#268 Caroline Holt – Enhancing Sales Efficiency through Personalized Onboarding and Coaching

In this weeks’ Scale Your Sales Podcast episode, my guest is Caroline Holt.

Caroline is a self-described “sales nerd”. Early on in her career as a BDR then AE, she learned everything to become a quota crusher on the job through some raw talent and grit, and obsessive focus on process. Since 2008, she has founded and run Toying with This Idea, a consulting business specializing in increasing sales effectiveness, around the talent, tools, and technology and touchpoints across the sales process.

In today’s episode of Scale Your Sales podcast, Caroline shares insights from her extensive career, highlighting the pitfalls of traditional onboarding and the risks of relying on past performance when hiring. She introduces the concept of “coaching debt,” emphasizing the importance of continuous skill development and personalized training programs. Together, they explore strategies to optimize sales team efficiency, align hiring decisions with customer satisfaction, and ensure long-term success through structured onboarding.

Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast, Caroline Holt.

Timestamps:

00:00 Hiring right people requires more than past performance.

05:00 Understanding sales processes critical for successful onboarding.

08:53 Critical onboarding skills prevent “coaching debt” assumptions.

12:56 Sales enablement bridges skills gaps for success.

13:59 Identify competencies essential for hiring and development.

17:16 Individual-focused coaching accelerates onboarding success.

21:48 Sales focus too short-term, limits long-term growth.

24:59 Scaling back harms customer engagement and satisfaction.

27:28 Late reader seeks fictional escape on island.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineholt/

Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth thought customer experience and sales.

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