Does your team have a structured sales mentorship program in place? Different from sales coaching and sales training, which involve teaching different skills, sales mentorship involves examining a sales rep’s career trajectory and working closely with them along the way.

When done well, sales mentorship programs can benefit your team in several important ways. For example, when you pair a mentor and mentee on your sales team, you often help boost employee engagement, accelerate learning and promotion, and optimize productivity.

Developing a successful sales mentorship program takes thoughtful planning and proper strategies. Alex Mackenzie, an enterprise sales specialist for HubSpot, has put together a list of seven steps to follow to create and run an effective sales mentorship program. We share his guidance in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. Hold a kick-off conversation. The first step of a sales mentorship program is conducting a virtual or in-person meeting between the mentor, mentee and the sales manager who oversees the team. By asking questions such as “Where do you see yourself in two years? 10 years?” and “How do you learn best?,” the manager helps the mentor and mentee establish goals and find a mutually beneficial discussion style, says Mackenzie.

2. Outline roles and responsibilities. The goal in this step is to clearly define the answer to, “What’s in it for me?” If you match reps arbitrarily, you won’t help either one, notes Mackenzie.

3. Create a tangible playbook. Mackenzie recommends the manager build a playbook that the mentor and mentee can print out and flip through. The playbook should include a checklist that builds skills in the order reps will need them. He suggests identifying the skills needed on day one versus day 90 and writing your playbook accordingly.

4. Host a monthly lunch. Every month, consider sponsoring a mentor lunch to show appreciation and to get a feel for what’s working and what’s not going so well. Mackenzie says managers can ask mentors where their mentees are falling short and common questions they are asking. By identifying two or three common themes, you can make those the focus of the next month.

5. Develop an exit strategy. A successful sales mentorship program should always include a way for mentees to “graduate.” This could mean asking mentees to showcase their new skills or knowledge in a team meeting, says Mackenzie. Not only is this an opportunity for the new rep to step up, but it allows everyone else to learn as well. Remember that without a defined exit strategy, the mentee will never stop leaning on more experienced reps.

6. Know your key metrics. It’s important to understand if your investment in a sales mentorship program is paying off. Mackenzie recommends looking at metrics such as new opportunities created, the number of phone calls and meetings, time to close and deals closed. You will be able to see if mentees are making progress through milestones like the moment where they go from asking questions to answering them. If the program is working, mentees will get to a point where they can answer almost every question on their own.

7. Spotlight the wins. The last step in a successful sales mentorship program is continually showcasing victories—including the small ones. Use your company intranet to recognize sales reps or tell a great team achievement in your next all-hands meeting.

Sales mentoring is a valuable way to help your new team members learn the ropes quickly and help your experienced sales reps contribute in meaningful ways.

You can establish a successful sales mentorship program by appropriately matching mentors and mentees, clearly articulating roles and responsibilities, and building a playbook for the reps to reference. It’s also helpful to connect regularly with mentors, plan an exit strategy, understand success metrics and call attention to victories. When done right, sales mentorship programs can become fun learning experiences that lead to lasting relationships.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Alex Mackenzie is an enterprise sales specialist for HubSpot.