In the context of sales team onboarding, job shadowing refers to the action of new sales representatives accompanying and observing established professionals as they interact with customers, make sales calls, or navigate various aspects of the workflow.

Imagine that you are a new sales representative in your first week on the job. Instead of diving right into calls and meetings, you could spend your first few days observing a veteran sales representative on the team. This way you would see how they interact with customers, present products, and how they close deals. This first-hand experience would give you a much deeper understanding of the day-to-day tasks and challenges of the role, making your transition and learning easier.

What is job shadowing specifically?

Job shadowing sessions allow both parties (the observer and the “host” or mentor) to benefit. For the observer, it is important that he knows why he is doing the shadowing, and that he reflects on what he needs to achieve with it. Therefore, they will need to do some preparation, which will involve working with their leader (or even with the host before the process, to set goals for the sessions). This training method generates that new salespeople get a privileged view of the company and how it works, while experienced hosts learn, mainly, mentoring and leadership skills.

Here are 4 specific benefits for new team members who participate in shadowing sessions with experienced members of the sales department:

Receiving expert advice

The observer can gain valuable insights from a more experienced employee that they could not get from any job training video or online course. For example, a new employee shadowing an experienced employee can learn about the best practices for performing a task or how to solve a common problem.

Identifying challenges and priorities

By being paired with a more senior employee, new employees receive a comprehensive overview of the company’s procedures and department. This allows them to identify key priorities and common challenges. This advanced knowledge allows them to plan their work strategy before officially starting the position

Learning the processes of another department

Guests can take what they learn from other departments or employees and apply it to their own role. For example, a sales employee shadowing a marketing employee can learn about best practices for creating marketing materials.

Understanding the contribution of other roles

If guests belong to another department, job shadowing can help them understand how other areas of the company contribute to its overall functioning. For example, an HR employee shadowing a sales employee can learn about the challenges facing sales and how HR can support them

We have already explained that the observer is not the only one who benefits from this training program. But now we must add that the host is not the only one, besides the observer, since shadowing gives many advantages also to the company itself.

Here we list 3 of the most important ones:

Productivity is maintained

A job shadowing program helps your employees develop skills and knowledge in all areas of a business. When there is a shortage of staff, it is easier for other employees to take on some of the additional workload, helping the company to stay productive.

Employee motivation

The possibility of continuous self-development makes employees feel valued as the company progresses. Knowing the business better integrates them into the “big picture,” rather than limiting them to a specific role. In addition, shadowing sessions offer a break from the daily routine, and when they return to their tasks, employees do so with a fresh perspective.

Aptitude determination

Shadowing sessions help employees and potential candidates to determine if a position is right for them. First-hand experience provides a realistic view of what the job entails. This prevents costly hiring mistakes and minimizes employee turnover

Few methods beat hands-on experience for learning, and observing an expert in action is a great first step for any newcomer. Job shadowing sessions build an effective process for transferring knowledge from veterans to novices. Whether it’s a new salesperson or someone interested in learning how the company works, job shadowing is a great addition to any professional development plan.