
New field sales hires face a steep learning curve. They need to learn the product, understand the territory, build relationships from scratch, and start generating pipeline—all while navigating a new company's culture and systems.
Without structure, most sink. Studies suggest that a significant percentage of new sales hires fail within their first year, and the cost of a bad hire can exceed 150% of their annual salary when you factor in recruiting, training, lost productivity, and missed quota.
A 30-60-90 day sales plan changes that equation. It gives new reps a clear roadmap for their first 90 days—what to learn, who to meet, what to accomplish, and how they'll be measured. For a new sales rep, the first 90 days set the trajectory for their entire tenure. For sales managers, it provides a framework for onboarding that's consistent, scalable, and accountable.
This guide covers everything you need to create an effective 30-60-90 day sales plan for field reps. You'll find templates, real examples, and a step-by-step process for building a sales onboarding plan that accelerates time-to-productivity.
A 30-60-90 day sales plan is a structured onboarding document that outlines what a new sales rep should accomplish in their first three months on the job. It breaks the first 90 days into three phases, each with specific learning objectives, activities, and success metrics.
The structure typically follows this pattern:
For field sales reps specifically, the 30-60-90 day plan must account for the unique challenges of outside sales: territory familiarization, route planning, in-person relationship building, and the discipline of working independently without constant oversight.
Sales onboarding often fails because it's treated as a one-week event rather than a three-month process. New reps attend product training, shadow a few calls, and then they're on their own—expected to figure out the rest through trial and error.
A structured 90 day sales plan addresses this by:
Reducing ramp time. Companies with formal onboarding programs consistently see new hires reach full productivity faster than those without. For field sales, where ramp times can stretch to 6-12 months, shaving even 30 days off that timeline has significant revenue impact.
Setting clear expectations. New reps often fail not because they lack ability, but because they don't know what success looks like. A 30-60-90 day plan makes expectations explicit—eliminating ambiguity about priorities and performance standards.
Providing accountability checkpoints. Regular milestones create natural opportunities for feedback and course correction. Problems surface at day 30 or 60, not day 180 when it's too late to fix them.
Building confidence. Structured wins in the early days build momentum. When new reps know what to focus on and can see their progress, they stay motivated through the inevitable challenges.
Protecting the company's investment. Between recruiting, training, and lost productivity, hiring a new sales rep is expensive. A failed hire costs even more. A solid new hire sales plan protects that investment by maximizing the odds of success.
The first 30 days focus on absorption. New field reps shouldn't be expected to sell—they should be expected to learn everything they need to sell effectively.
Product and market knowledge:
Company and process knowledge:
Territory knowledge (critical for field reps):
Field activities:
Success metrics for Day 30:
The second 30 days shift from learning to doing—with support. Reps begin customer-facing activities while still receiving coaching and feedback.
Prospecting and outreach:
Process execution:
Territory development:
Coaching focus:
Success metrics for Day 60:
The final 30 days transition to full ownership. Reps operate independently and are measured against performance expectations.
Full territory ownership:
Performance targets:
Strategic thinking:
Success metrics for Day 90:
Here's a template you can adapt for your field sales team:
Day 30 Checkpoint Meeting:
Day 60 Checkpoint Meeting:
Day 90 Review:
Here's what a completed plan might look like for a new medical device field sales rep:
Name: Sarah Chen
Start Date: January 6, 2026
Territory: Northern California
Manager: Mike Torres
Pro-rated Q1 Quota: $150,000
Learning Objectives:
Key Activities:
Metrics:
Execution Objectives:
Key Activities:
Metrics:
Ownership Objectives:
Key Activities:
Metrics:
Make it specific to field sales. Generic onboarding plans miss the unique challenges of outside sales—territory management, route planning, working independently. Customize templates for field realities.
Front-load the learning. Resist the pressure to get new reps selling immediately. Investing in proper training in days 1-30 pays dividends in months 3-12.
