Use it to talk about selling in one language: in a one-to-one, a team meeting or a hiring conversation. Each skill has what good looks like (the standard to coach to), what it looks like at its best, and where it can slip.
Create opportunity
1 Proactive prospecting
Starts conversations the customer did not ask for, aimed at the right accounts, with a reason to talk.
- What good looks like
- Runs a steady weekly outreach rhythm against a prioritised list, opens with a relevant reason and logs every touch.
- At its best
- Builds their own target lists from buying history and trigger events, keeps outreach going in busy weeks and shares what works.
- Where it can slip
- Reaches out when assigned or prompted. Messages are generic, and outreach stops when inbound work picks up.
2 Discovery
Uses questions and listening to understand the situation, problem, impact and desired outcome before recommending.
- What good looks like
- Asks layered questions (situation, problem, impact), confirms the need back and records it before proposing.
- At its best
- Uncovers needs the customer had not stated, puts a number on the gap and brings an insight that reframes the problem.
- Where it can slip
- Asks mostly closed or product questions and moves straight to a quote.
3 Account growth
Grows existing customers by finding and acting on whitespace: lines, sites and services they buy elsewhere or not at all.
- What good looks like
- Reviews buying history and routinely suggests related items and adjacent categories.
- At its best
- Keeps a whitespace plan for key accounts, brings in specialists and grows gross profit per account year on year.
- Where it can slip
- Fills what the customer asks for and suggests an add-on only when it is obvious.
4 Qualifying and follow-through
Judges which opportunities are real and moves them forward with clear next steps, decision process and timing.
- What good looks like
- Qualifies on need, decision-maker, timing and competition, and follows up every quote within a set window.
- At its best
- Disqualifies early, knows the decision process and closes predictably; close dates rarely slip.
- Where it can slip
- Treats every quote as equally likely and follows up only when the customer chases.
Win with value
5 Adaptive selling and value
Reads the customer, adapts the approach and links the offer to the outcomes they care about, with proof.
- What good looks like
- Tailors the message to the person and their stated need, and uses relevant proof.
- At its best
- Builds a quantified case (total cost, time saved, risk avoided) and changes approach in the moment when the conversation shifts.
- Where it can slip
- Describes features and price, with the same pitch for every customer.
6 Negotiation and margin
Reaches agreement that keeps the customer and protects profit; trades concessions rather than giving them.
- What good looks like
- Knows the margin and the floor before quoting, defends price with value and trades concessions.
- At its best
- Wins at or above target margin and turns price objections into total-cost conversations.
- Where it can slip
- Discounts to win or escalates every price challenge, and rarely knows the margin on the order.
7 Buying group engagement
Engages everyone who influences the purchase rather than one contact.
- What good looks like
- Knows who approves and has contact with at least two roles on active opportunities.
- At its best
- Deliberately engages users, technical, financial and procurement roles and helps the group reach a decision.
- Where it can slip
- Works through one buyer contact.
Run the business
8 Territory and account planning
Segments accounts and plans coverage so time goes to the highest potential.
- What good looks like
- Segments the book by potential, plans a weekly contact rhythm and protects time for proactive work.
- At its best
- Keeps written plans for top accounts and moves effort as signals change.
- Where it can slip
- Works on whatever arrives next, with no segmentation.
9 Pipeline and forecast discipline
Keeps an honest, current view of future business and calls the number.
- What good looks like
- Stages reflect evidence and the forecast lands within an agreed tolerance.
- At its best
- Forecasts accurately quarter after quarter and raises risk early.
- Where it can slip
- Pipeline is incomplete or optimistic; forecasts are guesses.
Collaborate and sustain
10 Ownership, resilience and learning
Drives their own results, recovers from rejection and keeps adapting.
- What good looks like
- Sets and tracks personal goals, asks for feedback and persists through rejection.
- At its best
- Experiments with new approaches, coaches peers and models adapting to change.
- Where it can slip
- Needs prompting and is discouraged by rejection.
Foundations
11 Written communication
Reads what a customer actually asked for and replies clearly, accurately and in a tone that keeps the relationship.
- What good looks like
- Answers every point a customer raises, plainly and politely, and confirms anything ambiguous.
- At its best
- Writes replies customers act on first time; turns a difficult message into a next step.
- Where it can slip
- Misses or misreads parts of customer requests; replies are defensive, vague or need correcting.
12 Listening and applying
Takes in what a customer says, remembers the facts that matter and uses them in what comes next.
- What good looks like
- Captures the key facts of a conversation and reflects them in the quote or follow-up.
- At its best
- Connects details across conversations and accounts that others miss, and builds the recommendation on them.
- Where it can slip
- Has to ask customers to repeat themselves; recommendations ignore what was said.