3 Keys Competencies for Successful Sales Performance 

Over the years, I've been called in by dozens of CEOs to help turn around underperforming sales teams. The symptoms are similar: flat growth, missed forecasts, and bloated pipelines full of stalled deals. In nearly every case, I see the same root cause: measuring the wrong metrics or not measuring at all. 

I remember one CEO proudly walking me through his CRM dashboards. "We've got great data," he said. But the data wasn't actionable. It told them what had happened, but not what to do next. It wasn't tied to the behaviors that actually drive revenue. 

Sales performance should be more science than art. When it is, success is measurable, predictable, and improvable. But first, you need to know what matters. The following competencies span all major sales methodologies and give sales leaders a framework to coach, hire, and build winning teams. 

Let's break them down into three categories: 

1. Tactical Selling Competencies – The Mechanics of Selling

The most visible skills are prospecting, qualifying, presenting, and closing. Yet most reps fall short in several key areas: 
- Only 27 percent are proficient at qualifying leads. 
- Just 15 percent are strong consultative sellers. 
- Less than half can reach the right decision-maker. 

These gaps are revenue killers. Sellers who can't uncover compelling reasons to buy, build strong relationships, or present at the right time to the right audience will likely have low win rates. Tactical competencies are often the first area sales managers try to "fix" with training, but without the right mindset, improvement rarely sticks. Building competency starts with clarity about what good looks like and structured coaching to reinforce the right behaviors. 

2. Sales DNA – Mindset Competencies 

Sales DNA has a massive impact on performance. When sales DNA is strong, it's like rocket fuel. When it's weak, it's like pumping the brakes. Sales DNA determines whether a rep will execute what they've been trained to do. For example: 
- Salespeople who need to be liked struggle to ask tough questions. 
- Sellers who are uncomfortable discussing money avoid financial conversations with decision-makers. 
- Many avoid asking deeper questions out of fear of rejection or offending the buyer. 

While sales DNA weaknesses aren't easy to spot, they are measurable. Sales leaders who assess their team know exactly where and how to coach them.  

3. Will to Sell (Grit) – The Drive to Win 

There is no substitute for grit. Without desire, commitment, motivation, and accountability, no level of sales skills or sales DNA can produce consistent performance. 
- Only 68 percent of salespeople maintain a positive outlook. 
- Just over half take full responsibility for their sales results. 
- Only 16 percent of all salespeople are considered "top performers" across all three competency categories. 

Sellers with a strong "will to sell" do the hard work, stay coachable, and fight through the inevitable adversity of a sales role. If your team lacks grit, skill training won't stick, and sales results will plateau. 

Whether you're leading a small team or scaling a national sales force, the quality of your sales organization is your only sustainable competitive advantage. 

Investing in a competency-based sales model is no longer optional. It's the only way to build a repeatable, high-performing sales organization. Click here to access an insightful white paper on the 21 core competencies that predict sales success. 

If you're unsure how your team measures up — or why your pipeline is bloated with stalled deals — start with a baseline assessment. Sales success isn't a mystery. It's in the data. 

"In God we trust. All others must bring data." — W. Edwards Deming 

Jim Peduto is the Managing Partner and the co-founder of Knowledgeworx, LLC. Owners and CEOs rely on Jim's strategic thinking and transformational growth expertise to win market share and achieve performance gains.