SPEED UP Sales Onboarding 🚀 | Why Training Fails & What VPs Must Fix to Build Consistent Talent

How long does it really take for a new salesperson to become competent? Kelly Riggs challenges the myths, shares data on failure rates, and lays out a framework that sales leaders can actually use.

How long should it take for a brand-new salesperson to reach competency? If you ask ten sales leaders, you’ll get ten different answers—ranging anywhere from weeks to years. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs pulls apart the debate and examines the critical milestones that determine whether a new hire becomes productive or becomes part of the 75% who never make it.

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Kelly exposes the overconfidence many managers place in “experienced hires” and highlights why resumes, industry connections, and product familiarity often fail to translate into actual selling ability. He shares eye-opening stats: only 1 in 20 salespeople are truly elite, while the vast majority struggle. From there, he introduces the “Four Buckets” every salesperson must master—systems and processes, product knowledge, industry context, and the actual skills of selling.

But here’s the twist: training that overloads product details without real-world context slows development dramatically. Kelly provides a pro tip that accelerates onboarding—immersing new hires with satisfied customers so they can connect product knowledge with real experiences and stories. This method not only builds competence faster but also arms salespeople with authentic credibility when meeting prospects.

If you’re a VP of Sales or sales leader frustrated by long ramp times and inconsistent performance, this episode is packed with blunt truths and practical strategies you won’t want to miss.

Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. 

Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. 

Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. 

Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson