Sales Training Needs Assessment Survey

A structured question set to run before you build a single training module. Distribute to reps (self-report) and their managers (corroboration) separately, then compare.

Section A — Self-Report Competency Confidence (rep-facing)

Rate 1-5 (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

1. "I can run discovery on a new account and uncover the real business problem without a manager or peer helping me." (Discovery)
2. "I can build a quantified business case using the buyer's own numbers without a template doing the thinking for me." (Value Articulation)
3. "I can handle a live objection or negotiate a late-stage concession without needing to escalate to my manager." (Objection Handling & Negotiation)
4. "I know who all the real stakeholders are in my top 5 open deals, not just my main contact." (Stakeholder Mapping)
5. "My forecast call this week would be accurate within one category if my manager checked it against reality." (Pipeline Rigor)
6. "I could present my top deal to a VP or C-level stakeholder today, without more prep than I'd normally do." (Executive Communication)

Section B — Behavioral Frequency (last 30 days)

1. How many discovery calls did you run where you identified a business impact the buyer hadn't stated first? ____
2. How many deals did you engage 2+ stakeholders on, in parallel, this month? ____
3. How many times did you hold price/terms in a negotiation without escalating for approval? ____
4. How many forecast calls did you make that turned out to be wrong by more than one category? ____

Section C — Confidence vs. Evidence Gap

1. "Think of your last 3 discovery calls. Would an outside observer, watching the recording, rate you the same way you just rated yourself in Section A?" (Yes / Somewhat / No)
2. "What's the last piece of direct, specific feedback you received on [competency], and from whom?" (open text, ask once per competency)

Section D — Priority & Impact (open-ended)

1. "Which one of the six competencies, if you improved it most this quarter, would change your results the most? Why that one specifically?"
2. "Describe one real deal in the last 90 days where a skill gap — not a product gap or a pricing gap — cost you the outcome you wanted."

Section E — Manager Corroboration Form (parallel, manager-facing)

For each rep, the manager rates the same six statements from Section A about that rep, plus:

1. "Which competency would you flag as this rep's biggest blind spot — one they likely wouldn't name themselves?"
2. "Is this a skill gap (they can't), a confidence gap (they can but don't believe it), or a habit gap (they can but don't consistently)?"

Scoring & Aggregation Guide

• Gap score per competency = Manager rating − Rep self-rating. Large positive gaps (manager rates lower) flag blind spots; large negative gaps flag under-confidence, not under-skill.
• Priority score = (5 − average team rating on that competency) × (competency's deal-impact weighting, set by leadership — e.g., Discovery and Objection Handling typically weight highest for revenue impact).
• Build training only for the top 2 priority-scored competencies per cycle — resist building a full curriculum refresh off one survey.
• Re-run this survey before every major curriculum investment, not on a fixed annual calendar — needs shift when segments, products or team composition change.