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Starting Strong: A 90-Day Plan for Early-Stage Sales Hires

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Why This Guide Exists

Ramp fast, stay sharp, and make your mark…without burning out.


Starting a new job at a startup is exciting…but also intense. For sales and GTM roles, the pressure to prove yourself fast can be overwhelming.


Early-stage companies often don’t have formal onboarding, structured ramp plans, or clear lanes. That makes it even more important to show initiative, without sprinting straight into burnout.


This 90-day guide helps you balance urgency with sustainability. Hit the ground running, but pace yourself to last.


First 30 Days: Learn and Listen


Focus: Ramp knowledge, build relationships, absorb context


Tactical Onboarding Ideas:

  • Book 1:1s with cross-functional teammates (Product, CS, Marketing, Ops). Come prepared with questions.

  • Read old pitch decks, call transcripts, onboarding flows, etc, anything that shows how the company sells.

  • Shadow every AE, SE, or SDR you can. Ask to listen to Gong or Chorus calls.

  • Clarify expectations: quota, ramp timeline, CRM expectations, and what “good” looks like.


Wellbeing Reminders:

  • Don’t pack your schedule…protect thinking time.

  • Track what fires you up vs. what drains you.

  • Avoid checking Slack or email nonstop after hours.

  • Give yourself room to feel lost. That’s normal in month one.


Days 31–60: Contribute and Clarify


Focus: Start owning pipeline, asking for feedback, and identifying quick wins


Tactical Onboarding Ideas:

  • Run your first 3–5 discovery calls solo

  • Share early insights with your manager (what’s working / not)

  • Identify 1–2 plays to test in outbound or mid-funnel

  • Document common objections or sales gaps you’ve noticed


Wellbeing Reminders:

  • Get up from your desk for a real break…no multitasking meals

  • Remember: You don’t need to be “crushing quota” in week 5

  • Stay synced with your manager on what's working and what’s unclear

  • Ask: “What does success look like this quarter…and what’s realistic?”


Days 61–90: Align and Accelerate


Focus: Build momentum, deepen ownership, and prep for long-term success


Tactical Onboarding Ideas:

  • Set clear 6-month and 12-month targets with your manager

  • Identify a high-leverage area where you want to focus on (vertical, segment, product use case)

  • Offer to document onboarding gaps you noticed

  • Schedule a 90-day check-in and prep 2–3 early wins to share


Wellbeing Reminders:

  • Protect your calendar…attend all important company meetings but try not to overbook yourself that could drain you of energy and motivation

    • And if you find yourself in meeting tetris, it might be a good idea to check in with your manager to ask for recommendations on how to free yourself up to focus on priority work

  • Find energy rituals that work for you (walks, deep work blocks, 10-min resets)

  • Celebrate small wins. Write them down.


Final Takeaway

At an early-stage startup, no one hands you the playbook…you’re helping write it.

By the end of your first 90 days, you should be:

  • Confident in your ICP and pitch

  • Owning deals or pipeline with minimal handholding

  • Starting to shape the sales motion, not just follow it


Your manager isn’t just looking for results…they’re looking for someone who gets it, owns it, and grows with it.


Use this plan to stay focused, communicate clearly, and make an early impact without sacrificing your health or headspace.


Contributed by Alison Campbell | Founder unBurnt | getunburnt.com

Alison Campbell has nearly twenty years of prior corporate experience working across Finance, Ecommerce, and HRTech. But after years of accepting exhaustion & overwhelm as normal, a health scare became the catalyst to change course.


Now, as a Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Alison is combining her executive experience with deep passion to destigmatize burnout, she’s helping people shift from overwhelm to sustainability, without sacrificing ambition. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by professionals in fast-moving organizations, unBurnt is delivering new preventative solutions, with toolkits and training programs, to reduce chronic-stress and help companies thrive.


About ClosedWon Talent

ClosedWon Talent is a specialized sales recruiting firm that helps growth focused companies hire top GTM talent. We partner with founders, revenue leaders, and investors to build high performing sales teams across SaaS and beyond.


What sets us apart is the ClosedWon Method, a proven recruiting framework built on speed, precision, and transparency. We combine deep industry expertise with a curated candidate network to deliver shortlists of qualified, motivated sales professionals...fast. Our team does not just fill roles, we act as embedded partners who understand how to assess selling style, territory experience, and growth potential based on each clients' specific needs.

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