Most junior SEs are smart, eager–and lost. (In start-ups) they land in a seat with no playbook, a half-written demo, and a vague mandate to “support sales.”
Ramp takes forever. Confidence lags. Deals suffer.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a focused 90-day mentoring plan, you can cut ramp time by nearly half, and build SEs who deliver real deal impact fast.
Here’s the framework.
Why Mentorship Beats Just Training
Training gives knowledge. Mentorship gives context. A good mentor doesn’t just say “Here’s how the demo works.” They say, “Here’s when to skip it entirely.”
It’s pattern recognition. Confidence under pressure. The ability to handle a curveball from a CTO without freezing.
That doesn’t come from onboarding docs. It comes from shadowing, feedback, and reps.
The 90-Day Mentoring Plan
Days 1–30: Watch and Absorb
- Shadow 10+ live demos, pre/post-sale calls, and onboarding sessions
- Review the SE enablement deck and record yourself giving it
- Practice the demo flow solo—record and review with mentor
- Start a question log: every “Why do we do this?” goes in it
Goal: Build situational awareness. Not just how, but when and why.
Days 31–60: Start Owning Segments
- Run part of the demo live (e.g. dashboard walkthrough)
- Join discovery calls and prep objection responses with AE
- Get assigned a “demo checklist” and own pre-call setup
- Build a sandbox or lab to run through edge cases
Goal: Deliver value in real deals without owning the whole thing yet.
Days 61–90: Full Ownership, With Shadow
- Run full technical demos on smaller accounts
- Lead discovery and demo flow, with mentor observing
- Handle light POC setup or config walk-throughs
- Get and give feedback on real calls
Goal: Operate like a full SE, with a parachute if needed.
Add These Mentoring Layers
- Weekly 1:1s: Focus on deals, blockers, and tactical feedback
- Call reviews: Pick 1 call/week, watch together, dissect
- Pairing: Rotate mentors if needed—variety builds resilience
- Win/loss breakdowns: Use real outcomes to teach what lands
The truth is…
Junior SEs don’t ramp slower because they’re green. They ramp slower because no one shows them how to win.
A 90-day mentoring plan doesn’t just teach them what to do. It gives them the muscle memory to do it when it counts.
And if you’re serious about pipeline? That’s the ramp that matters.
Leave a Reply