Early Career Talent Training: Boosts Sales Effectiveness and Retention

The Challenge

A leading legal software corporation undergoing rapid growth identified significant gaps in their talent acquisition approach. They faced key challenges in recruiting experienced, productive sellers to efficiently scale the sales team due to a limited external hiring pool and competitive market conditions. The legal sector’s unique dynamics demand extensive hands-on experience for sales associates to become effective contributors, further complicating the search for suitable candidates. 

To address the scarcity of experienced sales associate candidates, the client resolved to build a Comprehensive Sales Associate Program (CSAP) for early in career talent aimed at developing the next generation of sales associates and leaders. While they had foundational sales training content, they lacked the necessary processes and infrastructure to effectively scale their sales training and enablement initiatives.  

The client sought to engage with an experienced, best-in-class partner to design and guide the complete overhaul of their hiring and training strategy, ensuring their sustained growth and success.  

The Solution

We partnered with the client to address their sales hiring and training challenges by designing and implementing a 12-month CSAP for early career talent. The program included a three-month bootcamp followed by nine months of on-the-job experience. Tailored to meet the organization’s specific needs, key components of the project encompassed program management, meticulous planning, detailed phase descriptions, scope definitions, documentation, methodologies, quality assurance templates, and a governance plan for global expansion. 

The program’s detailed design mapped out, by day and month, a structure that leveraged existing learning paths, tools, templates, and training from vendors including bespoke training that was unique to the client’s needs. Learning objectives were provided by week; enabler activities were included to ensure learning objectives were met; and sustainment activities reinforced the learning. The result was a detailed design for an industry leading global sales enablement program.  

Optimus SBR’s extensive deliverables included: 

• Requirements and analysis document outlined the critical elements to ensure the CSAP’s success 
• High-level design document provided an overview of the 12-month learning journey 
• Detailed design document offered a blueprint for both the in-person and virtual components of the bootcamp and on-the-job experience  
• Training build plan addressed content ownership, development, and delivery for stakeholders 
• Implementation and logistics plan detailed the launch, execution, and maintenance of the CSAP  
• Evaluation and analysis plan described the methodology for assessing sales associates’ performance and included tools for tracking overall program success 

The Results

The collaboration between our team of experts and the client produced outstanding results. Together, an exceptional 12-month sales enablement program was designed. By leveraging subject matter expertise in program structure, key performance indicators, and design principles, a robust and innovative solution was achieved. The program gained successful buy-in from stakeholders, including the board of directors, executive leaders, steering committee, and internal teams. The design meticulously incorporated their collective vision, input, and recommendations, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strategic priorities. 

The project yielded a highly scalable program architecture and methodology, demonstrating versatility and adaptability. This architecture not only proves effective for the current implementation but can also be repurposed for other early-career development programs within the organization. By creating a replicable framework, the corporation and our firm have set a new standard for structuring sales enablement and development programs, providing a solid foundation for nurturing talent and driving performance. This collaborative effort has paved the way for sustained growth and excellence within the corporation’s workforce. 

“The Optimus SBR Learning & Development team truly understood our needs, going beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to design an early career sales onboarding program that aligns with our company’s culture and strategic objectives. Their dedication and expertise guided us from uncertainty to success, resulting in the creation and launch of our Sales Associates Program. It’s been so well received internally that we’re able to intake additional cohorts in our second year. Not only did they deliver on our initial goals, but they also provided a framework adaptable for scalability across our global business units. Their collaborative spirit transformed our partnership, making the entire project not only productive but enjoyable. This solidified our trust in Optimus SBR, and I wholeheartedly recommend their services!”  

SVP, Global Sales Development, Legal Software and Managed Services