Introduction
You just hired a sharp new HVAC sales rep. They've got energy, drive, and the right attitude. But six months later, they're still struggling to hit quota - burning through leads, driving aimlessly through unfamiliar territories, wasting time, and asking the same questions your top performers stopped asking in week two.
According to the Bridge Group, the average sales rep takes 4.9 months to become fully productive. For commercial services teams, especially in more technical fields, the number often increases to 6-9 months. Which means your new hires are a “cash drag” for half a year or more before you start seeing a return on your investment.
Every week they're not fully productive costs you deals, territory coverage, and revenue - on top of their salary and benefits.
This playbook shows you how to compress that timeline to 60-90 days by combining a structured 30-60-90 plan powered by property intelligence software, giving your new reps the knowledge, tools, and confidence to start closing deals fast.
This isn’t a theory; we’ll show actual case studies of companies that’ve decreased ramp times from over 6 months to less than 90 days to help you make your team more effective.
Why Traditional Onboarding Fails
Handing a rep a CRM login, a product manual, and a territory map, and having them shadow another rep for a week doesn't equal training. Here's what actually happens:
Research from Xactly shows your new rep forgets 40% of what you taught them in the first 24 hours. Revenue.io found that reps typically forget almost 90% of their training in just 30 days if it's not reinforced. They spend weeks cold-calling the wrong prospects because nobody showed them how to read their territory. They burn leads, waste time, and start questioning whether they're cut out for this, which leads to high turnover and low team morale.
Field sales also adds complexity. Your commercial sales reps are dealing with many factors. Building age, tenant makeup, equipment and systems onsite, the local regulatory environment, all while learning a new territory and a new tech stack. This means they need far more than memorizing a few product specs.
They need to understand which buildings are aging out and due for replacements, where recent permits have been filed, what indicators signal high buying intent, and efficient routes that maximize face time with ready buyers.
Traditional onboarding leaves most of this to chance. Your new rep is supposed to “figure it out” by asking the right questions, experimenting to find what works for them, and basically using a “trial and error” approach over six months. That's the gap we need to close.
The Three-Phase Framework That Actually Works
Research from The Sales Collective shows that structured onboarding reduces ramp time by up to 66% and increases retention by 30-50%. But structure doesn't mean rigid. Think of this as a roadmap, not a script.
Salespeople need to "grow into" the role that you're asking them to play, learning the tools, the territory, and the instincts that only come with experience.
An effective “ramp” framework breaks into three phases over 90 days—each one building the confidence and capabilities they need to succeed.
The first month is about learning - building the foundation before your rep touches a single lead. The second month is about applying what they've learned with your guidance and support. The third month is about performing independently while you coach from the sidelines.
Each phase builds on the last. Clear milestones show you both whether they're on track. No guessing. No wasted motion.
Month One: Building the Foundation
This first month is pure investment. Your new rep isn't carrying quota yet. They're already drinking from a firehose, so this 30-day block is all about learning.
Start with the fundamentals during week one. Walk them through your company's mission and how you actually sell—not the corporate version or the mission statement from the website that we all know gets lost somewhere between the HR orientation and week two—but the real methodology your top performers use.
Why do they do what they do… and how?
Take them deep into your service offerings.
If you're in HVAC, they need to understand system types, efficiency ratings, and installation timelines and complexity.
If you're in solar, they need to understand panel technology, inverter systems, and customer financial incentives.
If you're in landscaping or grounds maintenance, they need to understand property square footage calculations, seasonal service variations, and how to scope add-ons like irrigation, fertilization, and snow removal.
Don't skim this part. Focus on deep understanding, not memorization. They don't need to memorize BTU ratings - they need to know when a building needs a system upgrade and why.
Now introduce them to the workflow. Have them shadow your best reps on actual customer calls. Not training calls - real ones. Let them hear how experienced sellers navigate objections, read buying signals, and close deals. By the end of week two, they should pass a basic product assessment. You're looking for 85% or better. If they're not there yet, spend more time here before moving forward.
Week three and four are where it gets interesting. This is when you introduce property intelligence software - tools that transform how they find and prioritize prospects. Instead of cold-calling from a generic list, they're using buyer intent signals to get quick wins.
Walk them through their assigned territory using the map visualization tools in Convex. Show them how to identify property types, building ages, and permit history. Teach them to spot high-intent signals—a recent electrical panel upgrade often means solar interest, a 20-year-old HVAC system in a retail space means replacement is coming, storm damage in a neighborhood means roofing opportunities.
