"Am I Ready for Promotion?" Sales Readiness Quiz

Before you start

Answer for your target level (the one you want to move into), not your current one. Score each question 1-5 using the anchors given. Be honest — this is diagnostic, not a performance review.

1. Discovery & Needs Analysis — In your last 5 discovery calls, how often did you surface pain the buyer hadn't stated before you asked?

1 = Never, I work from stated pain. 3 = Sometimes, with a specific question. 5 = Consistently, it's become expected of me.

1. Qualification & Deal Strategy — How do you decide a deal is dead?

1 = I keep deals alive until told to close them. 3 = I apply our qualification framework. 5 = I've built a repeatable, custom read on deal health that's proven accurate.

1. Objection Handling — When a buyer raises an objection, what do you do first?

1 = Respond with a trained answer. 3 = Ask a clarifying question to find the real objection. 5 = Usually anticipate and address it before it's raised.

1. Negotiation — Describe your last negotiation on price.

1 = I escalated to my manager. 3 = I traded a concession for a concession (value for value). 5 = I shaped the frame of the negotiation itself (scope, timeline, or committee process).

1. Active Listening — Can you quote, verbatim, 2 things your last buyer said, unprompted?

1 = No, I have general notes. 3 = Yes, from my own notes. 5 = Yes, and I used their exact language back to them in the call to confirm understanding.

1. Storytelling & Value Narrative — How do you use case studies?

1 = Read from a provided one. 3 = Adapt the case study to the buyer's context. 5 = Build a narrative arc that a buyer has repeated internally to sell it upward.

1. Stakeholder Mapping — On your last won deal, how many stakeholders did you personally engage?

1 = 1 (single champion). 3 = 2-3, directly. 5 = 4+, with a formal map and engagement plan for each thread.

1. Executive Presence & Communication — What's the most senior title you're comfortable running an unscripted meeting with?

1 = Peer-level individual contributor. 3 = Director. 5 = VP or C-suite, and I set the agenda.

1. Pipeline & Forecast Discipline — Does your manager double-check your forecast?

1 = Yes, regularly. 3 = Occasionally. 5 = No, it's trusted and used in leadership planning.

1. Territory / Account Planning — Do you have a written whitespace/expansion plan for your top accounts?

1 = No. 3 = A basic one exists. 5 = Yes, and I'm executing against it with measurable expansion results.

1. Cross-functional Collaboration — When a deal needs legal, product, or CS input, what happens?

1 = I escalate to my manager to loop them in. 3 = I loop them in myself. 5 = I pre-empt the friction before it blocks the deal.

1. Coaching & Peer Enablement — Are you currently mentoring anyone?

1 = No. 3 = Informally, occasionally. 5 = Yes, formally (shadowed calls, training material, or assigned mentee).

1. Deal Complexity Handled — What's the largest stakeholder count on a deal you've closed solo?

1 = 1-2. 3 = 3-4. 5 = 5+.

1. Forecast Trust Under Pressure — In your last 2 quarters, how close was your Month-1 forecast to actual closed results?

1 = Off by 30%+. 3 = Off by 10-20%. 5 = Within 10%, both quarters.

1. Evidence of Repeatability — Can you point to 3+ separate deals (not one standout) that demonstrate your target level's core skill?

1 = No, mostly one strong deal. 3 = 2 deals. 5 = 3 or more, consistently.

Scoring

Add your 15 scores (range 15-75).

• 60-75 — Ready now. You're clearing the bar across the board. Bring this quiz plus your 3 strongest evidence examples to your manager as a promotion-readiness conversation starter.
• 45-59 — Close, with named gaps. You're not evenly ready — see the gap report below. Typically 1-2 quarters out with focused practice.
• 30-44 — Building. Real progress, but multiple competencies still below bar. Use this as your IDP input, not a rejection — it tells you exactly where to spend practice reps.
• 15-29 — Early. Focus on 2-3 fundamentals before spreading effort across all 12; the Sales Competency Self-Rating Scorecard is the better next step.

Gap report — build this after scoring

1. List your 3 lowest-scoring questions.
2. Map each to its named competency (see question labels above).
3. For each, write one sentence: what would a 5 on this question actually look like on a real call?
4. Take these 3 gaps into the Individual Development Plan (IDP) Template as your next quarter's skill focus — pick ONE to lead with, not all three at once.
5. Cross-check your target level's bar against the Sales Career Level Matrix — confirm the gaps you found are actually the ones gating that specific transition.