Sales Quick Start

Sales and Customer Success Onboarding at GitLab is a blended learning experience focused on what new sales/ customer success team members need to know, do, and be able to articulate within their first 30 days or so on the job

The Goals of Sales Quick Start

Onboarding for Field Team Members at GitLab is a blended learning experience (virtual, self-paced learning path paired with an immersive, hands-on in-person workshop called Sales Quick Start) focused on what new field team members need to KNOW, DO, and BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE within their first 30 days or so on the job so they are “customer conversation ready” and they are comfortable, competent, and confident leading customer engagements before the end of their first several weeks on the job. There are some formal learning components with a heavy emphasis on social learning (learning from others) and learning by doing to help bridge the knowing-going gap.

For a detailed list of SQS Learning Objectives, please visit this page.

GitLab Learner Journey

Key SQS Details

Upcoming Sales Quick Start (SQS) Workshops

DATES GEO LOCATION ISSUE
April 15th - 26th, 2024 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 38 issue
June 3rd - 14th, 2024 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 39 issue

Past Sales Quick Start (SQS) Workshops

DATES GEO LOCATION ISSUE
February 26th - March 8th, 2024 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 37 issue
January 8th - 23rd, 2024 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 36 issue
October 9th - 20th, 2023 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 35 issue
August 21st - September 1st, 2023 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 34 issue
May 15th - 30th, 2023 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 33 issue
March 13th - 27th, 2023 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 32 issue
January 17th - 27th, 2023 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 31 issue
Nov 29th - Dec 8th, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 30 issue
October 11 - 20, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 29 issue
September 12 - 23, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 28 issue
August 10 - 19, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 27 issue
July 13 - 22, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 26 issue
June 15 - 23, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 25 issue
May 11 - May 19, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 24 issue
Apr 13 - Apr 21, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 23 issue
Mar 9 - Mar 18, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 22 issue
Feb 16 - Feb 25, 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 21 issue
Jan 12 - Jan 21 2022 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 20 issue
Dec 1 - Dec 10, 2021 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 19 issue
Oct 4 - Oct 14, 2021 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 18 issue
Aug 30 - Sep 9, 2021 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 17 issue
Jul 6 - Jul 16, 2021 AMER / EMEA Virtual SQS 16 issue

Role-Based Onboarding

To accelerate ramp time and to support the GitLab values of results, iteration and efficiency, we have optimized the field onboarding program to provide new team members with the core information and essential competencies paired with the day-to-day skills that they need to be successful in their individual role. Learning is combined with specialized on the job training and a more robust shadowing program to ensure that new team members can contextualize and apply what they are learning throughout the entire onboarding journey.

The onboarding program includes individual role-based learning journeys for AEs, SAEs, SAs, CSMs, CAMs, ABDMs and ISRs. Each role-based learning journey is designed based on the unique needs of each segment and includes the following milestones:

  • Month 1: Understand role and GitLab product (SQS & Pre-work)
  • Month 2: Meet customers
  • Month 3: Become customer-ready certified
  • Month 4: Close first deals
  • Month 5 and Beyond: Continue to develop intermediate and advanced skills

Learning Journeys

GitLab’s role-based learning journeys are based on milestones and enable us to deliver relevant information and training over the first several months at GitLab.

How To Get Started

Click on a link below to begin your role based journey.

Role Based Journeys Coming Soon

  • Professional Services Engineer
  • Alliances

Onboarding Program Health Measurement

The Kirkpatrick model is a popular framework used to evaluate the effectiveness of training programs. Below is a summary of the four levels of evaluation used to measure the success of the sales onboarding program at GitLab using the Kirkpatrick model.

Level 1: Reaction - At this level, we gather feedback from new team members on their reactions to the sales onboarding program.

For the level 1 reaction, we measure the quality of the program by asking learners for feedback on various aspects of the training. The feedback is collected via a post-workshop survey, which includes the following questions:

  1. Presentations were clear and organized
  2. Instructors stimulated student interest
  3. Instructors were available and helpful
  4. Learning objectives were clear
  5. Course content was organized and well planned
  6. Course workload was appropriate
  7. Course organized to allow all students to participate fully
  8. On a scale of 1-5, how likely are you to recommend Sales Quick Start to future new hire sales professionals at GitLab?

The survey respondents are asked to rate each of these metrics on a scale of 1 to 5, with the following options:

  1. Strongly disagree
  2. Disagree
  3. Neutral
  4. Agree
  5. Strongly agree

New team members are also asked to give qualitative written feedback about their onboarding experience via the following questions:

  1. What aspects of this course were most useful or valuable?
  2. How would you improve this course?
  3. Do you have any additional feedback you would like to share (good, bad, or otherwise)?

By collecting feedback on these metrics, we can assess how well the training program met the learners’ expectations and identify areas for improvement. The results of the level 1 reaction evaluation can be used to improve the overall quality of the training program and ensure that learners have a positive experience.

Level 2: Learning - This level evaluates how much new team members learned during the sales onboarding program. This is measured via the successful completion of Sales Quick Start e-learning courses which include: 9 e-learning courses with 7 quizzes (Total of 60 multiple choice questions), 4 free response questions, 3 coffee chats with peers, and 2 surveys (pre & post workshop).

