// Research

The Top-Performing Seller

What Makes a Top-Performing Seller?

Your best sellers are the cornerstone of your sales team. They're the ones you count on to consistently win deals and hit their goals.

But replicating the success of your top performers can be a challenge. It's hard to know which skills make the biggest difference to performance and how to support sellers at an organizational level. 

To answer those questions and more, we undertook a global study of 1,000 sellers and sales managers. 

We analyzed what sets the best sellers apart from the rest and how organizations can best enable their teams. We discovered that Top-Performing Sellers have specific, tactical skills they employ across the sales cycle and in critical categories of selling.

We share our findings in The Top-Performing Seller Benchmark Report.

Free Download: The Top-Performing Seller Benchmark Report

In our Top-Performing Seller Benchmark Report, we share the results of our research, including:

  • The #1 critical factor at the center of seller excellence
  • 6 areas where the best sellers stand out across the sales cycle
  • 3 organizational factors that enable seller top performance
  • The impact of effective sales training on seller skills
  • Where to focus for your next sales improvement initiative

This report is critical for sales leaders looking to enact change and inspire top performance from their selling teams.

Fill out the form to download this research report.

Key Findings in This Report

Top-Performing Seller Preview

Pictured here are some of the many skills positively correlated with Top Performance. Top-Performing Sellers meet challenging sales goals, have higher win rates on proposed sales, and achieve premium pricing. They also have stronger capabilities across the sales cycle and deliver value. 


Between stronger management, regular coaching, and effective sales training, sales organizations play a major role in fostering top performance among their sellers.

The Top-Performing SellerSM Model

We studied 100 skills and behaviors across 13 categories. Our findings became the basis for the Top-Performing Seller Model.

Top Performers are significantly more capable in the following categories:

  • Achieving the Outcome of Value
  • Winning the Sale
  • Driving Account Growth
  • Succeeding with People
  • Maximizing Personal Effectiveness

Outside the model are three categories that impact sales performance but that sellers themselves do not control: 

  • Sales Management and Coaching
  • Sales Training
  • Sales Performance Environment
Top-Performing Seller Model

Benchmark your team against the components of the Top-Performing Seller Model. Learn how. east

Sales Training to Upskill Your Sellers

Develop your sellers into Top Performers with modern, multi-modal training built for adult learners. RAIN Group’s suite of sales training programs is designed to enable behavior change and drive business results. 

Learn more about our complete suite of sales training programs. east

Develop your sellers into Top Performers with modern, multi-modal training built for adult learners. RAIN Group’s suite of sales training programs is designed to enable behavior change and drive business results. 

Learn more about our complete suite of sales training programs. east

What Makes a Top-Performing Seller?

Read the Top-Performing Seller Benchmark Report and learn what separates the best from the rest.


The Top-Performing Seller Benchmark Report