Your new solar rep shouldn't start month two with a generic list of commercial buildings. They should spend week three analyzing which properties have recently upgraded electrical infrastructure - that's a buying signal. This way, they start with a targeted list of 50+ qualified prospects, not a hope-and-a-prayer approach.
Here's what this looks like in practice: Comfort Systems USA Southwest, a commercial HVAC company serving Arizona and New Mexico, was facing a six-to-nine-month ramp time for new sales reps.
Their consultants spent two to three days each week just prospecting to fill their pipeline. After implementing Convex during onboarding, they cut ramp time to 60-90 days. Now their reps prospect for just 2-4 hours per week—and they know exactly who to target.
As Sales Consultant Joel Martos puts it, "I can get right to the nitty-gritty with targeted questions on the first call."
That's what property intelligence does - it compresses months of trial-and-error learning into days of focused pattern recognition.
Month Two: Hands-On Application
Month two is when your rep starts executing, but you're right there with them. Think of this as guided practice.
During weeks five and six, they begin outreach to those qualified prospects they identified.
You're joining them on site visits and in real customer conversations—three to five per week—and providing real-time coaching after each interaction. They're learning what good looks like, what objections actually sound like in the wild, and how to adjust their approach on the fly.
The target is simple: book five qualified appointments by the end of week six. Not cold calls. Not tire-kickers. Actual opportunities.
Week seven is when most reps begin to hit their stride. They transition to independent prospecting while you shift to weekly pipeline reviews. You're still coaching, but now it's about refinement - sharpening their messaging, helping them understand customer needs by reading buying signals more accurately, teaching them when to push and when to back off.
This is where they begin to grasp the input/output relationships of their job. A 15+ year-old building means aging systems and old roofs; it's time to send an email. Recent permits mean upgrades and a budget for improvements; a quick call here could turn into an opportunity.
By the end of week eight, they should close their first deal or advance at least three opportunities to the proposal stage. This milestone matters because it builds confidence. We want to see deals being pushed over the line, and nothing motivates a new rep like proving to themselves they can do this.
Track what's happening in the field. How many outbound touches are they making daily? What's their appointment conversion rate? How much territory have they actually covered? These numbers tell you whether they're building momentum or spinning their wheels.
Month Three: Independent Performance
By month three, your rep should be operating autonomously. Your weekly check-ins shift from tactical to strategic. You're no longer teaching them how to manage their pipeline - you're helping them optimize it.
They're now carrying full quota responsibility. They're independently managing their territory, building long-term relationships, and identifying new opportunities using the data skills you taught them in month one.
Here's where pattern recognition really pays off. They begin connecting dots you haven't pointed out. Convergint's Sales Director, Sharla Hardin, demonstrates this perfectly. When a local competitor unexpectedly closed their doors, she didn't wait for direction - she immediately pulled up Convex to identify the buildings the competitor had been servicing. The goal was simple: let those customers know Convergint was ready to help.
The Convergint team picked up several tickets in those first couple of days. By week's end, they had multiple quotes and proposals out to additional buildings. As Sharla puts it, "The software paid for itself in about six hours" (you can read more about Convergint’s success story here).
That's what a fully ramped rep looks like - they're not just executing your playbook, they're seeing opportunities before you do.
By day 90, you should see them running their territory like it's their own business. They're not waiting for you to tell them what to do - they're bringing you ideas. That shift from 'managed' to 'autonomous' is the whole point of these 90 days.
How Property Intelligence Software Accelerates Onboarding
Let's talk about how property intelligence solutions like Convex shift six-month ramp times to 90 days or less.
What Is Property Intelligence?
Property intelligence is building-level data that helps commercial sales teams identify, qualify, and prioritize prospects based on actual signals rather than guesswork. This includes information like building age, square footage, ownership details, tenant information, permit history, equipment data, and buyer intent signals.
Unlike traditional prospecting methods that rely on cold outreach and purchased lists, property intelligence gives sales reps context before they ever pick up the phone - showing them which buildings are most likely to need their services and why.
How Traditional Prospecting Works
Traditional prospecting for commercial services relies on manual research and broad outreach. Sales reps typically spend hours driving around neighborhoods looking for properties, searching LinkedIn for decision-makers, or working through purchased contact lists with little context about whether a building actually needs their services.
This approach means new reps waste weeks cold-calling 100s of unqualified prospects, learning through trial and error which property types convert, and burning through leads before they understand their territory.
The result? Six-to-nine-month ramp times and frustrated reps who aren’t hitting quota and questioning whether they're cut out for field sales.
