Sales Performance Capability Review

Learn what you know and don't know, then prioritise only what you need.

A diagram illustrating sales competence to support a page offering a sales performance capability assessment.

Take this free sales performance capability assessment to establish learning needs and focus coaching or training on the right things.

Has your sales development plateaued?
Are you relying on strengths developed years ago?
Could unknown unknowns be undermining sales performance, earnings, or competitive effectiveness?

Top sales performers agree - you have to keep learning to keep earning.

Career momentum stalls for many experienced salespeople because they stop getting better.

You can complete the assessment from any perspective. Answer for yourself or someone else. Assess individuals, teams, business units, or an entire company. Use the results to identify strengths, weaknesses, risks, and development priorities.

Sales Performance Capability Assessment Instructions:

Score each of the 'how to' or 'fact' statements below between 1 and 10 according to how true it is in practice.

If you could confidently teach others how to achieve the outcome, score 7 to 10
If you can think of one or more ways to achieve the outcome, score 4 to 6
If you are unsure how to get the thing done or achieve the result, score 1 to 3

Answer the validation questions in your mind to test your judgement. Make your score reflect reality.

Your total score, a benchmark chart, and a strengths and weaknesses analysis are presented at the bottom of this page. You can also have your results and an expanded analysis sent to you by email.

Thinking and Personal Effectiveness - Advocate: 1. I know how to use thoughts and thinking to affect sales results. Validation Question: How are thinking, preparation, mindset, and self-management used deliberately to improve sales results?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 2. I can persuade by giving factual answers to the most common customer questions. Validation Question: What are the most common customer questions, and how do you answer them?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 3. I have established my credibility as an expert in the markets I address. Validation Question: What have you done to establish yourself as a credible expert in the markets you address?
Access and Prospecting - Door Opener: 4. I know how to gain access to senior people in customer and prospect organisations. Validation Question: How do you gain access to senior people in customer and prospect organisations?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 5. I know how to influence customer decisions. Validation Question: What do you do or say to influence customer decisions?
Thinking and Personal Effectiveness - Advocate: 6. I know how to influence the decisions of the organisation I work for. Validation Question: How do you influence internal decisions, resources, priorities, or support within your own organisation?
Access and Prospecting - Door Opener: 7. I know how to find prospective customers with an immediate need for what I am selling. Validation Question: How do you identify prospective customers with an immediate need or compelling reason to consider change?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 8. I know how to make sales messages compelling. Validation Question: How do you make sales messages relevant, distinctive, and compelling to the intended audience?
Access and Prospecting - Door Opener: 9. I know how to get through and get a hearing when a prospect won’t take my call. Validation Question: What do you do to get through when a prospect won't take your call?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 10. I know how to make a great first impression, every time. Validation Question: How do you create a strong first impression when you engage with new people for the first time?
Access and Prospecting - Door Opener: 11. I know how to make cold calling a productive and enjoyable task. Validation Question: How do you make cold calling or proactive outreach a productive and enjoyable task?
Access and Prospecting - Door Opener: 12. I know how to get an introduction when I don't know anyone who can introduce me. Validation Question: What do you do to get an introduction when you have no obvious introducer?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 13. I know how to use charm and can be charming whenever I choose to be so. Validation Question: What do you do to be charismatic or charming when you need to be?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 14. I know how to build rapport quickly, with anyone. Validation Question: What do you do to build rapport quickly?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 15. I know how to have anyone think of me as a trusted advisor. Validation Question: What do you do to have people think of you as a trusted advisor?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 16. I know how to recognise the apparent sales opportunities that won't happen or can't be won. Validation Question: What do you do to identify sales opportunities that are unlikely to happen or cannot realistically be won?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 17. I know how to have customers think of my organisation as a strategic partner. Validation Question: What do you do to have customers think of your organisation as a strategic partner?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 18. I know how to have prospective customers talk about their problems. Validation Question: What do you do to encourage prospective customers to talk about their problems?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 19. I know how to have prospects develop a value proposition that favours my solution. Validation Question: What do you do to have prospects develop a value proposition that favours your solution?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 20. I know how to determine if a prospective customer will pay our price. Validation Question: How do you determine if a prospective customer will pay the required price?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 21. I know how to identify and speak with all those who are influencing a buying decision. Validation Question: What do you do to identify and engage with all the people influencing a buying decision?
Opportunity Strategy and Qualification - Prophet: 22. I know how to turn the customer buying process into a collaboration. Validation Question: What do you do to turn the customer buying process into a collaboration rather than a vendor-led pursuit?
Thinking and Personal Effectiveness - Advocate: 23. I know how to manage a high workload without feeling stressed. Validation Question: What do you do to manage stress while managing workload, pressure, priorities, and energy?
Process, Forecasting and Career Management - Organiser: 24. I know how to use a sales process to shorten sales cycles. Validation Question: How do you use a sales process to shorten sales cycles?
Process, Forecasting and Career Management - Organiser: 25. I know how to use a sales process to improve sales forecast accuracy. Validation Question: What do you do in the sales process to improve forecast accuracy?
Process, Forecasting and Career Management - Organiser: 26. I know how to use a sales process to increase sales opportunity win rates. Validation Question: What do you do in the sales process to increase opportunity win rates?
Trust, Rapport and Credibility - Influencer: 27. I know how to have people share sensitive or confidential information. Validation Question: What do you do to have people share sensitive, confidential, or politically difficult information?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 28. I know how to persuade people to change their minds about almost anything. Validation Question: What do you do to persuade people to change their minds?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 29. I know how to uncover hidden sales objections. Validation Question: What do you do to uncover hidden sales objections?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 30. I know how to have buyers handle their own sales objections. Validation Question: What do you do to have buyers resolve their own objections?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 31. I know the signs that indicate when a buying process has become a negotiation. Validation Question: What are the signs that a buying process has become a negotiation?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 32. I know how to have a combative negotiator collaborate to reach an agreement. Validation Question: What do you do to turn combative negotiation behaviour into collaborative problem solving?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 33. I know how to maximise our profit and customer satisfaction through negotiation. Validation Question: What do you do to maximise profit and customer satisfaction in a negotiation?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 34. I know how to differentiate what I sell through a presentation or proposal. Validation Question: What do you do to differentiate what you sell through a presentation or a proposal?
Influence, Persuasion and Negotiation - Deal Maker: 35. I know how to have a customer press themselves for a buying decision. Validation Question: What do you do to have customers press themselves for a buying decision?
Process, Forecasting and Career Management - Organiser: 36. I know how to manage my sales career. Validation Question: What do you do to manage your sales career?
Total Sales Performance Capability Review Score:

Sales Performance Capability Assessment Score Guide

Whatever your score, the chart reflects strengths and weaknesses. Working on strengths can be very rewarding. Weaknesses can sometimes be ignored if they are not causing lost business or leading others to perceive incompetence.

Don't leave it here. Decide your next steps. Action is the key.

Here are some suggestions:

Spark development discussion through assessment comparisons.
Decide what you want to improve and make a plan. How to Get Better at Anything
Take our Build a Professional Sales Career course to strengthen strengths and address weaknesses. Take the whole course or any part of it through one-on-one sessions or join a scheduled event.
Get our Sales Professionals Toolkit for £19. It includes our sales skills and habits assessment and presents over 100 hyperlinked workplace actions that strengthen strengths and address weaknesses.
Set up a regular coaching arrangement. Sell 13% More with a Coach
Buy a copy of the Sales Professionals Toolkit for everyone on your team. Ask about volume licences.
Have us deliver a one-hour virtual training session to address any gaps. Learn more .
Set up a monthly team discussion on ways to get better faster than competitors.
Review our sales skills and techniques articles.
See our sales and sales management training courses here.
Schedule a call with Clive Miller, the assessment author, for an informal review.

SalesSense Training Benefits

Flexible single or multi-session 'learning by doing' structured training.
Workplace assignments develop new habits and practices.
Tools, templates, frameworks, and examples save time and aid learning.
A common language improves communication and teamwork.
Promotes adoption of best practices, habits and methods.
Increases sales productivity, consistency, and results.
Improves job satisfaction and motivation.
Reduces staff turnover.

Adhoc Virtual Classroom Delivery Options

One-to-one on a per-session basis.
- £150 + applicable VAT. Learn more.
Group Training on a per-session basis.
- £450 plus applicable VAT. Learn more.
Assess sales performance capability to prioritise learning.
Select appropriate content from twenty sales and management courses.

Have training and coaching sessions led by Clive Miller, the author of our courses. Fees include session recordings, presentations, tools, templates, and other resources.

Traditional Classroom Sales Training

Delivery is scheduled over one or more days at a conference venue or the customer's offices. Learn more.

If you need to renew or maintain sales team motivation and development, use our sales performance capability assessment to identify development opportunities, establish training needs, and renew learning momentum. Call +44 (0)1392 851500, send an email to jimm@salessense.co.uk or use the contact form here.