Does Your Team Really Have the “Will to Sell”?

You've invested in training. Your team is (or should be) familiar with SPIN+Cycle questioning frameworks, MEDDPICC+ qualification criteria, and the key elements of value-creating conversations.

Yet performance remains inconsistent - and varies significantly from one salesperson to another. Why?

The answer probably lies in something far more fundamental than easily trainable skills: the strength of each individual's Will to Sell.

Recent research from Objective Management Group reveals an uncomfortable truth that sales leaders often overlook. While skills are trainable and processes can be implemented, the internal drive that fuels sustained sales effort is more difficult to develop in people who lack it.

The Five Competencies that cannot be developed through training alone

Will to Sell comprises five core competencies:

• Desire – How badly they want sales success
• Commitment – Willingness to do uncomfortable work consistently
• Motivation – A compelling "Why" that drives them forward
• Responsibility – Taking ownership versus making excuses
• Outlook – Mindset and resilience in the face of adversity

These attributes determine attitudes and behaviours before any trainable selling skill comes into play. A salesperson's low commitment or poor accountability manifests in the form of inconsistent activity, lack of follow-through, and avoidance of difficult conversations.

The Hard Reality

You can train someone to ask better questions. You cannot force them to want success more deeply. You can coach objection handling. You cannot teach genuine accountability to someone who prefers excuses.

This is why desire, commitment and responsibility are such powerful leading indicators. High performers in these competencies ramp faster, adopt coaching more readily, and stay consistent under pressure.

The Bottom Line

Will to Sell is the foundation that determines whether your people will execute, improve, and perform under pressure. It cannot be trained - but it can be developed in salespeople who have the desire to improve themselves through effective coaching.

But it's always better to assess a salesperson's will to sell before hiring them rather than discovering that it is a weakness after they come on board. That's why Objective Management Group's sales candidate assessments are such a powerful recruiting tool - you can find out more here.

The question isn't whether your team can sell. It's whether they have the will to do so consistently.

Read OMG's full research article here