--- title: Does Your Team Really Have the “Will to Sell”? description: Bob Apollo of Inflexion-Point, the Outcome-Centric Selling experts, highlights the critical importance of a salesperson's will to win image: https://www.inflexion-point.com/hubfs/The%20Will%20to%20Win.png --- This is a search field with an autosuggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Does Your Team Really Have the “Will to Sell”? ![Bob Apollo](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/78fa41976d534cacbb0e22e151bc6816) Post by [Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo) November 22, 2025 ![Does Your Team Really Have the “Will to Sell”?](https://www.inflexion-point.com/hubfs/The%20Will%20to%20Win.png) 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](https://www.inflexion-point.com/omg). 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](https://www.objectivemanagement.com/research-blog/research/does-your-team-have-the-will-to-sell/?utm_campaign=partner2022&utm_source=498&utm_content=2022)** ###### Tags: [Recruiting Sales People, ](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/recruiting-sales-people) [OMG Sales Assessments, ](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/omg-sales-assessments) [Objective Management Group](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/objective-management-group) ![Bob Apollo](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/78fa41976d534cacbb0e22e151bc6816) Post by [Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo) November 22, 2025 Bob Apollo is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales Professionals, a regular contributor to the International Journal of Sales Transformation and Top Sales World Magazine, and the driving force behind Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners, the leading proponents of outcome-centric selling. Following a successful corporate career spanning start-ups, scale-ups and market leaders, Bob now works as a strategic advisor, mentor, trainer and coach to ambitious B2B sales organisations - teaching them how to differentiate themselves through their provably superior approach to achieving their customer's desired outcomes. [Follow me on my website](https://www.inflexion-point.com) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bobapollo) [Follow me on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/bobapollo) ### Comments ###### Related Articles ### [Navigating the transition from salesperson to sales manager](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/navigating-the-transition-from-salesperson-to-sales-manager) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Sep 07, 2023** A version of article was first published in the September 2023 edition of the International Journal of Sales Transformation ... ### [Yes, confidence matters when selling - but not where you might think](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/yes-confidence-matters-when-selling-but-not-where-you-might-think) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Mar 26, 2025** Confidence. It's a quality most of us associate with successful salespeople. A confident presence, a persuasive tone, a ... ### [How can anyone sell value without values?](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/how-can-anyone-sell-value-without-values) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Jun 17, 2022** I recently participated in a webinar with LeveragePoint on the subject of “establishing a value-centric culture in your B2B ... 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