How Property Intelligence Changes the Game
Convex flips that model on its head. Your reps start with buyer intent signals and building-level data baked right into their daily workflow, built for the way they sell.
Here's what this looks like in practice:
Your new rep logs into Convex and immediately sees which properties in their territory are showing buying signals—not guesses, actual intent data like active searches for “commercial HVAC installers in [city].” They can filter by property type, building age, square footage, or recent permit activity.
Need to find all the 20-year-old office buildings with recent electrical upgrades? Takes about 30 seconds.
Want to see which properties just pulled HVAC permits? It's right there on your territory map.
From there, they can click into any property and see ownership details, tenant information, equipment history, and contact data for decision-makers. The platform even uses generative AI to draft personalized outreach emails and phone scripts based on all that property intelligence - so your rep isn't staring at a blank email wondering what to say.
The result? New reps aren't wasting weeks figuring out who to call. They're having informed conversations from day one because they know the building's history before they pick up the phone.
Your Quick-Start Checklist
But at this point, you’re probably thinking, I’ve done this before. It’s never that simple. And you’re right. Most onboarding “checklists” look good on paper but fall apart in practice because nobody owns the process.
The difference here comes down to a specific formula: the right data + structure + accountability = results. A clear perspective of the opportunities in their territory, clear metrics, real milestones, and coaching that turns theory into daily habits and workflows that close deals.
Here’s how to track progress through each phase so your rep actually ramps in 90 days, not 9 months.
Before their first day, send a welcome package with company overview materials, assign them a mentor, and set up their access to the CRM and tools. Give them pre-reading—product guides and case studies—so day one isn't completely overwhelming.
During the first 30 days, make sure they complete product training and pass that knowledge assessment at 85% or better. Have them shadow at least three experienced reps on real calls. Get them comfortable with your CRM and sales tools. Work with them on territory analysis and help them build an initial list of 50+ qualified accounts. Have them deliver at least one mock sales presentation to you or the team each week.
In days 31 through 60, they should make at least 100 outbound touches, book 10 or more qualified appointments, and complete 5 manager-accompanied field visits. They need to submit at least three proposals and close the first deal, or advance the other opportunities to the final stages.
Weekly pipeline reviews and objection handling are non-negotiable during this phase.
The final 30 days are about independence and consistency. They should hit 80% or more of their activity targets, close two or more deals, identify and penetrate at least two new territory segments, and complete a thorough 90-day performance review.
If they're ready, have them mentor your next incoming hire through the same process. That's how you’ll know the process worked - and how you can replicate their learnings with your next hire.
What Not to Do in the Onboarding and Ramp Timeline
Let me save you from the mistakes I see sales managers make all the time (and after a decade in sales, I’ve seen quite a few).
First, don’t assign full quota before day 60.
That’s a fast track to burnout and turnover. Reps need space to learn before they sell. Use ramped quotas instead:
Month one: 0% while they’re learning.
Month two: 25–50% while they’re applying.
Month three: 75–100% as they hit their stride.
Second, don’t leave milestones vague.
“Do your best” isn’t a milestone. “Book five qualified appointments by week six” is. Specific goals remove confusion, set expectations, and make coaching measurable. This is true of each goal you place in front of them.
Third, don’t send reps into the field blind.
That’s like handing someone a dartboard, blindfolding them, and wondering why they can’t hit bullseyes. Equip them with territory intelligence—building data, permit history, and buyer intent—so they know exactly where to focus.
Fourth, don’t train every rep the same way.
A one-size-fits-all playbook fails everyone equally. Reps have diverse backgrounds, industry knowledge, strengths and weaknesses. A one-size-fits-all approach will crumble under pressure. Some reps are “killers” on the phone… help them lean into their strengths. Some are masters of writing outbound emails that connect with the needs of the prospect… let them “cook.” If you’re good at identifying skills that prove valuable to your whole sales organization, turn those into modules for your whole team.
Finally, don’t treat onboarding as a one-time event.
Reps forget up to 90% of training if it’s not reinforced. Build in weekly check-ins, quick role-plays, and coaching sessions that focus on what they’re actually running into in the field. Training isn’t a finish line—it’s maintenance for performance.
Make sure to use things like 9-box evaluation charts and other measurement tools to track rep performance, attitude, and so on, so you have the data to understand whether or not this person is someone worth continuing to invest in or whether an exit plan is a better strategy to eliminate the “bad eggs.”
