The forgetting curve describes how memory of newly learned material drops quickly after learning and then levels off, unless the material is used or reviewed.
What the evidence says for reps
Hermann Ebbinghaus described it in the 1880s by testing himself on lists of nonsense syllables, and a 2015 replication reproduced the shape (Murre & Dros). The most repeated figure in kickoff guides, "70% in 24 hours, 90% in a week", traces back to that one-person nonsense-syllable design and says little about skills.
For reps, the useful evidence is on skills: abilities left unused for more than a year showed large losses, d -1.4 (Arthur et al. 1998), and what happens back at work predicts whether training gets used (Saks & Belcourt 2006; Blume et al. 2010). Our sales kickoff field study shows how rarely use is reported: of 341 posts written weeks or months after a kickoff, 5 describe using something from it.
The curve after a January kickoff
A team learns a new discovery question at its kickoff in January (illustrative). Reps who use it on a live call in the first week and get debriefed are more likely to keep it. Reps whose next relevant call is three weeks out arrive at it with the question half-remembered and fall back on old habits. The gap between what was learned and what happens on the call is performance drift. The manager's question in the week after the kickoff is short: "Which call this week will you use it on, and when do we debrief it?"
Related terms
- Spaced repetition: short practice with widening gaps, which slows the curve
- How to reinforce sales training: using the skill on a live deal within a week
- Sales kickoff follow-up plan: the 90 days after a kickoff
FAQ
What is the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve? It is the pattern Hermann Ebbinghaus found when he measured his own memory for nonsense syllables: fast loss soon after learning, then a slower decline. A 2015 replication in PLOS ONE reproduced the shape with the same method.
How fast do reps forget training? It depends on whether they use it. Skills left unused for more than a year show large losses (d -1.4). Use is also rarely reported: of 341 public posts written weeks or months after a kickoff, 5 describe using something from it.
How do you beat the forgetting curve in sales? Space practice over weeks, have reps recall the skill before using it, and put it on a live deal soon after training. Spaced practice beat massed across 63 studies (d 0.46; Donovan & Radosevich 1999); recall beat re-reading, 56% vs 42% a week later (Roediger & Karpicke 2006).