What is a 30-60-90 day sales onboarding plan?
A sales onboarding plan is the written program that takes a new account executive (AE) from their first day to selling on their own. The 30-60-90 format splits it into three phases with one job each: learn the company, buyers, product and process (days 1-30), practice and certify the sales motion while starting real deals (days 31-60), then run a full pipeline toward a first closed-won deal (days 61-90).
Onboarding is not the same as ramp. Onboarding is the structured program; ramp is the time until the rep reaches full productivity, and it usually runs longer. The Bridge Group's survey of 158 B2B companies puts average AE ramp time at 6.2 months, the highest in the study's history (The Bridge Group, 2026 AE Models, Motions & Metrics, 2026-06-22). That is why this plan continues with ramp checkpoints after day 90 instead of ending there.
This template is for AEs who own deals through to signature. Sales development reps, whose first milestone is a qualified meeting rather than a closed deal, need a different plan: use the SDR onboarding plan template for them.
When should you use a sales onboarding plan?
- Before a new AE's first day, so access, accounts and the first two weeks of sessions are ready.
- When you hire a cohort of AEs and want every new rep held to the same milestones and certification bar.
- When an experienced AE joins from another company and needs your buyers, product and process, not basic sales training.
- When an SDR is promoted to AE and has to learn to run discovery, demos, negotiation and forecasting.
- When ramp time is drifting and you need a written baseline to compare cohorts against.
Sales onboarding plan vs SDR plan, checklist and 30-60-90 interview plan
Several documents share the "30-60-90" or "onboarding" name. They are written by different people for different jobs.
| Document | Who it is for | First big milestone | Ends when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales (AE) onboarding plan | New account executives who own deals to signature | First closed-won deal | The AE carries full quota on their own pipeline |
| SDR or BDR onboarding plan | Sales development reps who create pipeline | First qualified meeting an AE accepts | The SDR hits the full meeting or pipeline target |
| Sales onboarding checklist | Managers, enablement and IT | Access and admin done before day one | Every item is checked off (it sits inside this plan) |
| 30-60-90 day sales plan for an interview | A candidate, written to win the job | A credible first-quarter story | The hiring decision |
| Sales training program | Every rep, ongoing | Each skill certified | It does not end; it continues after ramp |
The 30-60-90 day sales onboarding plan template
Fill in the header first: the definition of "ramped" and the certifications decide when the plan ends. Due dates are written as days from the start date. Replace bracketed numbers with your own, and keep an owner on every row.
Plan header
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| New AE / start date | [Name and segment] / [first day] |
| Manager / onboarding buddy / enablement owner | [Sales manager] / [experienced AE] / [enablement lead] |
| Territory and accounts | [Region, segment, named accounts and any inherited open opportunities] |
| Quota and ramp schedule | [Full annual quota] / [quota relief by month, if any] |
| Definition of "ramped" | [e.g. the first quarter at or above an agreed share of full quota, on mostly self-sourced pipeline] |
| Certifications required to sell alone | [e.g. discovery role-play, tailored demo, pricing and objection role-play] |
| Review dates | [Day 30] / [day 60] / [day 90] / [monthly until ramped] |
30-60-90 day plan
| Phase | Milestone | Owner | Due | Done when | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Systems and access ready | RevOps | Day 1 | Logs into every tool and records a test activity in the CRM | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | ICP, buying committee and why customers buy | Manager, product marketing | Day 10 | Explains the ICP, the typical buying group and the top three reasons customers buy, in their own words | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Product and standard demo | Sales engineer | Day 15 | Gives the standard demo to the manager, covering the core workflows | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Sales process and qualification | Manager | Day 15 | Explains each stage's entry and exit criteria and the qualification framework the team uses | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Shadow live calls | Onboarding buddy | Day 20 | Shadows [x] discovery, demo and negotiation calls and notes what top AEs do | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Competitors and objections | Product marketing | Day 25 | Answers the main competitors' objections using the battlecards | Not started |
