Home / Challenges we solve / Knowing-doing gap
Adoption
Sellers are not adopting the methodology.
We have a methodology but it is not yet being applied across all teams.
In short
What is the knowing-doing gap in sales?
The knowing-doing gap is the distance between what sellers learn in training and what they do on live deals. Most sellers can describe your methodology; far fewer use it under quota pressure. You close the knowing-doing gap with coaching on real opportunities, managers who reinforce it weekly and a baseline that shows adoption.
Sound familiar?
Training changes what sellers know. The gap is about what they do.
A method that’s trained once but never built into live deals fades. What sellers do depends on whether they’re motivated to change, confident doing it, and supported by their manager.
Often the biggest risk to a sales transformation program is being able to get sellers and managers to act differently. Active and passive resistance to change was a massive challenge we faced into at HPE.
The impact of not adopting the methodology shows up as forecasts that slip, win rates that vary by region and a few stars carrying the number.
- “We rolled out a methodology and I can’t see it in the deals.”
- “Managers still ask for updates instead of coaching.”
- “The energy faded a few weeks after the launch.”
A launch eventA weekly rhythm on live dealsMeasuring attendanceMeasuring behaviour against a baselineThe trainer owns itYour managers own it
How we fix it
How we fix it: G.E.A.R.
G
Ground
Measure the gap first: D.R.I.V.E. shows how ready each seller, team and manager is to change.
E
Equip
Turn the method into a simple plan for each live deal that sellers can actually follow.
A
Apply
Coach it on real opportunities, with managers leading a weekly rhythm.
R
Refine
Put adoption on a scoreboard and refine until the new habit holds without us.
Results
When the habit sticks, the numbers follow
Took years off our transformation.
SVP, Global SalesHPE GreenLake
By implementing your recommendations, we have seen 14 quarters of double-digit growth.
Greg SmithExecutive Director & General Manager, Lenovo
SGT had a framework we followed, and we actually added to that framework and through this collaboration the result was growth.
Ehrika GladdenChief Revenue Officer, Sorenson
Questions
What revenue leaders ask
What is the knowing-doing gap?
The distance between what people know they should do and what they actually do. The term comes from Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton’s 2000 book of the same name.
Why doesn’t sales training stick?
Because it changes knowledge, not behaviour. Without practice on live deals and managers who reinforce it every week, sellers return to old habits.
How do you measure methodology adoption?
Look at live deals, not course completions: are plans built, are the right stakeholders engaged, and are managers coaching the plan? Compare against a baseline.
How long does it take to close the gap?
You should see visible results within 90 days, measured against a baseline we set at the start.
Next step
Find out where your team really stands
Pick a time that suits you.
- Talk it throughYour headwinds, your goals and what you need to show in the next 90 days.
- Get an honest viewWhere we can help, and where you shouldn’t spend money on outside help.
- Leave with next stepsClarity on what good looks like.