How to Train New Sales Reps Fast: 5 Lessons from Sandler’s 10-Week Program

Every sales leader knows the math. A new rep who takes six months to ramp is six months of quota you don’t get back. So how do you train new sales reps fast enough to matter, without throwing them at live prospects before they’re ready?

Sandler and Revelry GTM recently put that question to an extreme test. Revelry places college students with early-stage companies that need pipeline. Most of the students had never made a cold call. They had 10 weeks to start booking meetings.

They did. Participants improved their roleplay scores by 75% on average and generated $6–8M in combined pipeline. One student generated $3.5M in pipeline and closed $364K in revenue.

Here are five lessons from the program for any team that needs to train new sales reps quickly.

1. Teach a real methodology, not a script

Scripts break the moment a prospect goes off-book. Revelry’s participants learned the Sandler Selling System from Sandler trainer Matt Nettleton: how to prospect, ask meaningful questions, handle objections and run a productive sales conversation.

A methodology gives new reps a way to think on a call, not just words to say. That matters most for people who have no instincts to fall back on yet.

2. To train new sales reps fast, make practice daily

A weekly training session leaves six days for skills to fade. Revelry’s participants practiced for 15–20 minutes every day in the Sandler AI Roleplay Coach, built on Yoodli, then took that practice straight onto live calls.

Short, frequent reps beat long, occasional ones. Fifteen minutes a day adds up to far more conversations than a weekly class can fit, and each one builds on the last.

3. Let reps fail safely before they go live

The fastest way to lose a new rep’s confidence is a string of bad calls with real prospects. AI roleplays gave participants a place to stumble through objections and awkward openers with no deal on the line.

Because feedback arrived immediately after each attempt, participants could fix a mistake and try again in minutes. By the time they picked up the phone for real, they’d already worked through those moments in practice.

4. Pair AI practice with human coaching

AI didn’t replace the trainer. Weekly instructor-led sessions and in-person roleplays with Matt Nettleton built the foundation, and daily AI practice reinforced it between sessions.

The combination is what made it work. Coaches set the standard and handle the nuance. AI practice gives every rep the repetitions a coach can’t personally deliver.

"“Matt equipped our participants to pick up the phone, engage prospects, book meetings, and, in many cases, close deals.”

— Josh Kline, Founder, Revelry GTM"

5. Measure skills, not just activity

Dials and emails tell you a rep is busy. They don’t tell you whether the rep is getting better. Every roleplay in the program was scored, so Sandler could see skill growth directly: a 75% average improvement by the end of the 10 weeks.

That skill data, tracked with tools like Yoodli Measure, gives leaders an early readiness signal before pipeline numbers have time to show up.

What happened when they put it together

In 10 weeks, students who had never made a cold call were booking meetings and closing deals:

• One participant generated $3.5M in pipeline and $364K in closed revenue for a premium camper-van manufacturer.
• Another booked 8 meetings and built $153K in pipeline for a security services company.
• A third received a full-time offer for a revenue engineering and sales role before he graduated.

"“I’m so excited to go to an interview and say, ‘Look, I’ve already sourced 8,000 contacts for you. They’re all your ICP, and I’ve got an email campaign loaded up. Should I start work tomorrow?’”

— Zach, Revelry GTM program participant"

What sales leaders can take from it

If college students with no experience can ramp in 10 weeks, the same approach can help you train new sales reps who already have some background. Start with a methodology. Build in daily practice. Give reps a safe place to fail, keep human coaches in the loop, and track skill growth alongside pipeline.

You don’t need a 10-week internship to apply it. The same pattern works for sales onboarding, new product launches and any team that needs reps confident on calls sooner.

FAQ

What’s the fastest way to train new sales reps?

Combine a proven sales methodology with short, daily practice and immediate feedback. In Sandler’s program with Revelry GTM, first-time sellers practiced 15–20 minutes a day with AI roleplays between weekly training sessions and were booking meetings and closing deals within 10 weeks.

How long does it take to train new sales reps?

It depends on the role and the product, but daily practice shortens it. Revelry’s participants, most of whom had never made a cold call, generated $6–8M in combined pipeline in a single 10-week program.

How much should new sales reps practice?

Short and often beats long and occasional. Participants in this program practiced for 15–20 minutes a day, which gave them far more repetitions than a weekly class alone.

Can an AI sales coach replace a human trainer?

No, and it doesn’t need to. An AI sales coach gives every rep unlimited practice and instant feedback, while human trainers set the standard and coach the nuance. In this program, Sandler trainer Matt Nettleton led weekly sessions and Yoodli handled daily practice in between.

How do you know if new sales reps are improving?

Track skills, not just activity. Every roleplay in the program was scored, which showed a 75% average improvement in roleplay scores by the end of the 10 weeks, alongside the pipeline results.

Can AI roleplays help reps with no sales experience?

Yes. Most Revelry participants had never handled an objection or run a prospecting conversation. AI roleplays gave them a safe place to practice those moments before speaking with real prospects.

Read the full story

For the full details on how the program ran and what it delivered, read the Sandler and Revelry GTM case study.

Looking for more ways to train new sales reps? Explore AI sales training with Yoodli, or see how sales training firms like Sandler bring their methodology to life with AI roleplays.

Want to see what Yoodli can do for your team? Get a demo or contact sales@yoodli.ai.