| 1. Learn (days 1-30) | Meet cross-functional partners | Manager | Day 30 | Knows who to ask about security reviews, pricing approvals, contracts and handoff to customer success | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | Discovery certification | Manager, enablement | Day 40 | Scores at the team bar on the discovery call scorecard in role-play | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | Demo certification | Sales engineer, manager | Day 45 | Delivers a demo tailored to a discovery brief and passes the demo scorecard | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | Pricing and objection handling | Manager, deal desk | Day 50 | Handles pricing and competitor objections in role-play within discount guardrails | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | Territory and account plan | Manager | Day 50 | Top [x] target accounts prioritized, each with an account plan the manager has reviewed | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | First live discovery calls | AE, manager | Day 60 | Runs [x] live discovery calls; the manager scores at least two | Not started |
| 2. Practice (days 31-60) | Pipeline build | AE, SDR partner | Day 60 | Pipeline reaches [x] of the day-90 target, self-sourced plus SDR-booked | Not started |
| 3. Sell (days 61-90) | Own deals end to end | AE | Day 75 | Owns opportunities from discovery to proposal and forecasts each one in the weekly call | Not started |
| 3. Sell (days 61-90) | Mutual action plan on a late-stage deal | AE, buyer champion | Day 80 | At least one opportunity has a mutual action plan the buyer has agreed | Not started |
| 3. Sell (days 61-90) | First closed-won deal | AE | Day 90 | First deal closed-won, or a late-stage deal with a buyer-confirmed signature date | Not started |
| 3. Sell (days 61-90) | Day-90 review | Manager, AE | Day 90 | Milestones, scorecards and pipeline reviewed; ramp plan to full quota agreed | Not started |
| 4. Ramp (day 91 onward) | Monthly ramp checkpoint | Manager | Monthly | Pipeline coverage, stage conversion and scorecard trend reviewed against the team | Not started |
| 4. Ramp (day 91 onward) | Fully ramped | Manager | [Target month] | Meets the definition of "ramped" in the header | Not started |
Sales onboarding checklist (access and admin)
| Item | Owner | Due | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop, email, calendar and single sign-on | IT | Before day 1 | [ ] |
| CRM, call recording, sales engagement and content library logins | RevOps | Before day 1 | [ ] |
| Onboarding buddy assigned and first meeting booked | Manager | Before day 1 | [ ] |
| First two weeks of sessions and shadow calls on the calendar | Enablement | Before day 1 | [ ] |
| Territory, account list and any inherited opportunities shared | Manager | Week 1 | [ ] |
| Compensation plan and quota letter explained and signed | Manager, finance | Week 1 | [ ] |
| Weekly one-to-one and call review slot booked | Manager | Week 1 | [ ] |
| Messaging framework, pitch deck and customer stories shared | Product marketing | Week 1 | [ ] |
| Battlecards for the main competitors shared | Product marketing | Week 2 | [ ] |
| Introductions to sales engineering, SDRs, customer success and partners | Manager | Week 2 | [ ] |
| Pricing, discount approval and deal desk process explained | Deal desk | Week 3 | [ ] |
| Security review, legal and procurement process explained | Sales engineer, legal | Week 4 | [ ] |
| Certification role-plays scheduled | Enablement | Week 4 | [ ] |
Prefer a file? Both downloads are free and ungated.
Sales onboarding plan example
Example: fictional company
Here is the template filled in for an invented mid-market AE, reviewed on day 75.
Ferncastle Analytics hired Hannah Mercer, an experienced AE from a payroll software company, to sell revenue-forecasting software to mid-market logistics companies. Sales manager Rachel Imbert owns the plan, Sam Whitley is her onboarding buddy and Ivy Chen leads enablement.