For level 2 of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, we also measure the effectiveness of the onboarding program by assessing the learners’ knowledge and skills before and after the training. This is done via the post-workshop survey which includes the following questions:

  1. Level of effort you put into the course
  2. Level of skill/knowledge at the start of the course
  3. Level of skill/knowledge at the end of the course
  4. Contribution of the course to your skill/knowledge

New team members are asked to answer each question on a scale of 1 to 5, with the following choices:

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Satisfactory
  4. Very Good
  5. Excellent

By collecting feedback on these questions, we can assess how much the learners’ knowledge and skills have improved as a result of the training program.

Level 3: Behavior - At this level, we assess how the new team members are applying the knowledge and skills they learned during onboarding. During Sales Quick Start, this is done via completion of a mock call for customer facing team members using the Command of the Message value selling methodology taught during sales onboarding.

For level 3 of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, we also measure the improvement in learners’ confidence levels before and after the training program. To do this, we administer a pre-workshop and post-workshop survey that both include the following questions:

  1. On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you now in your ability to lead a discovery call with a prospect (for GitLab)?
  2. On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you now in your ability to clearly articulate the GitLab elevator pitch?
  3. On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you now in navigating issues and merge requests, etc. on GitLab.com?
  4. On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you now in being able to find information you need to do your job in the GitLab Sales Handbook?
  5. On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you now in being able to clearly articulate the differences in GitLab’s pricing tiers?

Learners are asked to rate their confidence level for each question on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest level of confidence and 5 being the highest level of confidence.

By comparing the learners’ pre-training and post-training confidence levels, we can measure the impact of the training program on their confidence levels. This information is used to determine the effectiveness of the training program and identify areas for improvement.

Level 4: Results - Finally, we evaluate the overall long term business impact of the sales onboarding program on the company’s sales performance. This includes tracking key performance indicators such as time to ramp and sales cycle length for each market segment.

By using the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate the sales onboarding program at each of these four levels, we gain a holistic view of the program’s effectiveness and make data-driven decisions to improve it.


Graduating from Sales Onboarding
Graduating from Sales Onboarding In order to officially “graduate” from Sales Onboarding at GitLab and be awarded the Sales Quick Start - Core Curriculum badge, we have identified a few components that are considered milestones of achievement (many of these must be done concurrently to ensure completion): Sales, Customer Success and SDR Roles: Complete Sales Quick Start learning path in LevelUp prior to the SQS Workshop (at least 80% completion required before starting the SQS Workshop, though 100% is preferred).
Sales & Customer Success Quick Start Learning Path
Core curriculum for GitLab's Sales & Customer Success onboarding
Sales Quick Start (SQS) Learning Objectives
GitLab sales onboarding learning obejctives
Sales Quick Start (SQS) Workshop
Sales Quick Start Workshop NOTE: The Sales Quick Start (SQS) Workshop is MANDATORY for all new Sales Team Members. If you must cancel for any reason, please be sure to obtain Regional Director approval in writing (Ryan O’Nell for Commercial). After completing the virtual, self-paced Sales Quick Start learning path, new sales team members (along with new Solution Architects, Customer Success Managers, and Sales Development Rep) participate in an interactive in-person workshop where participants practice applying this new knowledge in fun and challenging ways including mock calls, role plays, and group activities As a result, new sales team members exit Sales Quick Start more confident and capable in their ability to lead an effective discovery call with a customer or prospect Participants also benefit by establishing a community of similarly-tenured peers and more experienced mentors and colleagues to support each others’ growth and development at GitLab Note: The Results Value is our highest priority and we strive to deliver sales training and enablement remotely as much as possible and reserve in-person formats only for circumstances when we can’t obtain the desired results via remote/virtual delivery) Iteration is expected to keep moving what we can to remote models once we can achieve the same or better results that way Future iteration of this process will define what sales team members need to KNOW, DO, and BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE (by sales role, customer segment, and geo as appropriate) after they complete the above and support those learning objectives as they continue their ramp to GitLab sales performance excellence!
Targeted Sales & Customer Success Roles for Sales Quick Start (SQS)
Targeted Sales & Customer Success Roles for Sales Quick Start (SQS) The Sales Quick Start (SQS) Workshop is MANDATORY for all new Field Sales team members. If you need to cancel for any reason, you must obtain approval from your VP. Please send a copy of the written approval to the Field Onboarding Program Manager. Targeted roles for the Sales Quick Start learning path include recently hired: Enterprise and Public Sector Strategic Account Executives (SAEs) Mid-Market and SMB Account Executives (AEs) Inside Sales Reps (ISRs) Solution Architects (SAs) Customer Success Managers (CSMs) Professional Services Engagement Managers and Practice Managers Area Sales Managers (ASMs), Regional Directors (RDs) & Vice Presidents (VPs) Customer Success Managers and Directors Channels (all roles) Alliances (all roles) Field Operations Revenue, Strategy, Enablement & Operations (all roles) Professional Services Engineers (PSEs) do not participate in the Sales Quick Start Workshop Sales Development Reps (SDRs) have their own separate onboarding process (but many of the same elements are shared), and they attend SQS Workshops as well
Last modified March 25, 2024: update schedule (a75639e7)