Rep Skill-Gap Heatmap Template
A one-page grid that plots every rep against every core competency so you can see, at a glance, exactly where team-wide coaching time will move the needle, instead of guessing from the last few calls you happened to catch.
How to use it
Score every rep on every competency using the 1-5 scale, then read down each column, the lowest column averages are where your next month of coaching time should go.
What's inside
- The 1-5 proficiency scale with behavioral definitions for each score
- The ten-competency taxonomy used across the grid
- A blank heatmap grid (reps x 10 competencies, with row/column averages)
- A fully worked example for a 6-person team
- The Priority Flag rule for identifying team-wide gaps
- The Coaching Allocation rule (1:1 vs. team skill sprint vs. framework fix)
- Scoring-source hierarchy, what counts as real evidence
- Refresh-cadence guidance
- A note on when to graduate to the full Skills Matrix
Purpose
One grid, one glance: which reps are strong where, which competencies are weak team-wide, and where your next month of coaching hours should go. This is a diagnostic tool, not a performance review: treat scores as a coaching input, not a compensation input.
The Proficiency Scale
Score every cell 1-5 using this scale. Don't average "gut feel": anchor every score to something you actually observed (a call, a deal review, a role-play).
| Score | Label | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not Yet Demonstrated | No observed evidence of this skill, or consistently misses the bar in real situations |
| 2 | Developing | Inconsistent: executes with prompting, coaching, or a script in hand |
| 3 | Proficient | Reliably executes independently in standard, expected situations |
| 4 | Advanced | Executes well in complex or non-standard situations; adapts in real time |
| 5 | Expert / Peer-Coachable | Performance strong enough that peers could learn from watching it |
The Ten Core Competencies
(Swap in your own taxonomy if you've built one, see the Sales Competency Framework Builder Toolkit, but these ten cover the full deal lifecycle for most B2B teams.)
- Prospecting & Pipeline Generation
- Discovery & Needs Diagnosis
- Qualification Rigor
- Value Articulation
- Objection Navigation
- Negotiation
- Deal Control & Closing
- Stakeholder & Multi-thread Management
- Account Growth & Expansion
- Process Discipline & Forecast Accuracy
The Grid
| Rep | Prospecting | Discovery | Qualification | Value Artic. | Objection Nav. | Negotiation | Deal Control | Stakeholder Mgmt | Account Growth | Process Discipline | Row Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Rep 1] | |||||||||||
| [Rep 2] | |||||||||||
| [Rep 3] | |||||||||||
| [Rep 4] | |||||||||||
| [Rep 5] | |||||||||||
| [Rep 6] | |||||||||||
| Column Avg |
Worked Example (6-person team)
| Rep | Prospecting | Discovery | Qualification | Value Artic. | Objection Nav. | Negotiation | Deal Control | Stakeholder Mgmt | Account Growth | Process Discipline | Row Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Marcus | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3.1 |
| Priya | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Tomás | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Wren | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Ade | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.7 |
| Column Avg | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.8 |
Reading this: the team is strongest at Prospecting (3.2) and weakest at Negotiation (2.0) and Account Growth (2.2). Ade is below a 2 on four competencies: a coaching-capacity conversation, not just a training-module conversation.
Turning the Grid into Action
Priority Flag rule, flag a competency for team-wide coaching investment when:
- Column average is below 2.5, OR
- 3+ reps score 2 or below on it, OR
- It's a competency tied to your current strategic push (e.g. you're moving upmarket and Stakeholder Mgmt is soft team-wide)
Coaching Allocation rule: once flagged, decide the delivery mode by how many reps are affected:
- 1-2 reps below bar → 1:1 coaching (use the Skill-Based 1:1 Template)
- 3+ reps below bar → team-wide skill sprint (pick one competency, run it for 2-4 weeks using the Skill-First Coaching Conversation Guide + peer examples from your strongest scorer on that competency)
- Whole team below bar on a competency your top performer also scores low on → this isn't a coaching gap, it's a framework or process gap. Check whether the skill is even correctly defined before you coach it.
Scoring Sources (in order of reliability)
- Structured call review using the Call Coaching Observation Scorecard (most reliable, anchored to specific behavior)
- Manager live-call observation notes
- Deal outcomes pattern (e.g. consistently loses at negotiation stage): directional only, confirm with #1 or #2 before scoring
- Rep self-assessment: useful as a data point, never as the sole score; always calibrate against manager observation
Refresh Cadence
Re-score quarterly at minimum. Re-score any cell immediately after a coaching intervention closes out, so the heatmap reflects reality, not last quarter's snapshot.
Heatmap vs. Skills Matrix
This template is a fast diagnostic view, built to be re-scored often and read in 30 seconds. For the full system-of-record version (with tenure, role, last-assessed dates, and hiring/succession use cases), use the companion Team Skills Matrix / Capability Map Template.