 30 days where, well, maybe I made the wrong decision.
Speaker A:Let me call that guy back.
Speaker A:Hey, you still got that job opportunity.
Speaker A:I think I made the wrong decision.
Speaker A:I mean, you never want that to happen, Right?
Speaker A:And you're going to get a lot of that information from that employee, especially during their one on ones, which we'll talk about next.
Speaker B:Your employees feel a lot of times more comfortable in that one on one environment.
Speaker B:They're going to be more vulnerable.
Speaker B:They're going to be more open about what they're struggling with or how they truly feel.
Speaker B:And I think that's where you uncover a lot of issues that they may not tell you in a group environment.
