So you’ve just hired an athlete into your sales team.
Good move.

You’ve brought in someone with elite resilience, discipline, and work ethic.
They’re competitive. They hold themselves to a high standard. They know what it means to win and more importantly, they know how to show up, consistently.

Now it’s time to set them up for success.
Because if you do this right, they’ll not only succeed, they’ll raise the bar for your entire team.

Here’s how to onboard an athlete into sales, the right way.

1. Start With Structure and Clear Direction

“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
That’s the athlete mindset. Especially in the early days.

Give them structure. Give them clear instruction.
Don’t sugar coat it. Don’t be vague.

• Want them to follow a certain sales process? Say so.
• Want 50 calls a day? Tell them.
• Admin to log? Just give them the process.

They don’t need fluff, they need direction. And once they have it, they’ll execute.

2. Be Direct With Feedback - Athletes Crave It

One of the biggest mistakes I see?
Leaders tiptoeing around feedback with athletes.

Don’t.

Just say it like it is.

Athletes have been yelled at by coaches their whole life.
They’ve been benched, cut, challenged and they kept coming back for more.

Whether it’s praise or critique, they expect feedback.
If they’re underperforming, don’t water it down. If they’re smashing it, tell them that too.

The worst thing you can do is say nothing.

3. Training = Reps, Not Theory

Athletes learn by doing.

You want them to get better?

• Don’t give them a 40-slide deck on sales psychology.
• Get them in a role play.
• Get them on the phones.
• Let them shadow reps.
• Let them run a client meeting (even if they mess it up).

They’re used to live reps, high pressure, and learning fast. So get them moving and debrief after.

4. Drip Feed Information - Don’t Overwhelm

If you overload them in Week 1 with everything under the sun - product, systems, messaging, territory, objections, case studies - you’re going to stall them.

Athletes thrive with layered learning. They want to master one thing at a time.

So give them what matters first:

• Master the cold call
• Then move onto LinkedIn DMs and emails
• Then discovery calls
• Then closing
• Then pipeline management

This is a 3-month onboarding process. Not a 3-day info dump, which leads to burn out and disengagement by day 5.

5. Throw Them in the Fire Early

Let’s be real, athletes love action.
So give it to them.

Get them:

• Making real calls
• Joining real meetings
• Sending real messages
• Booking real demos

Early wins = early belief.

That could be:

• A warm lead converted
• A reply to an outbound email
• A “good call” from a sales manager
• A small deal closed

These wins fuel momentum.
Feed the ego early then let go and let them fly.

6. Plug Them Into the Team

Athletes aren’t just competitors - they’re teammates.

Even individual sport athletes have always had coaches, physios, trainers, and staff around them.

So help them see the bigger picture:

• How does sales interact with ops?
• How does marketing support them?
• How can they help the team around them succeed?

If you position them as part of the machine, they’ll amplify the culture.
They’ll make people better. They’ll bring the locker room energy.

7. Support Their Ego Drop

Let’s not pretend - athletes are used to being the best at what they do.
They’ve trained for years. Performed at a high level. They’re used to winning.

Now they’re starting something new… and they’ll probably suck at it.

That’s tough for them.

Be ready to support them early:

• Normalize failure
• Encourage reps
• Remind them: this is a process
• Help them reconnect with the long game

They’ll hold themselves to elite standards - that’s good.
But if you don’t let them know it’s okay to fail early… they’ll spiral.

Once they’re comfortable being a rookie again, they’ll quickly get back to elite habits and outperform your veterans.

8. Get Them Moving - Literally

Athletes aren’t used to sitting still. A desk job will shock the system.

Get them moving every 30–45 mins:

• Stand up
• Walk-and-talks
• Coffee runs
• Tag along to a client meeting

Even better? Give them a glass of water, not a bottle. That way, they have to get up to refill it. (And yes, they drink a lot of water.)

Movement = energy.
Staying still = brain fog.

You’ll thank me later.

9. Leverage Their Personal Brand

If you hired them in part because they’re an athlete - great. Use it.

Help them:

• Sprinkle their story into their LinkedIn profile
• Reference their background in pitches or intros
• Share it on your website (if marketing/PR is cool with it)

Athletes are interesting. Clients remember them.
It builds trust faster. It sparks better conversations. It closes deals. I've seen it time and time again!

You don’t need to overdo it,  just a little seasoning goes a long way.

10. Tie Performance to Purpose

In sport, the goal is clear: win the game.
In sales? That line is fuzzier.

Help your athlete understand:

• Why this role matters
• Why their effort helps the team
• Why the product matters to customers
• Why hitting their target helps the whole business grow

They want to play for something.
If they believe in the mission, they’ll run through walls for you.

11. Recognise the Inputs - Not Just the Outcomes

In the beginning, they won’t be the top biller. That’s OK.

Celebrate:

• High-quality calls
• Improved objection handling
• Great effort
• Good messaging

Give them feedback early and often.
They’ll respond to it. They’ll adjust. And the results will follow.

12. Introduce a Scoreboard - Play To Their Competitive Nature

You want to unlock their competitiveness?

Give them:

• A visible scoreboard
• Daily or weekly updates
• Mini-challenges
• Peer matchups

Athletes are wired to track, improve, and win. And by the way they love winning! A lot!

They'll be your biggest competitor, use it! Lean in on it. Allow them to love the competition again.
Give them a game worth playing.

Hiring an athlete into your sales team is a strategic move — but only if you onboard them properly.

Give them structure.
Give them reps.
Give them purpose.
Give them momentum.
Then get out of the way.

They’ll perform.
They’ll lead.
And they’ll raise the bar for everyone around them.

Reach out to the team at Athlete2Business if you ever need assistance in onboarding.