Plan header
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| New AE / start date | Hannah Mercer, mid-market AE / first Monday of the quarter |
| Manager / buddy / enablement | Rachel Imbert / Sam Whitley / Ivy Chen |
| Territory and accounts | Mid-market logistics, US Midwest; two inherited open opportunities |
| Ramp schedule | No quota in month one, then a reduced quota until month six |
| Definition of "ramped" | First full quarter at the team's ramped attainment bar, mostly on self-sourced pipeline |
| Certifications required | Discovery role-play, tailored demo, pricing and objection role-play |
Plan status at day 75
| Phase | Milestone | Owner | Due | Done when | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Learn | ICP, buying committee and why customers buy | Rachel Imbert | Day 10 | Explains the ICP and buying group in her own words | Done |
| 1. Learn | Product and standard demo | Priya Nair, Solutions Engineer | Day 15 | Standard demo given to Rachel | Done |
| 1. Learn | Shadow live calls | Sam Whitley | Day 20 | Shadowed six calls, including the Marlow & Finch Logistics pilot review | Done |
| 1. Learn | Competitors and objections | Ferncastle product marketing | Day 25 | Answers Harborview Metrics objections from the battlecard | Done |
| 2. Practice | Discovery certification | Rachel Imbert, Ivy Chen | Day 40 | Team bar on the discovery scorecard | Done on day 44 (second attempt; impact questions were the gap) |
| 2. Practice | Demo certification | Priya Nair | Day 45 | Tailored demo passes the demo scorecard | Done |
| 2. Practice | Pricing and objection handling | Rachel Imbert | Day 50 | Pricing role-play within guardrails | Done |
| 2. Practice | Pipeline build | Hannah Mercer, Nadia Ferreira (SDR) | Day 60 | Pipeline at the day-60 target | Done: four opportunities, two booked by the SDR |
| 3. Sell | Mutual action plan on a late-stage deal | Hannah Mercer | Day 80 | Buyer-agreed plan on one opportunity | In progress: inherited freight deal, champion reviewing the draft |
| 3. Sell | First closed-won deal | Hannah Mercer | Day 90 | Closed-won or a buyer-confirmed signature date | At risk: security review not yet booked |
| 3. Sell | Day-90 review | Rachel Imbert | Day 90 | Ramp plan to full quota agreed | Booked |
Day-75 review notes
| Finding | Action |
|---|---|
| First closed-won depends on a security review nobody has booked | Hannah asks the champion for the security contact this week; Priya Nair sends the security pack. |
| Discovery certification took two attempts | Rachel scores two more of Hannah's live discovery calls on impact questions before day 90. |
| Pipeline is healthy but half SDR-sourced | Add a self-sourcing target to the ramp plan agreed at day 90. |
Example: fictional company. Ferncastle Analytics, Harborview Metrics, Marlow & Finch Logistics and every person named in this example are invented for illustration. Any resemblance to real companies or people is coincidental.
How to build a 30-60-90 day sales onboarding plan
Define "ramped" before day one
Agree with sales leadership what full productivity means for this role, which certifications let an AE sell alone and how quota relief works. Put all three in the header so the plan has a finish line.
Have the first two weeks ready
Access, accounts, a buddy and a calendar of sessions and shadow calls should exist before the AE arrives. Use the checklist block so nothing depends on someone remembering.
Give each phase one job
Days 1-30 are for learning, days 31-60 for practice and certification while real deals start, days 61-90 for selling. Mixing them overloads week one and leaves the last month empty.
Gate solo selling on certification
Require the discovery, demo and pricing role-plays before an AE runs those calls alone. Score them with the same call scorecard managers use on live calls so the bar is consistent.
Put real deals in the plan early
Inherited opportunities, shadowing on live deals and pipeline targets from day 31 give the AE something real to apply training to, and a realistic shot at a first closed-won.
Review at 30, 60 and 90, then monthly
Hold a written review at each checkpoint against the exit criteria, and keep monthly ramp checkpoints until the AE meets the definition of ramped. Track time to each milestone by cohort.
Common sales onboarding mistakes
A product firehose in week one
Days of feature training before the AE understands the buyer leave little that sticks. Start with the ICP, the buying committee and why customers buy.
