What Should Be Covered in Lead Qual Training? Sample Agenda
Assuming you can answer all of the questions in OpenView’s newest infographic, you are ready to launch a lead qual team. Congrats!
In previous posts, I’ve written about almost all of the aspects of launching this type of team within your organization — from developing the best conversation guides to getting the right lead qual manager in place. One thing that I have yet to write about, that I feel could be beneficial for our readers who are building out this capability internally, is the training program itself.
Overlooking a thorough yet concise lead qual training agenda can set your effort back weeks, if not months.
Below is a sample first week training schedule for your team to use as a baseline.
Please note:
- There is very minimal product training – spend more time instead focusing on the VALUE PROPOSITION and the buyer personas
- By the 3rd day, the reps are on the phones (if you’ve done your pre-work, and you’ve got the right assets/messaging in place, this is realistic…I promise)
- End of day and week retrospectives need to become a part of our team’s culture, starting in week 1 (what went well, what didn’t go well, how can we improve moving forward)
- This agenda is not the end all, be all… the goal is to get you thinking about the best topics to cover!
| Day 1 | Start | End |
| HR Paperwork, etc. | 8:00 | 9:00 |
| Company Overview – Goals, Intros, etc. | 9:00 | 10:00 |
| Product Overview – Past, Present, Future | 10:30 | 11:00 |
| Product High-Level Demo | 11:00 | 12:00 |
| Lunch | 12:00 | 1:00 |
| Target Vertical Overview | 1:00 | 1:30 |
| Current Customer Use Case/ Overview | 1:30 | 2:30 |
| Break | 2:30 | 3:00 |
| Industry/Market Overview | 3:00 | 4:00 |
| Team Introductions | 4:00 | 5:00 |
| End of Day Reflection | 5:00 | 5:15 |
| Day 2 | ||
| Daily, Weekly, Quarterly Goals and Responsibilities | 8:30 | 9:00 |
| Model Day for Success | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| Sales Methodology and Process | 9:30 | 10:00 |
| The Handoff Process | 10:00 | 10:30 |
| Break | 10:30 | 11:00 |
| Competitive Landscape | 11:00 | 12:00 |
| Lunch | 12:00 | 1:00 |
| CRM Training | 1:00 | 2:30 |
| Break | 2:30 | 2:45 |
| Call Script Walk Through, Value Prop Clarity | 2:45 | 3:30 |
| Common Objections and FAQs, Content | 3:30 | 4:00 |
| Buyer Personas, Pains and Gains | 4:00 | 5:00 |
| End of Day Reflection | 5:00 | 5:15 |
| Day 3 | ||
| Day 1 and 2 Recap | 8:30 | 9:00 |
| CRM Quiz | 9:00 | 10:00 |
| Role Playing | 10:00 | 11:00 |
| Call Shadowing | 11:00 | 12:00 |
| Lunch | 12:00 | 1:00 |
| On the Phones (Manager Shadowing) | 1:00 | 5:00 |
| End of Day Reflection | 5:00 | 5:15 |
| Day 4 | ||
| Goals for the Day, Questions | 8:45 | 9:00 |
| Role Playing | 9:00 | 10:00 |
| On the Phone Following Model Day | 10:00 | 4:00 |
| End of Day Reflection | 4:00 | 5:00 |
| Day 5 | ||
| Goals for the Day, Questions | 8:45 | 9:00 |
| Role Playing | 9:00 | 10:00 |
| On the Phone Following Model Day | 10:00 | 4:00 |
| End of Week Retrospective | 4:00 | 5:00 |
ALSO keep in mind:
- For each agenda item, there should be a person designated as being responsible for the session
- Include others from within your organization to lead certain sessions to break up the monotony and to create introductions
- This is a good idea as long as the participants are aware of the team’s goals and what they should and should NOT cover (avoid distraction/confusion)
- Everyone involved with training should be informed at least a week earlier than the start date, and should have it logged in their calendar
- Design an ongoing training agenda post Week 1
- Role playing and call shadowing with management is key in the first month of launching this team
- Include role-playing in the new hires’ schedule a minimum of twice a week
- Many of the teams that I work with have a mid-week training session
- Sample training items: objections, competitive landscape, product (be careful that technical talk does not distract the team and get them talking TOO much about features/benefits in their intro conversations!)
- Encourage your team to apply a model day for success starting in Week 2
Good luck, and happy hunting!
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