The average ramp time for a B2B sales rep is 3 to 6 months. That is half a year where you are paying a full salary for partial revenue.
In 2025, you cannot afford that. The market moves too fast.
The problem isn't the quality of your hiring; it's the method of your onboarding. Most companies rely on "passive shadowing" (listening to calls) and "classroom training" (memorizing PDFs). Neither works because of the Forgetting Curve: reps forget 87% of what they learn within 30 days if they don't use it.
To cut ramp time by 50%, you need to switch to Active Onboarding. This guide shows you how.
Key takeaways
- Learning by doing beats shadowing. Reps who start making calls in Week 1 (with support) ramp 3x faster than those who wait until Month 2. HBR – Where Companies Go Wrong With Learning and Development
- The "Recall Gap" is the enemy. New reps fail because they can't remember the script under pressure. AI bridges this gap by displaying the script live. Forrester – The Future of Sales Enablement Is Revenue Enablement
- Tech stack matters. A complex stack slows down onboarding. Streamlined tools allow new hires to focus on selling, not admin.
Table of contents
- The Problem: The "Valley of Death"
- The New Model: Active Onboarding
- Week 1: The Foundation (Tools & Stack)
- Week 2: The "Training Wheels" Phase
- Week 3: Full Quota (Yes, really)
- Why "Shadowing" is Dead
- How Nomi fits
The Problem: The "Valley of Death"
The "Valley of Death" in onboarding is the period between Product Knowledge (Week 2) and First Deal (Month 4).
During this time, the rep knows what the product does, but doesn't know how to handle a tough objection live. They freeze. They lose confidence. They churn.
Traditional onboarding tries to fix this with role-play. But role-play isn't real life. The only way to cross the valley is to get on real calls without the risk of burning leads.
The New Model: Active Onboarding
Stop treating onboarding as a "school." Treat it as a "video game." You don't read a manual to play a video game; you play the tutorial level with hints enabled.
Week 1: The Foundation (Tools & Stack)
Don't overwhelm them with product specs. Teach them the workflow.
- CRM Hygiene: How to log a call in 30 seconds.
- The Stack: How to use the Sales Tech Stack (Apollo, Nomi, HubSpot).
- The Pitch: Memorize the 30-second value prop, nothing else.
Week 2: The "Training Wheels" Phase
This is where the magic happens. Instead of listening to 50 calls (Shadowing), they make 50 calls.
- The Safety Net: They use Cold Call Opening Lines displayed on their screen.
- The Goal: Not to close, but to book a meeting.
- The Feedback: Instant correction after every call block.
Week 3: Full Quota (Yes, really)
By Week 3, a modern rep should be running discovery calls.
- The Support: They don't need to know every objection by heart because the AI handles the Objection Handling live.
- The Metric: Measure "Conversation Quality," not just revenue.
Why "Shadowing" is Dead
"Go listen to Sarah, she's our best closer."
This is the worst advice you can give a new hire. Why?
- It's passive. You can't learn to fly a plane by watching a pilot.
- It's unscalable. Sarah has her own quota to hit; she can't explain every move she makes.
- It's biased. Sarah might have bad habits that work only for her (charisma) but won't work for the new hire.
AI Sales Coaching replaces shadowing. It extracts the best practices from the entire team and serves them to the new hire, objectively and instantly. Read more in our Guide to AI Sales Coaching.
How Nomi fits
Nomi acts as the "Training Wheels" for your new reps.
- Live Scripting: Nomi displays the exact questions to ask during Discovery, ensuring they follow the process from Day 1.
- Objection Rescue: If a prospect asks a technical question the rep doesn't know, Nomi flashes the answer instantly.
- Confidence: Knowing the answer is on the screen eliminates the "fear of the phone."
Companies using this "Active Onboarding" model reduce ramp time by 50%.
FAQ: Onboarding Questions
How long should sales onboarding be?
In 2025, "Ramp to Productivity" should be 6-8 weeks max for SMB/Mid-Market, and 3 months for Enterprise. Anything longer is a process failure.
What is the 30-60-90 day plan?
It's a framework where Day 30 is for learning, Day 60 for pipeline building, and Day 90 for closing. AI accelerates this: you can be building pipeline by Day 15.
Does AI replace human training?
No. Humans teach strategy and culture. AI handles the tactical execution (what to say, when to say it).