# CRM Training Plan

**Kind:** Planner · **Stage:** Implement · **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-14

Role curricula for AEs, managers, admins, and CS — practice on accounts, contacts, deals, and activities before production seats.

Use this plan with your [implementation checklist](/resources/crm-implementation-checklist/) and [go-live checklist](/resources/crm-go-live-checklist/). Companion reading: [CRM implementation roles](/guides/crm-implementation-roles/), [implementation planning](/guides/crm-implementation-planning/).

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## How to use

1. List roles that will use CRM in the first 90 days (AE, manager, admin, CS if in scope).
2. Draft CRM-object outcomes per role (accounts, contacts, deals, activities, email sync).
3. Book sandbox windows with sample accounts/contacts/deals before production seats.
4. Define certification-lite pass criteria and a named signer.
5. Cover email-sync privacy in AE/admin tracks before anyone connects a mailbox.
6. Schedule reinforcement (office hours, manager board coaching) for the first two weeks after go-live.

**Decision rule:** Do not grant broad production seats until each role completes its sandbox script on real CRM objects and a named owner confirms the certification-lite checklist.

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## 1. Audiences & owners

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wave-one roles listed (AE, manager, admin, CS) | Implementation lead | Named list with headcount per role | ☐ |
| Later waves noted with approximate dates | Implementation lead | Waves dated, not “TBD forever” | ☐ |
| Curriculum owners assigned per role track | Enablement / ops | Each track has a named owner | ☐ |
| Trainers scheduled (with backups) | Enablement | Calendar holds exist | ☐ |
| Certification-lite signers named | Managers / ops | Signer column filled for every audience | ☐ |
| Comms owner named (invites, sandbox links, sync privacy notes) | Project lead | One person owns the training thread | ☐ |

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## 2. AE curriculum (accounts, contacts, deals, activities)

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AE: create account + contact linked | Sales ops | Sandbox script produces linked account–contact | ☐ |
| AE: create deal with stage, amount, close date, owner | Sales ops | Deal appears on AE pipeline board | ☐ |
| AE: set next step / next activity on open deal | Sales ops | Stuck-deal filter would not catch practice deal | ☐ |
| AE: advance deal stage with exit criteria | Sales ops | Stage history shows deliberate advance | ☐ |
| AE: log activity on contact or deal | Curriculum owner | Timeline shows logged activity | ☐ |
| AE: email/calendar sync privacy brief completed | Ops + security | Privacy one-pager acknowledged before sync | ☐ |
| AE: lead→contact/deal conversion (if leads in scope) + end-to-end script | Sales ops | LeadSource preserved; full script followable | ☐ |

### AE cert-lite outcomes (edit to fit)

- [ ] Create account + contact (email) linked
- [ ] Create deal with owner + stage + close date + next step
- [ ] Advance one stage with exit criteria
- [ ] Log activity on the correct record
- [ ] Acknowledge email-sync privacy (if sync in MVP)
- [ ] Convert a lead (only if leads are in scope)

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## 3. Manager & CS curricula

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Manager: run stuck-deal / next-step board review | Sales leadership | Full Monday review rehearsed in sandbox | ☐ |
| Manager: reassign deal and contact ownership | Sales leadership | Ownership change visible as designed | ☐ |
| Manager: open forecast/pipeline view + stage-honesty coaching prompts | Sales leadership | Can answer “what’s closing?” from CRM with prompts written | ☐ |
| CS: Closed-Won handoff checklist (if CS in scope) | CS lead | Handoff fields match implementation design | ☐ |
| CS: find account timeline, log post-sale activity; defer non-MVP | CS lead | No duplicate account; non-MVP deferred in writing | ☐ |

### Manager cert-lite outcomes

- [ ] Filter open deals missing next step or stuck in stage
- [ ] Reassign ownership on a deal (+ related contacts as designed)
- [ ] Open the weekly pipeline / forecast view

### CS cert-lite outcomes (if in scope)

- [ ] Receive Closed-Won: account owner + kickoff fields
- [ ] Log first post-sale activity on the account/contact

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## 4. Admin curriculum

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Admin: add/remove user and assign CRM role | CRM admin | Joiner/leaver path matches access map | ☐ |
| Admin: verify object visibility for a persona | CRM admin | Persona test notes attached | ☐ |
| Admin: contact or account duplicate hygiene task | CRM admin | Completes without breaking deal–contact links | ☐ |
| Admin: import basics for contacts/deals (if in scope) | CRM admin | Knows import vs full migration boundary | ☐ |
| Admin: support / escalation path documented; non-MVP automations deferred | CRM admin | Escalation contacts listed; wave-one stays short | ☐ |

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## 5. Sandbox & certification-lite

Certification-lite = observable CRM-object tasks signed by a named owner — not a quiz score or vendor badge.

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sandbox loaded with sample accounts, contacts, deals, activities | CRM admin | Practice without live client exposure | ☐ |
| Sample pipeline stages match production | Sales ops | Scripts do not break on missing stages | ☐ |
| AE cert-lite checklist published | Sales ops | Printable and signed per person | ☐ |
| Manager cert-lite checklist published | Sales leadership | Managers pass before coaching others | ☐ |
| Admin cert-lite checklist published | CRM admin | Pass criteria explicit | ☐ |
| CS cert-lite checklist published (if in scope) | CS lead | Matches handoff design | ☐ |
| Pass/fail log maintained | Enablement | Access list matches pass log | ☐ |
| Retake path defined | Enablement | Failed trainees get another sandbox window | ☐ |

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## 6. Schedule & reinforcement

| Item | Owner | Done when | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Session calendar published | Comms owner | Wave-one people have holds | ☐ |
| Production access timing agreed (after cert-lite) | Implementation lead | IT/admin process matches the gate | ☐ |
| Office hours booked (deals, sync, duplicates) | CRM admin / ops | Staffed recurring holds | ☐ |
| Manager coaching cadence set in CRM | Sales leadership | First two Monday reviews in CRM | ☐ |
| One-page cheat sheets ready (AE, manager, CS) | Enablement | Links work on day one | ☐ |
| Feedback loop defined | Curriculum owners | Channel + weekly triage owner | ☐ |
| Plan version frozen for go-live | Project lead | Authoritative version known | ☐ |

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## Worked examples

**B2B sales team:** Before — one vendor webinar; AEs still asked how to create deals and set next steps. After — AE, manager, and admin sandbox scripts (contact→deal→activity) with checklist passes; seats opened only after sign-off.

**Advisory firm with CS handoffs:** Before — partners skipped training; assistants invented contact workarounds. After — short partner path, CS Closed-Won handoff practice, ops-owned office hours through hypercare.

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## FAQ (short)

- **Webinar vs plan?** A webinar is one broadcast; a plan assigns CRM-object curricula, practice, gates, and reinforcement.
- **Need a CS track?** Yes if anyone other than the AE touches Closed-Won accounts; otherwise document AE post-sale ownership explicitly.
- **Need badges?** No — certification-lite is a signed task checklist on CRM objects.
- **Email sync?** Include a privacy brief before anyone connects a mailbox.

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*Educational template from SoftwareGlimpse. No vendor rankings or prices. Adapt owners and outcomes to your rollout.*