New Rep Methodology Ramp Checklist

Use this to certify a new hire on your sales methodology (MEDDIC, MEDDPICC, Challenger, Sandler, or your internal blend) before they run a single live, unsupervised discovery call. Every box in Days 1–60 must be checked before Day 61 begins. This is a gate, not a suggestion — a new rep with an open calendar and no certification is a pipeline hygiene problem three months before anyone notices.

New rep name: _______________ Manager: _______________ Start date: _______________ Methodology: _______________

Days 1–30: Foundation & Language

• Complete methodology fundamentals training (self-paced module or live session), signed off by manager
• Pass a written terminology quiz at 80%+ covering every core element (for MEDDIC: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion; for MEDDPICC add Paper Process and Competition; for Challenger: Teach, Tailor, Take Control)
• Shadow 5 live discovery calls with a certified rep; complete a shadow-notes template after each (what qualification element did the rep surface, and how)
• Shadow 3 deal reviews or forecast calls
• Review 3 anonymized "gold standard" call recordings or transcripts from the team's call library
• Verbal spot-check: can recite every methodology element and its definition from memory, no notes, in front of manager
• Complete CRM field-mapping training — can state exactly which CRM field captures which qualification element without looking it up
• Manager sign-off: Foundation Complete — Date: _____ Initials: _____

Days 31–60: Applied Practice & Certification

• Complete a minimum of 5 Tier 1 scenarios from the Methodology Certification Role-Play Scenario Bank, each graded against the standard rubric
• Score 80%+ average across Tier 1 role-plays
• Complete 2 Tier 2 scenarios, scoring 75%+
• Deliver one full 30-minute mock discovery call to a manager/peer panel, graded on the complete rubric
• Complete an objection-handling drill — minimum 10 reps against the team's most common objections, using methodology-consistent responses
• Write up one full qualification summary on a real or shadowed deal covering every methodology element, reviewed and approved by manager
• Manager sign-off: Certification Complete — Rubric score attached. Date: _____ Initials: _____

Days 61–90: Supervised Live Application

• First live discovery call is co-piloted — manager or senior rep silently observes live, or reviews the recording within 24 hours
• Complete a post-call qualification debrief (using the methodology template) within 24 hours of each of the first 5 live calls
• Manager scores recordings of the first 5 live calls against the full rubric — average must reach 75%+ to graduate supervision
• CRM fields are completed correctly (spot-checked by manager) on the first 10 deals with zero corrections needed
• Rep teaches back one methodology element to the next new-hire cohort (confirms real, not memorized, understanding)
• Final sign-off: Full Certification — cleared for unsupervised live discovery calls. Date: _____ Initials: _____

Certification tracker

The hard rule: a new rep does not run a live, unsupervised discovery call before Day 60's sign-off exists on paper. If a manager is tempted to skip a box because the rep "seems ready," that instinct is exactly the failure mode this checklist exists to prevent — gut-feel readiness is what got replaced by certification in the first place.