Sales gap plan: What top performers do differently

Did you know that a small segment of your sales team often drives the majority of your revenue? A well-crafted sales performance improvement plan bridges the crucial difference between your star players and average performers, driving sales performance improvement across your entire team.

Most sales leaders face relentless pressure to hit sales rep performance targets while struggling to attract top talent in a competitive market. The performance divide is clear: a few high achievers lead the charge, a portion of the team consistently underperforms, and a large group remains stuck in the middle with untapped potential.

Another critical performance gap definition emerges in follow-up habits. While effective follow-up is essential, many reps give up after a single attempt, even though sales managers often expect multiple touchpoints. This situation highlights a textbook example of performance gaps and underscores the need for coaching, strong sales processes, and consistent execution.

Discover what top performers do differently, how they spot performance gaps before they become problems, and build a sales improvement plan that delivers results. You'll learn practical strategies to:

• Handle objections with confidence
• Eliminate sales process bottlenecks
• Prevent the sales performance gap holding your team back

Meet the sales gap plan – your roadmap to unlocking the full potential of your entire sales organization through performance metrics, goal setting, and training.

What is a sales gap plan, and why does it matter?

Your strategic roadmap to sales performance improvement

A sales gap plan creates the bridge between your current performance indicators and desired targets. This strategic approach identifies improvement areas, optimizes resource allocation, and builds effective gap-closing strategies. For teams missing targets consistently, understanding these performance gaps becomes the critical first step toward sustainable revenue growth and driving sales performance improvement.

Understanding the sales gap

The sales gap measures the difference between your actual results and projected goals. Proper sales gap analysis identifies weaknesses, guides root cause analysis, and improves resource allocation.

When examining your team, you'll typically find:

• 20% star performers delivering exceptional results
• 10% of low performers need a performance improvement plan for sales representatives
• 70% average performers with untapped potential and many areas of improvement for sales reps

These performance gap examples appear through:

• Skill deficiencies: Weak product knowledge or objection handling abilities
• Process inconsistencies: Failure to follow established sales processes
• Execution problems: Poor discovery techniques or inconsistent follow-up
• Knowledge gaps: Limited understanding of customer pain points

The revenue difference is striking. Identifying and addressing these sales performance gaps is essential for overall team success.

Why top performers rarely face performance gaps

Top sales performers minimize performance gaps through key behaviors:

• Clear expectations
• Quality discovery
• Effective objection handling
• Assuming the sale

They are:

• Consistent in setting prospect expectations
• Proficient at handling price objections
• Better at pipeline review meetings and lead nurturing
• Highly skilled in sales activity tracking and conversation intelligence

They also stay aligned with sales strategy and continually drive sales effectiveness by optimizing their sales processes.

How gap planning supports long-term growth

A structured sales performance plan delivers big wins:

• Shorter sales cycles
• Higher average selling prices
• More accurate forecasting
• Increased revenue

Organizations aligning sales strategy with execution are 67% more likely to hit targets. Gap sales methodology helps average performers adopt top-performer behaviors through:

• Performance evaluation
• Action planning
• Implementation
• Mentorship programs
• Coaching
• Continuous review

How top performers catch revenue gaps early

Top performers never wait for surprises. They actively monitor performance metrics and track sales rep activities, recognizing critical success factors before they impact revenue.

Sales metrics that signal trouble ahead

They track:

• Conversion rates
• Deal size and velocity
• Follow-up consistency
• Call quality
• Lead source effectiveness

They supplement these metrics with:

• Customer feedback
• CRM insights
• Peer evaluations
• One-on-one meetings

This allows for fast identification and resolution of obstacles in the sales processes.

Building feedback loops

High performers create structured feedback systems involving:

• Real-time input from customers
• Internal peer evaluations
• Consistent manager feedback

These loops reinforce continuous improvement via training, mentorship programs, and conversation intelligence tools.

Leveraging CRM data for early warnings

They use CRM platforms to:

• Ensure data accuracy
• Track trends across performance analysis dashboards
• Spot issues like decreasing deal size

This approach is central to modern revenue intelligence workflows and helps track sales rep performance effectively.

The habits that separate sales stars

Focused pipeline management

Top performers manage clean, prioritized pipelines using sales activity tracking and regular pipeline review meetings.

Persistent follow-up

While most reps quit early, sales stars persist with 5–12 touches. They support this with:

• Automated CRM sequences
• Targeted follow-ups
• Value-driven nurture campaigns

Deep product knowledge and objection mastery

They are product experts and follow a four-step objection approach:

• Listen
• Understand
• Respond
• Confirm

Strategic time allocation

They spend:

• 40% more time with top prospects
• More hours on coaching, strategy, and planning
• Less time on admin via automation

Build a sales gap plan that delivers results

Set clear, measurable targets

Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals informed by:

• Last year's numbers
• Order values
• Conversion rates
• Available resources

Engage reps in goal setting and align expectations for optimal performance. Implement a system of rewards and consequences to motivate your team and drive accountability.

Create your close roadmap

Map your sales journey, including:

• Action items and owners
• Obstacles and solutions
• Deal resolution strategies

Establish expectations and timelines leading to success.

Assign clear ownership

Assign clear responsibility based on:

• Skills
• Role-fit or fit for position
• Accountability systems

This fosters focus, alignment, and ownership within your sales processes.

Track progress relentlessly

Monitor progress through:

• Performance indicators
• One-on-one meetings
• Weekly check-ins
• Quarterly reviews

This ensures early intervention and keeps everyone on track, helping to close the sales performance gap.

Overcome the 3 planning roadblocks

1. Data quality leakage

Poor data leads to lost revenue. Fix this with:

• Clear data standards
• CRM training
• Ongoing audits

2. Analysis gridlock

Avoid information overload with:

• Focused KPIs
• Targeted plans
• Timely decisions

3. Motivation maintenance

Motivate your team with:

• Recognition and feedback
• Clarity around goals
• Tailored incentives
• Transparent leadership

Support struggling reps through additional training and mentorship programs.

Don’t just spot the gap, close it with SiftHub

Driving sales performance improvement takes more than identifying issues. It requires a structured roadmap to pinpoint skill gaps, address performance breakdowns, and align your team with a winning sales strategy.

With SiftHub, you can turn insight into action. Empower your team with AI-powered support to improve sales effectiveness, reinforce product knowledge, and coach reps with precision all while removing the guesswork from performance analysis.

Top performers aren’t born, they’re built through consistency, enablement, and the right tools. Whether you’re building a sales performance improvement plan or addressing key performance indicators, SiftHub helps you bridge the sales performance gap and scale success across your team. Know more here.