Build in accountability. Checkpoint meetings at day 30 and 60 aren't optional. They catch problems early and keep new reps on track.
Pair with experienced reps. Ride-alongs and shadowing accelerate learning in ways classroom training can't. Assign a peer mentor in addition to the manager.
Adjust for experience level. A rep with 10 years of field sales experience needs a different plan than someone new to outside sales. Customize accordingly.
Own your onboarding. Don't wait for your manager to tell you what to do. Use the 30-60-90 day plan as your personal roadmap and drive your own development.
Ask questions early. The first 30 days are your window to ask "stupid" questions without judgment. Use it. By day 90, you're expected to know the answers.
Document everything. Take notes on customer conversations, competitor intel, and territory insights. This knowledge compounds over time.
Build relationships internally. Your success depends on support from sales ops, marketing, customer success, and others. Invest in those relationships early.
Focus on learning, not just metrics. Early pipeline numbers matter less than building the skills and habits that will generate consistent results over time.
Skipping Phase 1. Rushing new reps into selling before they understand the product, process, and territory sets them up for failure. The first 30 days of learning accelerate the next 60.
Setting unrealistic quotas. Full quota in month one is unreasonable. Pro-rate expectations appropriately—typically 25% in month 1, 50% in month 2, 75% in month 3.
Neglecting CRM discipline. Bad habits form fast. If CRM compliance isn't enforced from day one, it becomes a persistent problem.
Isolating field reps. Outside sales can be lonely. Build connection points—regular check-ins, peer groups, team meetings—to keep new reps engaged.
One-size-fits-all approach. Different territories, industries, and experience levels require different plans. Adapt the template to the context.
Both. In many organizations, the manager provides the template and framework, then the new hire customizes it for their specific territory and presents it back. This creates ownership while ensuring alignment. Some companies ask candidates to present a 30-60-90 day plan during the interview process to assess their strategic thinking.
Experienced hires can compress Phase 1 learning—they already know how to sell, they just need to learn your product and territory. New-to-sales reps need more time on fundamentals like discovery techniques, objection handling, and pipeline management. The template stays the same, but the specific activities and pacing adjust based on experience level.
Address it immediately at the checkpoint meetings. Identify whether the gap is knowledge (they don't know how), skill (they can't do it well yet), or will (they're not putting in the effort). Each requires a different intervention. Most issues in the first 90 days are knowledge or skill gaps that can be fixed with additional coaching. Will issues are harder—and if they persist, may indicate a hiring mistake.
Yes, but pro-rated appropriately. Expecting full quota attainment in month one is unrealistic and demoralizing. A typical ramp might be: Month 1 at 25%, Month 2 at 50%, Month 3 at 75%, reaching full quota in Month 4 or 5 depending on sales cycle length. The plan should include both activity metrics (inputs) and revenue targets (outputs).
Field sales plans must include territory-specific elements: geographic mapping, route planning, ride-along schedules, and travel logistics. Inside sales plans focus more on call metrics and digital engagement. Field reps also need more autonomy earlier—they can't be supervised on every customer interaction—so the plan should build toward independence faster while maintaining accountability through CRM logging and regular check-ins.
The first 90 days determine whether a new field rep becomes a top performer or a costly turnover statistic. A structured 30-60-90 day sales plan provides the roadmap that makes success more likely—for the rep, the manager, and the company.
The best plans balance learning with doing, provide clear milestones without micromanaging, and adapt to the unique challenges of field sales. Start with the template above, customize it for your team's context, and commit to the checkpoint meetings that keep new hires on track.
A 30-60-90 day plan defines what new reps should accomplish. The right field sales tools make it easier to actually execute that plan—from territory mapping and route optimization on day one to CRM logging that doesn't slow them down. Request a demo to see how Leadbeam helps field teams onboard faster, so new reps spend their first 90 days learning and selling instead of wrestling with admin work.
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