A B2B app startup had hired three sales reps quickly after closing a funding round. Six months in, only one was hitting target, turnover was already becoming a concern, and the founder couldn't tell whether the problem was the people, the product, or something else entirely.
What the audit found
There was no structured onboarding or ramp plan. Each new rep was left to piece together the product and the pitch from old sales decks and whatever they could ask colleagues in passing. The compensation plan paid a flat commission rate regardless of the discount a rep offered to close a deal, which quietly encouraged reps to discount their way to a close rather than defend the price.
What changed
- Built a structured 30 day onboarding and ramp plan with clear milestones
- Codified a pitch and objection-handling framework based on what the strongest rep was already doing informally
- Adjusted the comp plan so commission scaled down as discount depth increased, instead of staying flat regardless of final price
The takeaway
The founder's instinct was to question whether the hires themselves were the problem. The real issue was that the business had no system for turning a new hire into a productive one, and a comp plan that rewarded the easiest path to a close rather than the healthiest one.