The Secret to Your Go-To-Market Team’s Success: Get Onboarding Right!

Onboarding is a critical aspect of employee development and is a significant factor in the success of go-to-market teams. A well-designed onboarding program can lead to better job satisfaction, higher employee retention, shorter ramp times and improved productivity. But, to achieve these benefits, onboarding needs to be more than just a series of introductory meetings and paperwork. An effective onboarding program should be optimised for adult learning, be easy to follow, highly engaging, and include elements of gamification to set your go-to-market teams up for success.

This article will examine the key elements of a robust, measurable, and gamified onboarding program and how it contributes to the success of go-to-market teams. Whether you are a seasoned HR professional or a new manager looking to improve your team’s onboarding process, this article provides valuable insights and practical tips to help you create an onboarding program that drives results.

The key challenges to building onboarding programs and how to mitigate them:

No matter what type of business you have and how successful you have been in the past, building onboarding programs can be tough going. Creating an onboarding program for go-to-market teams can be challenging for several reasons:

1. 1. High Turnover: Go-to-market teams often experience high turnover, making it difficult to build a consistent onboarding program that effectively prepares new hires for their role.
   2. Complex Sales Process: These complex sales processes are difficult to simplify and explain to new hires.
   3. Dynamic Market: The market for go-to-market teams is constantly evolving, making it difficult to keep the onboarding program up-to-date and relevant.
   4. Limited Time: New hires have limited time to adjust to their new role and make an impact, so the onboarding program needs to be efficient and effective.

Mitigating these challenges relies on your onboarding program capturing key elements of any successful program for go-to-market teams. Focusing on these key elements helps provide a structured, efficient, and engaging approach to onboarding.

1. Orientation: A comprehensive orientation process helps to ensure that new hires are aware of the company culture, values, and goals, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings and missteps.
2. Job Training: Hands-on job training focuses on the specific skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the role, reducing the learning curve and improving job performance.
3. Role Definition: A clear definition of the role, responsibilities, and performance expectations help to ensure that new hires understand their role and are prepared to make an impact.
4. Collaboration: Opportunities for new hires to interact with and learn from experienced team members help to build a sense of community and reduce feelings of isolation.
5. Feedback: Regular feedback and performance evaluations help to ensure that new hires are on track and identify areas for improvement, reducing the likelihood of poor performance.
6. Gamification: The use of gamification techniques makes the onboarding process engaging and enjoyable for new hires, reducing feelings of stress and increasing motivation.
7. Measurable Goals: The setting of measurable goals and tracking progress helps to ensure that the onboarding program is having a positive impact on the success of the go-to-market team.
8. Continued Professional Development: A focus on continued professional development helps to ensure that new hires are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their role and grow with the company.

By incorporating these elements into the onboarding program, companies can create a comprehensive program that mitigates the challenges of onboarding go-to-market teams and contributes to the success of the team.

How to build a successful onboarding program for your go-to-market team.

Building a successful onboarding program for go-to-market teams requires careful planning and execution. You should follow these steps to build a successful onboarding program:

1. Define the goals: Clearly define the goals of the onboarding program and what success looks like. This will help ensure that the program is aligned with the organisation’s overall objectives.
2. Assess current processes: Assess the current onboarding process and identify any areas for improvement. This may involve talking to current employees and new hires to get their perspectives on the process.
3. Involve team members: Involve team members from the go-to-market team in the design of the onboarding program. They can provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t and help ensure the program is relevant and effective.
4. Create a structured plan: Develop a structured plan that includes orientation, job training, role definition, collaboration opportunities, feedback mechanisms, gamification, measurable goals, and continued professional development.
5. Make it engaging: Make the onboarding program engaging by incorporating gamification techniques, interactive training sessions, and collaboration opportunities.
6. Set measurable goals: Set measurable goals for the onboarding program and track progress to ensure that the program positively impacts the success of the go-to-market team.
7. Continuously evaluate and improve: Continuously evaluate the onboarding program and adjust as needed. This may involve incorporating feedback from new hires and team members and making changes based on the results of performance evaluations.

These steps will help organisations build a successful onboarding program that effectively prepares new hires for their role, reduces the learning curve, and reduces ramp-up time so that your people start making the impact you need sooner!

The critical role that GTM leaders play during the onboarding process

Go-to-market leaders play a critical role in the onboarding process and are responsible for ensuring the success of new hires. The role of go-to-market leaders during the onboarding process includes:

1. Setting the tone: GTM leaders set the tone for the onboarding process by communicating the importance of the program and setting expectations for new hires.
2. Providing guidance: GTM leaders guide and support new hires during the onboarding process, helping them understand their roles and responsibilities and providing feedback on their performance.
3. Building relationships: GTM leaders play a key role in building relationships between new hires and other team members, helping to foster a sense of community and reducing feelings of isolation.
4. Coaching and mentoring: GTM leaders may act as a coach and mentor to new hires, sharing their experience and knowledge and helping to develop the skills and abilities of new hires.
5. Evaluating progress: GTM leaders are responsible for evaluating the progress of new hires during the onboarding process and providing feedback on their performance.

The role of go-to-market leaders is important because they help ensure the onboarding program’s success by providing support and guidance to new hires and promoting a positive, supportive culture within the team. Additionally, they play a critical role in developing the skills and abilities of new hires and preparing them for long-term success within the organisation.

How onboarding tech can help develop a successful program for your team

Onboarding tech can help develop a successful onboarding program for go-to-market teams by automating many of the tasks and processes associated with onboarding and providing a centralised platform for managing and tracking the progress of new hires. Some of the ways that onboarding software can help to develop a successful onboarding program include:

1. Streamlining processes by automating many of the tasks and processes associated with onboarding, such as creating and distributing forms, tracking progress, and providing feedback.
2. Customising the onboarding process to meet their specific needs and requirements, making it easier to ensure that the program is effective and relevant to the needs of the go-to-market team.
3. Real-time feedback to new hires and go-to-market leaders makes tracking progress and providing feedback throughout the onboarding process easier.
4. Collaboration between new hires and other team members makes it easier for new hires to get the support and guidance they need to succeed in their role.
5. Analytics that can be used to evaluate the success of the onboarding program and make improvements as needed.

Selecting the right onboarding software is important because it can significantly impact the onboarding program’s success. It is important to choose a software platform that is easy to use, provides the features and functionality needed to meet the specific needs of the go-to-market team, and is flexible enough to accommodate changes and improvements over time.

By selecting the right onboarding software, organisations can simplify the onboarding process, increase efficiency, and provide new hires with the support and guidance they need to succeed in their role.

Need help to get you started?

A well-thought-out, robust, measurable, easy-to-follow, adult learning-optimised, gamified onboarding program is crucial for the success of go-to-market teams in the short, medium, and long term. By incorporating the key elements of an effective onboarding program, including clear goals and expectations, relevant training and development opportunities, and effective communication and feedback mechanisms, organisations can ensure that new hires have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their role.

At Ellivate Consulting, we understand the importance of a successful onboarding program. We are dedicated to helping our customers develop a program that meets the specific needs and requirements of their go-to-market team. Our team of experts can provide guidance and support on all aspects of the onboarding process, from design and implementation to ongoing evaluation and improvement.

Whether you are just starting out or looking to improve an existing program, Ellivate Consulting has the expertise and experience to help you achieve your goals. Let us help you build a successful onboarding program for your go-to-market team and ensure your new hires have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Contact us today to learn more.