Steps in a World-Class Preboarding Program
According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions research, a staggering 22% of all new hires leave within 45 days of starting a new job. One-third start looking for a new job only six months in after day one of employment.
When factoring in the cost of turnover – a study by Deloitte pegged it at 3x an employee's salary – it's critical to select and retain the talent we hire. Building a world-class preboarding program for sales can help prevent new hires from jumping ship.
Once employers extend an offer and the sales leader or rep accepts, the work of engaging, motivating, and onboarding these new employees into the organization begins.
With the tight labor market and employees quitting at rates not seen since the dot com boom era, it's vital to roll out some combination of the following steps:
Day 1 - email the future employee, sharing the good news that an offer is coming.
Day 2 - hold a video meeting to go through the offer package and terms of employment.
Day 3 - send a branded deck with offer details spelled out clearly.
Day 6-8 - set a clear deadline for the candidate to accept or reject the offer.
Day 9 - send an employment agreement to make it feel more official.
Day 10 - make a courtesy call to check in and help answer any questions.
Day 11 - send a text welcoming the new employee to the team
Day 12 - announce to the company or sales team that the new employee is joining.
Day 13 - encourage future team members to reach out to the new employee on LinkedIn and share congratulatory messages.
Day 14 - send the onboarding class a group email.
Day 15 - start a messaging thread with relevant learning content right inside LinkedIn Learning.
Day 16 - recommend some additional resources such as books, blogs, or podcasts.
Day 17 - share "all-hands" recordings, a customer highlight reel, and an overview of the company and team goals.
Day 18 - keep the new hire engaged with a strategic question (or two) to ponder before starting.
Day 19 - send out a survey about the company's current tech stack and asking for the new employee's level of comfort to customize their onboarding.
Day 20 - share screenshots of the new employee's calendar for the first few weeks with meetings already booked; of course, build in ample downtime for breaks and self-directed learning.
Day 21 - mail the new employee's equipment, company swag, or a small gift basket!
Kyle Peterson, head of sales at Catalyst Software, posted on LinkedIn his five tips before Day 1. He believes talking with a customer or prospect as close to the first day as possible reinforces the mission and purpose of the company for new hires.
Given remote working for many, company IT departments now have a penchant for allowing enough time to ship equipment well ahead of the employee's start date. Sales enablement and corporate onboarding teams also like the efficiency of having monthly hiring classes.
Work in any or all of these twenty-one steps to engage new hires before Day 1!
