For decades, the onboarding checklist has been a sales manager's staple. Usually, it’s a dog-eared Word document or a spreadsheet emailed on day one, listing everything a new hire needs to read, sign, and do. It’s a well-intentioned tool, but it has a fundamental flaw: it’s completely disconnected from the place where the work actually happens, the CRM.
A static checklist is a passive guide. An interactive checklist, built directly within your HubSpot portal, is an active coach. It doesn’t just tell your new sales reps what to do; it guides them through the process, tracks their progress, and connects their learning directly to the tools they will use to win deals.
If you’re still handing out paper checklists, it’s time for an upgrade. Here’s how you can build a dynamic, effective onboarding experience right inside your CRM.
Why Your Checklist Must Live in Your CRM
Moving your checklist from a separate document into HubSpot isn't just a matter of convenience. It fundamentally changes its purpose and effectiveness.
- It’s Live and Trackable: No more wondering if a new hire has read the product overview. A CRM-based checklist provides real-time visibility. Managers can see what’s been completed and where a rep might be falling behind, allowing for proactive support instead of reactive chasing.
- It’s Contextual: You can embed links directly to the relevant parts of HubSpot, training materials, or company policies. A checklist item can say, "Review our Ideal Customer Profile," and link directly to the document in your resource hub.
- It Drives Accountability: When tasks are assigned and dated within the system, it creates a clear structure of accountability. New hires know exactly what’s expected of them and by when, and managers can easily monitor progress.
Your Toolkit: How to Build the Checklist in HubSpot
HubSpot offers several ways to create an interactive checklist, catering to different needs and subscription levels.
Option A: The Simple & Effective Route (Using HubSpot Tasks)
This method is available on all HubSpot versions and is incredibly easy to set up. It involves creating a series of tasks for the new hire, which they can see and check off from their dashboard.
How to do it:
- Create a Task Queue: Create a queue specifically for onboarding (e.g., "Sales Onboarding - Week 1").
- Add Your Onboarding Tasks: Create individual tasks for each item on your checklist. Be specific. Instead of "Learn about the product," create a task that says, "Read the 'strutoAI Product Overview' document and watch the demo video."
- Use Links and Dates: In the task details, include links to the relevant resources. Assign due dates to structure the first few weeks and keep the new hire on track.
- Assign the Tasks: Assign the entire block of tasks to the new user. They will see them on their homepage, and you can track completion from your manager's dashboard.
Option B: The Advanced & Interactive Route (Using HubSpot Playbooks)
If you have Sales or Service Hub Professional or Enterprise, Playbooks are a game-changer. A Playbook is an interactive guide that can be launched from a record (like a contact or deal), prompting the user with questions and next steps.
How to do it:
- Create an "Onboarding Playbook": Go to your Playbooks library and build a new one.
- Structure the Content: Add your checklist items as steps. You can use different formats like text boxes, required fields, and multiple-choice questions.
- Make it Interactive: For a step like "Understand our Deal Stages," you can list each stage and ask the rep to write a one-sentence summary of the exit criteria for each. This tests their understanding, it doesn't just assume they've read a document.
- Launch the Playbook: Instruct the new hire to launch this Playbook on a test contact or deal to complete their onboarding steps.
What to Include: A Sample Checklist for Sales Reps
A good checklist blends administrative tasks, learning, and practical application.
Week 1: Foundations & Culture
- Set up your email signature and login credentials.
- Read the Company Culture & Values guide.
- Complete a video tour of the HubSpot portal.
- Schedule 15-minute introductory chats with 5 team members.
Weeks 2-4: Knowledge & Practical Action
- Complete the "Product Knowledge 101" training module.
- Shadow two discovery calls with a senior rep and complete the "Call Shadowing" Playbook.
- Build your first prospect list of 20 companies in HubSpot.
- Make 10 introductory calls and log the activities correctly.
- Create your first test deal and move it through the sales pipeline.
The Manager's Advantage: From Chasing to Coaching
The single biggest benefit for a manager is visibility without micro-management. With a quick glance at a HubSpot dashboard showing task completion rates, you can see exactly how your new hire is progressing. This frees up your time. Instead of constantly asking, "Have you done this yet?", you can have more meaningful coaching conversations about what they're learning and where they need strategic support.
By bringing your onboarding checklist into the CRM, you’re not just organising tasks. You are building a repeatable, scalable, and measurable system that sets your new reps up for success from the moment they walk through the door.
Discover how this fits into the full strategy of creating a world-class training experience.