Not every rep is going to perform - so hire slow, train well, and fire fast.
The Bottom Line
The faster your new reps become productive, the faster your business grows. It’s that simple.
A structured 30-60-90-day plan—powered by property intelligence—compresses ramp time, reduces turnover, and gives every new hire a clear path from day one to quota-crushing performance.
Your competitors are still onboarding the old way: death by PowerPoint, generic territory assignments, and crossed fingers. You don’t have to.
Success looks like this:
By day 30, your rep can confidently present your solution to any prospect.
By day 60, they’ve booked real meetings and closed their first deal.
By day 90, they’re running their territory like it’s their own business.
That’s not theory, we’ve seen this work in hundreds of commercial services sales teams since 2017. It’s what happens when you combine structured learning with intelligence, data, and coaching discipline.
The teams that win are the ones who treat onboarding as a growth engine, not an afterthought. When every new hire hits the ground running, you don’t just shorten ramp time - you multiply momentum across the entire sales organization.
Ready to cut your ramp time from six months to 90 days?
Schedule a demo to see how Convex’s property intelligence, buyer signals, and property data help your reps start closing deals faster - without the six-month learning curve.
FAQs
Q: What should a 30-60-90 sales onboarding plan include for commercial services?
Clear learning goals (product, ICP, territory), activity and outcome milestones, ramped quota, weekly coaching, and territory intelligence (properties, permits, buyer intent) so reps prioritize the right buildings from day one.
Q: How fast can you realistically reduce rep ramp time?
Teams that pair a structured plan with property intelligence commonly compress ramp from 6–9 months to ~60–90 days by replacing trial-and-error prospecting with signal-driven outreach and tight coaching cadence.
Q: What KPIs prove a rep is on track in the first 30 days?
85%+ product/positioning assessment, three+ shadowed calls, first 50+ qualified accounts identified, and one weekly mock presentation with feedback.
Q: What are good milestones for days 31–60?
~100 outbound touches, 10+ qualified appointments, five manager-accompanied visits, three proposals, and one deal closed or multiple in late stage—plus weekly pipeline/objection reviews.
Q: How do you set ramped quotas without burning reps out?
Month 1: 0% (learn). Month 2: 25–50% (apply). Month 3: 75–100% (perform). Tie each phase to specific, coachable milestones.
Q: Why does territory intelligence matter in onboarding?
It turns vague lists into prioritized targets—building age, permits, tenant/owner data, and intent signals show who needs service now, shortening time-to-first-deal.
Q: What data points best predict near-term opportunities?
Recent permits, system age (15–20+ years for HVAC/roofing), electrical upgrades (often precede solar), tenant changes, and local events (storms, closures, expansions).
Q: How should managers coach in month two?
Ride-alongs, post-call debriefs, objection pattern reviews, and weekly pipeline hygiene. Shift from “what to do” to “how to sharpen.”
Q: How do you avoid information overload in week one?
Focus on use-case understanding, not specs. Teach when and why buildings need service, then layer in tools and talk tracks.
Q: What’s the most common mistake that extends ramp time?
Lack of training, lack of tools, and sending reps into the field without data and specific milestones are big ones, but vague goals and blind prospecting can also turn into months of wasted time and learnings.
Q: How do you customize onboarding by service line?
Swap technical modules and trigger signals: HVAC (equipment age, runtime), roofing (materials, storm paths), solar (electrical, incentives), janitorial (tenant density, move-ins).
Q: What activity targets correlate with early success?
Daily: focused touches to high-signal accounts; Weekly: 2–3 quality meetings; Bi-weekly: proposals out; Monthly: one closed-won or multiple in late stage.
Q: How do you handle underperformance by day 60?
Use a simple 9-box (performance x potential) plus call reviews and territory audit. If signals are ignored and milestones missed despite coaching, tighten scope or exit quickly.
Q: What tools belong in the first 90 days tech stack?
Generally speaking, you’ll want to use the same tools your team sells with - typically a CRM, prospecting or sales intelligence platform, and email outreach tool. Convex combines all of these into one system, giving new reps property data, buyer signals, AI-powered outreach, and a CRM in a single workspace to shorten ramp time and increase sales efficiency.
Q: How can AI speed up onboarding without losing quality?
Use tools like Convex’s Generative AI to generate first-draft emails/call scripts from property data and signals. You can add personalization to these if you’d like, but templates and generic outreach don’t work in today’s world. Generative AI backed by best in class data accelerates outreach and positions reps for meaningful conversations, not generic volume as an activity metric.
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