Ending onboarding at day 90
Ramp usually runs past the 90-day program. Without monthly checkpoints, a slow ramp is noticed only when the quarter is missed.
Milestones without exit criteria
"Product training" can be marked done after one session. "Gives the standard demo to the manager" cannot. Write what done looks like.
Treating experienced hires as finished
A strong AE from another company still needs your buyers, product, process and competitors. Shorten the plan for them, but keep the certifications.
A plan the manager never sees
If onboarding is owned only by enablement, the manager meets the new AE at day 90. The manager owns the plan and the reviews.
Reusing the SDR plan
AEs need discovery, demo, mutual action plan, negotiation and forecasting milestones. A prospecting plan with a new title leaves those out.
How Revspire supports AE onboarding and certification
The plan sets the milestones; certification and practice are where new AEs need the most repetitions. Revspire AI Sales Training & Coaching provides AI video role-plays of buyer conversations, objective AI coaching and scoring, and deal-specific objection practice with battlecards, so the discovery, pricing and objection conversations behind each gate can be practiced and scored before the AE faces a buyer.
Seller readiness and competency analysis, reinforcement and manager coaching help managers see who is ready and who needs another attempt. New AEs find approved content, such as decks and customer stories, in Revspire Content Hub, a governed sales content repository that keeps every version current.
Sales onboarding plan template FAQs
What should a 30-60-90 day sales onboarding plan include?
For each phase, the milestones a new AE must reach, with an owner, a due date and exit criteria: learning the ICP, product and process in the first 30 days, certifying discovery, demo and pricing skills and building pipeline by day 60, and running deals toward a first closed-won by day 90. Add a checklist for access and admin.
How long should sales onboarding take?
This template covers the first 90 days, but ramp to full productivity takes longer. The Bridge Group's 2026 study of 158 B2B companies reports an average AE ramp of 6.2 months (The Bridge Group, 2026 AE Models, Motions & Metrics, 2026-06-22). Keep monthly ramp checkpoints after day 90 until the AE meets your definition of ramped.
What is the difference between sales onboarding and sales training?
Onboarding is the time-bound program that gets a new hire selling on their own: company, buyers, product, process, tools and first deals. Sales training is ongoing skill development for every rep. A good onboarding plan includes training, but it is measured by milestones such as first certification and first closed-won, not hours of courses.
How is AE onboarding different from SDR onboarding?
SDRs create pipeline, so their plan centers on prospecting, sequences, qualification and the first qualified meeting. AEs own deals to signature, so their plan adds discovery, demos, mutual action plans, negotiation and forecasting, and its key milestone is the first closed-won deal. Use the SDR onboarding plan template for sales development hires.
How do you measure sales onboarding success?
Track time to each milestone for every new hire: first certification passed, first solo discovery call, first opportunity created, first closed-won deal and months to your definition of ramped. Compare cohorts over time. Course completion and satisfaction surveys show activity, not readiness to sell.
Related templates and reading
- Free templateSales call scorecard templateA weighted 1-5 rubric for scoring recorded calls on agenda, discovery, value messaging, objections, next steps and talk/listen balance.
- Free templateSales battlecard templateA one-page card per competitor: why you win, where they are strong, landmine questions, objection responses and pricing guardrails.
- Free templateMutual action plan templateA shared, dated plan from discovery to go-live, with a buyer owner and a seller owner on every milestone.
- Free templateStakeholder map templateEvery person in the buying group on one page, with buying role, influence, stance, priorities and a next action.
- Template: onboarding SDRs and BDRsSDR onboarding plan template
- Glossary: definitionWhat is sales onboarding?
- Blog: designing the programSales onboarding program design
- Blog: onboarding enterprise AEsEnterprise AE onboarding strategies
- Blog: certification gatesSales onboarding assessment and readiness gates
- Research: ramp data with sourcesSales onboarding and ramp statistics
Sources
- The Bridge Group, 2026 AE Models, Motions & Metrics (2026-06-22)