How to Identify A, B and C Players in Sales

Adding new sales professionals to your team can be a daunting task. Figuring out who is the best fit, what their role will be and how they will fit in with the rest of your team is always tricky, so leaning on one of the best sales recruiting firms to do the heavy lifting is often recommended. But even with the help of sales recruiting professionals, knowing how the potential salesperson will fit within your business is critical to helping a sales staffing company secure the right potential candidates for your search. The best sales recruiting firms will tell you that identifying and seeking out potential hires as an A, B or C player is the best way to round out your sales team.

What is an A, B or C Player?

To optimize performance, foster growth and build a high-performing sales culture, sales management must identify the talent levels within your sales team. The best way to do that is to understand how a top executive search firm characterizes A, B and C players. Knowing each category of sales professionals will help you make informed decisions about coaching current and future players, planning sales team development and assisting with resource allocation.

Strategic A Players

The top category of sales professionals is called your A player. Known as the problem solvers of your sales team,” A players” are the ones who consistently exceed quotas because they possess exceptional sales skills and are highly motivated. As such, they are often mentors to B and C players. “A players” are also strategic thinkers who think outside of the box to increase business.

Reliable B Sales Professionals

Your “B players” are also consistent quota hitters with solid sales skills. Even though B sales professionals are dependable and can contribute positively to the sales team, they are not as highly driven as “A players”.

Trainable C Sales Players

Sales teams often have a category of sales professionals who underperform in one or more areas. These individuals, commonly referred to as “C players”, may struggle to meet quotas due to limited skills in prospecting, closing deals, or building relationships, or a lack of motivation. While some C players may be underperforming due to a variety of factors, it is crucial to identify whether they can be coached up or if they need to be coached out. “C players” can consume valuable resources and negatively impact team morale, so making the right decision is essential for the overall success of the sales organization.

Key Indicators in a Sales Professional

Finding the right type of new sales team member means first assessing your team’s behavior, performance, skill and potential. To identify their true player status, management can ask these insightful questions to gauge where each sales professional falls in the A/B/C placement on the sales team before adding a new team member. “A Players” will be an almost always yes response to each question while a “B Player” can be described as sometimes, often or occasionally yes to the majority of questions. Answering these questions about “C Players” will result in half or more of the responses of no, not often or never. Working with the best sales recruiting firms and even contingency sales recruiters can help sales leadership identify these key indicators in potential candidates as well.

1. Performance

First, take a look at how your sales team is performing from top to bottom.

• Sales Quota Achievement: Are they consistently exceeding, meeting, or falling short of targets?
• Revenue Generation: What are the total sales generated over a specific period?
• Conversion Rates: At what rate does a sales member convert leads into customers?
• Average Deal Size: Can they close larger deals or skew toward smaller ones?

2. Behavior

Next, evaluate how a sales professional regularly works in their position.

• Sales Process Adherence: Do they follow established sales methodologies? An A Player will conform to company processes while still adapting to local preferences.
• Prospecting Activity: How diligent are they in identifying and qualifying leads?
• Customer Satisfaction: Are they able to build strong relationships with clients and retain them consistently?
• Team Collaboration: Is the salesperson able to effectively work with colleagues? Initiative and Problem-Solving: Do they proactively seek solutions to overcome challenges, or do they often look to leadership to keep their territory running smoothly?

3. Skill and Knowledge

A third evaluative metric is to consider what skills and knowledge the salesperson brings to the table.

• Product Knowledge: Do they have a clear depth of understanding of the product or service they represent?
• Sales Skills: Has the salesperson demonstrated proficiency in sales techniques, negotiation, and closing deals?
• Industry Knowledge: Do they understand the market and competitive landscape and is this industry knowledge identifiable in their work?
• Communication Skills: Does the salesperson exhibit effective verbal and written communication both within the company and with customers?

4. Attitude and Motivation

Finally, consider the internal drive that each sales professional brings to their job every day.

• Drive and Ambition: Do they demonstrate a strong desire to succeed with their actions and their words?
• Coachability: Are they open to feedback from leadership or peers, and do they have an obvious willingness to learn new skills or practices for their job?
• Resilience: Can they bounce back from the inevitable setbacks that every salesperson eventually faces?
• Positive Attitude: Do they consistently maintain a positive outlook?

Strategies for Identifying Sales Players

While answering these questions about a salesperson will give leadership a good idea of their A, B or C Player status, top sales recruiting firms suggest a more holistic, complete view resulting from a multi-layered evaluation approach.

1. One of the ways many companies track sales personnel metrics is through a performance management system. Providing data-driven insights, these comprehensive programs can be set up to capture everything from sales cycle touchpoints to sales data.

2. Another identification method for sales personnel is to structure sales coaching opportunities and provide targeted feedback to encourage growth. Through regular one-on-one meetings, managers can assess performance, identify strengths and weaknesses and provide helpful feedback to build strong sales players.

3. Learning about a salesperson’s habits, abilities and accomplishments can also come from using a 360-degree feedback approach. Managers can gather input from peers, other managers and even customers to help provide a more picture of a sales player.

4. Watching a sales professional perform during sales contests and competitions is a valuable metric to help leadership understand how they perform under pressure.

Providing platforms to challenge and stretch the sales team will provide a platform to evaluate each team member in a unique but meaningful way.

5. Sales management teams often create role-playing exercises to evaluate a sales team’s abilities, sales skills and related abilities and knowledge. These simulated scenarios offer a window into how employees respond in real sales situations while allowing management to track responses, strengths and weaknesses and to plan for necessary training accordingly.

Building a High-Performance Team

After identifying your A, B and C players, implement strategies to optimize your sales team. Address “C Players” by providing additional support where gaps are identified, offer coaching opportunities or consider reassignment when necessary. “B Players” can be trained to become “A Players”, mentored and coached to help them reach their potential while strengthening the team at the same time. Invest in your “A Players” by offering chances for development and growth as well as leadership opportunities.

Leadership should always consider that sales performance is dynamic. It can fluctuate, and employees can shift between categories over time. Because of this, continuous monitoring and evaluation are essential for maintaining a high-performing sales team. But by effectively identifying and managing your A, B and C players, you can create a sales team through intentional sales staffing that consistently delivers results and drives business growth.