Sales Capability Assessment

The Capabilities Assessment is divided into four stages:

1. Engage: Project launch; the survey is created and distributed to participants.
2. Data Analysis: RAIN Group analyzes data and verbatim responses, compares seller/sales manager responses, and reviews client sales documents and tools.
3. Advisory Analysis: RAIN Group interviews client stakeholders and collaborates with the client to design and define possible interventions.
4. Recommendations Delivery: Findings are delivered via a live review session.

The average timeline to delivery is 7-8 weeks but may take longer depending on client availability for key meetings and interviews, the speed at which survey responses are gathered, and data slice comparison needs.

The Capabilities Assessment process uses data, insights, and advisory to produce recommendations that will drive change at your organization.

The assessment focuses primarily on identifying capability baselines and gaps compared to both our database of nearly 20 years of Top Performer research and your organization’s top performance targets.

It isn’t a psychometric or behavioral analysis that determines if people can sell. Instead, managers assess sellers and sellers assess managers using a 180° or 360° format. Results are compiled and delivered as individual reports and in an aggregate, org-wide dashboard. This is much more accurate than self-reported responses, as people will often try to game responses to appear how they want to be perceived. With this approach, you receive an accurate, well-rounded picture of how your sellers and sales managers are performing.

Your results dashboard lets you analyze data groups and segments by:

• Geographies
• Divisions
• Sales roles
• Team
• Business unit

Yes, each participant evaluated receives an individual report highlighting capability gaps and opportunity areas. 
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Individual reports include high-level and drill-down views of how a participant ranks within their team, their org, and against top-performer benchmarks across specific skills. They highlight trends in skill performance and perception, calling out high- and low-scoring competencies as well as where self-perceived skill level differs from peer and manager evaluations. Each section calls attention to capability gaps and opportunity areas for targeted skills coaching, laying a clear path for focused, personalized development.

We do not customize questions or the survey as this contaminates the data.