Sales Performance Diagnostic

Customer Focus: 1. How clearly is your target customer defined?

We have a written ideal customer profile (ICP) that includes industry verticals, markets addressed, organisation size, accessibility, cultural alignment, and the typical issues that we can help address.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
We have a written ICP that includes at least five of the stipulations. Score 5 to 8: 
We have some guidelines that salespeople are encouraged to use. Score 3 to 5: 
Salespeople pursue leads and prospects according to their judgement. Score 1 to 3: 

Perceived Distinctiveness: 2. How is your offering differentiated in the market?

What we offer is unique. No other vendor in the market offers anything comparable. Our differentiation is documented and published internally. Our salespeople can explain our differentiation using facts. Their ability to answer the question, "How is what you sell different?" is verified through appraisals, listening to call recordings, or joint visits at least twice a year. 

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
This is mostly true; however, we do not formally verify abilities. Score 5 to 8: 
Our salespeople struggle to explain how we are different from our competitors. Score 3 to 5: 
We often find ourselves being forced to compete on price. Score 1 to 3: 

Customer Issues: 3. How well do salespeople understand the problems you address?

The problems and opportunities that our offerings address are documented and published internally. Our salespeople are required to be familiar with the documented issues and fluent in discussing them with customers. We verify their ability through appraisals, call recordings, or joint visits at least twice a year.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
This is mostly true; however, we do not formally verify abilities. Score 5 to 8: 
Our salespeople often describe products rather than problems. Score 3 to 5: 
Our salespeople struggle to explain why customers should change. Score 1 to 3: 

Sales Process: 4. How consistently do salespeople follow a defined sales process?

We have a documented sales process aligned with the stages in our CRM. Salespeople are expected to follow the sales process. Compliance is monitored and reported.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
This is mostly true; however, we do not monitor or report compliance. Score 5 to 8: 
We provide some sales process guidelines. Salespeople are free to use them or not. Score 3 to 5: 
We do not provide any sales process guidance. Score 1 to 3:

Qualification: 5. How well are opportunities qualified before they are listed as opportunities?

We use a prequalification scoring system aligned with our ICP and a mandatory quantified qualification tool for leads that become opportunities. We track historical sales stage conversion rates and use this data to inform on win probabilities.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
We have qualification tools and a process, but we don’t monitor use. Score 5 to 8: 
We have some qualification guidelines that salespeople are encouraged to use. Score 3 to 5: 
We don’t have a qualification process. Qualification is left up to the salespeople. Score 1 to 3:

Buying Process: 6. How well do salespeople understand the customer's buying process?

We have documented the stages of a typical customer's buying process and published it internally. We use it to guide deal and forecast reviews as well as the stages in our sales process. As a consequence, our salespeople are very familiar with the way our customers buy.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
The stages in our sales process are aligned with a typical customer buying process. Score 5 to 8: 
We rely on qualification to ensure we understand the customer's buying process. Score 3 to 5: 
Understanding the customer's buying process is left up to the salespeople: Score 1 to 3:

Discovery: 7. Do your salespeople uncover enough information in initial conversations?

We have a documented discovery process that lists the objectives of a discovery conversation and suggests appropriate questions for uncovering the desired information. Our salespeople are expected to use the discovery process. It is used to guide deal reviews as a means of reinforcement.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
There are some guiding documents that salespeople are encouraged to use. Score 5 to 8: 
We rely on qualification to ensure we understand the customer's situation and needs. Score 3 to 5: 
Discovery is left up to the individual salespeople: Score 1 to 3:

Customer Conversations: 8. How effectively do salespeople communicate value?

We document and substantiate the business outcomes of using what we sell through example business plans, testimonials, case studies, and stories. Our salespeople are expected to know the use cases and substantiation for each application. Their use case and story knowledge is evaluated at least twice a year.

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
There are some guiding documents that salespeople are encouraged to use. Score 5 to 8: 
We rely on our marketing and published use cases to support sales conversations. Score 3 to 5: 
Use case knowledge and substantiation is left up to the individual salespeople: Score 1 to 3:

Control: 9. How do salespeople manage complex buying groups?

We use an opportunity management plan that prompts identification and engagement with all important buying interests in a complex sale. Our salespeople are required to use the opportunity plan for all sales that meet the associated criteria. The resulting opportunity plan is used in deal reviews. 

Guide:

This is completely true or almost completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
There are some guiding documents that salespeople are encouraged to use. Score 5 to 8: 
We rely on occasional sales training to guide salespeople in opportunity management. Score 3 to 5: 
Opportunity management is left up to the individual salespeople: Score 1 to 3:

Sales Management: 10. How effective are sales managers at reviewing opportunities?

We have a documented multistage process for deal reviews that sales managers use and report on. 

Guide:

This is completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
There are some guiding documents that managers can use. Score 5 to 8: 
Our managers use their experience and knowledge to guide deal reviews. Score 3 to 5: 
We don't conduct deal reviews: Score 1 to 3:

Coaching: 11. How often are salespeople offered coaching?

Our sales managers are trained in coaching skills and are expected to offer coaching in one-to-one and deal review meetings with each of their team members.

Guide:

This is completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
Our managers are expected to use their experience and knowledge to coach salespeople. Score 5 to 8: 
Our managers are free to provide coaching as needed. Score 3 to 5: 
We don't do any sales coaching: Score 1 to 3:

Forecasting: 12. How reliable are sales forecasts?

Our sales forecasts are based on sales stage qualification criteria, a quantified opportunity qualification tool, historical conversion rates, and the opinions of the salespeople involved. Our sales forecasts are usually within + or - 10% of the actual results and almost always within + or - 20%.

Guide:

This is completely true. Score 8 to 10: 
We tend to rely on the CRM data, adjusted based on the commitments of salespeople. Score 5 to 8: 
Our sales forecasts are seldom within + or - 20% of the results. Score 3 to 5: 
Our sales forecasting is unreliable: Score 1 to 3: