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Sales Competency Taxonomy Directory — 400+ Skills Indexed
A browsable, coded index of 100 core sales competencies across Prospecting, Discovery, Negotiation, and Account Growth — each indexed at 4 mastery levels for 400+ total addressable directory entries.
What's inside
- The indexing system: 100 core competencies × 4 mastery levels (Foundational / Proficient / Advanced / Expert) = 400+ entries
- 25 coded competencies under Prospecting & Pipeline Generation (PROS-01 to PROS-25)
- 25 coded competencies under Discovery & Qualification (DISC-01 to DISC-25)
- 25 coded competencies under Negotiation & Deal Control (NEG-01 to NEG-25)
- 25 coded competencies under Account Growth & Expansion (GRO-01 to GRO-25)
- 4 fully worked examples showing all 4 mastery levels written out for a sample competency in each domain
- A lookup-by-code convention so any team can cite a specific skill unambiguously (e.g. in job reqs, coaching notes, or interview guides)
- Guidance on how to select a working subset (15–30 competencies) rather than deploying all 400+ at once
400+ skills indexed. The directory is built from 100 core, named competencies across four domains. Each core competency is indexed at four mastery levels — Foundational, Proficient, Advanced, Expert — giving 400+ addressable, lookup-able skill entries. Use the codes (e.g. DISC-07) to reference a specific skill unambiguously in job descriptions, coaching notes, interview guides, or a competency framework of your own.
How the indexing works
Every core competency below expands into four entries:
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Foundational | Executes with a script/checklist and close supervision |
| Proficient | Executes independently, consistently, without prompting |
| Advanced | Adapts the skill to non-standard situations; coaches others in it |
| Expert | Sets the standard others are trained against; visible org-wide impact |
Worked example (DISC-07, Qualification Framework Application):
- Foundational — Can complete a qualification framework's fields (e.g. MEDDIC, BANT) when prompted, post-call, from notes.
- Proficient — Qualifies live, in-call, without notes, and disqualifies appropriately.
- Advanced — Adapts the framework when a deal doesn't fit the standard shape (e.g. no clear economic buyer yet) and still reaches an accurate qualification call.
- Expert — Has revised or authored the org's qualification framework itself based on patterns seen across hundreds of deals.
Apply this same 4-level expansion to any competency below.
Domain 1 — Prospecting & Pipeline Generation (PROS-01–25)
| Code | Competency |
|---|---|
| PROS-01 | Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) fit assessment |
| PROS-02 | Trigger-event identification |
| PROS-03 | Multi-channel outbound sequencing |
| PROS-04 | Cold call opening & pattern interrupt |
| PROS-05 | Voicemail-to-callback conversion |
| PROS-06 | Personalized email hook writing |
| PROS-07 | Social selling / signal-based outreach |
| PROS-08 | Referral & warm-intro generation |
| PROS-09 | Inbound lead speed-to-lead response |
| PROS-10 | Gatekeeper navigation |
| PROS-11 | Multi-threading at first touch |
| PROS-12 | Account-based prospecting mapping |
| PROS-13 | Prospecting cadence design |
| PROS-14 | Pre-qualification objection handling |
| PROS-15 | Cold value-proposition articulation |
| PROS-16 | Territory & list segmentation |
| PROS-17 | Prospecting research & pre-call planning |
| PROS-18 | Video prospecting |
| PROS-19 | Event/conference prospecting |
| PROS-20 | Early-stage champion identification |
| PROS-21 | Dormant account reactivation |
| PROS-22 | Partner/channel-sourced pipeline generation |
| PROS-23 | Outbound message A/B testing & iteration |
| PROS-24 | Meeting-booking conversion technique |
| PROS-25 | Pipeline coverage self-management |
Domain 2 — Discovery & Qualification (DISC-01–25)
| Code | Competency |
|---|---|
| DISC-01 | Needs-based questioning (open/closed balance) |
| DISC-02 | Pain identification & quantification |
| DISC-03 | Business-impact translation (technical → financial) |
| DISC-04 | Qualification framework application |
| DISC-05 | Stakeholder mapping |
| DISC-06 | Decision-process discovery |
| DISC-07 | Decision-criteria discovery |
| DISC-08 | Budget discovery & confirmation |
| DISC-09 | Competitive-landscape discovery |
| DISC-10 | Current-state vs future-state gap articulation |
| DISC-11 | Active listening & reflective summarizing |
| DISC-12 | Root-cause questioning |
| DISC-13 | Metrics-based discovery (quantifying value) |
| DISC-14 | Champion development |
| DISC-15 | Economic-buyer access & engagement |
| DISC-16 | Compelling-event identification |
| DISC-17 | Cost-of-inaction / risk discovery |
| DISC-18 | Multi-stakeholder needs reconciliation |
| DISC-19 | Discovery call structuring & control |
| DISC-20 | Discovery capture & CRM discipline |
| DISC-21 | Qualifying-out / disqualification discipline |
| DISC-22 | Technical discovery / solution-fit assessment |
| DISC-23 | Buying-committee dynamics reading |
| DISC-24 | Political/personal-win discovery |
| DISC-25 | Discovery-to-agenda bridging |
Domain 3 — Negotiation & Deal Control (NEG-01–25)
| Code | Competency |
|---|---|
| NEG-01 | Anchoring & first-offer strategy |
| NEG-02 | Concession trading discipline |
| NEG-03 | Price-objection handling |
| NEG-04 | Value reinforcement under pressure |
| NEG-05 | Procurement navigation |
| NEG-06 | Legal/redline negotiation support |
| NEG-07 | Multi-variable trade-off negotiation (price/terms/scope) |
| NEG-08 | Mutual Action Plan (MAP) construction |
| NEG-09 | Deal-timeline & urgency management |
| NEG-10 | Competitive-displacement negotiation |
| NEG-11 | Executive alignment / exec-sponsor engagement |
| NEG-12 | Contract structuring (term, payment, SLA) |
| NEG-13 | Walk-away discipline / BATNA awareness |
| NEG-14 | Late-stage stall diagnosis & recovery |
| NEG-15 | Discount governance & approval navigation |
| NEG-16 | Silence & pause control |
| NEG-17 | Renewal negotiation |
| NEG-18 | Multi-year / multi-product deal structuring |
| NEG-19 | Internal negotiation (deal desk, finance, legal) |
| NEG-20 | Closing-technique selection |
| NEG-21 | Verbal-to-written agreement conversion |
| NEG-22 | Handling delay tactics ("think it over") |
| NEG-23 | Competitive bake-off management |
| NEG-24 | Signature-stage follow-through |
| NEG-25 | Post-negotiation relationship repair |
Domain 4 — Account Growth & Expansion (GRO-01–25)
| Code | Competency |
|---|---|
| GRO-01 | Whitespace mapping (cross-sell/upsell identification) |
| GRO-02 | Account planning & QBR design |
| GRO-03 | Executive Business Review (EBR) facilitation |
| GRO-04 | Renewal-risk detection |
| GRO-05 | Expansion-trigger recognition |
| GRO-06 | Multi-threading for retention |
| GRO-07 | Customer-success handoff & continuity |
| GRO-08 | Land-and-expand strategy execution |
| GRO-09 | Champion-succession planning |
| GRO-10 | Usage/adoption data interpretation |
| GRO-11 | Value-realization documentation (ROI proof) |
| GRO-12 | Reference & case-study development |
| GRO-13 | Strategic account segmentation |
| GRO-14 | Contract consolidation / rationalization |
| GRO-15 | Cross-functional internal advocacy (product, CS, support) |
| GRO-16 | Net-revenue-retention ownership |
| GRO-17 | Competitive defense in the installed base |
| GRO-18 | Long-term executive relationship mapping |
| GRO-19 | Account-health scoring interpretation |
| GRO-20 | Partner-ecosystem leverage within accounts |
| GRO-21 | Renewal forecasting accuracy |
| GRO-22 | Escalation management & save plays |
| GRO-23 | Upsell business-case construction |
| GRO-24 | Advocacy/community program enrollment |
| GRO-25 | Long-term account-roadmap co-creation |
Using the directory without deploying all 400+
Most teams should pick 15–30 competencies (a mix across all four domains) as their first working framework — enough to differentiate performance without overwhelming managers doing observation-based coaching. Use this directory as the master reference to select from, and expand into new codes only when a gap in coaching or hiring conversations keeps surfacing that isn't covered.
How to use it
Select 15–30 codes across the four domains as your working competency set, write out the 4 mastery levels for each using the worked example as a template, then use the codes consistently across job descriptions, interview guides, and coaching notes so everyone means the same thing by "negotiation skill."