The Sales Excellence Framework

Where your sales operation is. Where it is going. What to do first.

The Plan Grow Do Sales Excellence Framework plots a B2B sales operation on five pillars and four levels, then sequences the work that moves it. Built from the methodology that transformed sales culture at Shell International and applied in more than 50 countries. Start with the free readiness assessment, or go straight to the full programme.

5pillars, from Business Strategy to Pipeline Management

35capabilities, each updated for the 2026 buyer and an AI lens

4levels: Missing, Inconsistent, Consistent, Inspiring

12weeks from baseline to a sequenced plan

Take the free readiness assessment See the three routes in

A Plan Grow Do sales excellence session in progress with a B2B sales team — Sales excellence is built in the room, with the people who carry the number.

Working with global brands you will recognise and trust

If this sounds familiar

The number is missed, and nobody can say exactly why

Sales problems rarely sit where the symptom shows up. The forecast is the symptom; the cause is usually a rhythm, a standard or a system that was never made consistent.

The forecast is a guess, and everyone knows it.Confidence depends on who owns the deal. Optimism goes unchallenged until the quarter closes.

Results depend on two or three people.If they left, so would the numbers. Their habits are the system, and nobody has written them down.

The CRM is filled in for the meeting.Not for the customer, and not for the forecast. The data exists; nobody trusts it enough to decide with it.

Sales and marketing run at the same buyers separately.Different targets, different definitions of a lead, and a buyer who notices the join.

Coaching happens when a deal is in trouble.Managers manage numbers, not people. Joint visits feel like inspection, so nobody asks for them.

You have had sales training before.It lifted for a quarter, then faded, because the standards and systems around it never changed.

The pattern behind all six. A missed forecast is usually a pipeline discipline problem. A pipeline problem is usually a leadership rhythm problem. A leadership problem is usually a strategy that never reached the sales floor. The framework finds the cause, plots where you are, and sequences the fix.

Your buyers have already changed

What more than 1,000 B2B buyers told us about the sellers they meet

94.1%

conduct independent online research before speaking to anyone

83.3%

feel disappointed when an account manager is unprepared

75.9%

say speed of response is a critical factor in deciding who they work with

55%

of commercial teams rate their organisation's AI readiness at just 1 or 2 out of 5

Sources: The Buyer Revolution, Plan Grow Do's research programme with over 1,000 lubricant buyers across five global data sets and more than 25,000 individual data points; Plan Grow Do AI Readiness Research.

The framework

Five pillars. Four levels. One map of your sales operation.

Every capability in a sales operation sits under one of five pillars. Each is assessed on the same four levels, so the whole business can be plotted on one map and the work can be sequenced in the right order.

Pillar 1

Business Strategy

Leadership has a genuine commitment to develop Sales Excellence.

Customer intimacy
A sales culture
Sales and marketing alignment
Financial success
Continual improvement

Pillar 2

Growth Management

Meaningful targets are set and the business performance is made visible.

Effective target setting
Sales incentives
An inclusive business
Visible performance management
Recognition and reward

Pillar 3

Sales Leadership

Managers spend their time on business performance and people development.

Sales opportunities
Customer facing time
Coaching and joint visits
Diarised performance meetings
Sales behaviours

Pillar 4

Sales Execution

Sales standards are clear and consistency in Sales Execution is achieved.

Data management
Effective pre-call planning
Key account plans
Customer testimonials
Customer value proposition

Pillar 5

Pipeline Management

Sales Pipeline and Lead Management processes are in place and are effective.

Pipeline management
Pipeline metrics
Pipeline visibility
Pipeline confidence
Lead management

MissingNot present, not accountable.

InconsistentA muddled approach, focus on the exciting bits, easily forgotten.

ConsistentBox ticking, habit formed.

InspiringTaking ownership and a passion for the application. A deep understanding of why this is important.

Two axes matter: process enablement (the systems, data and rhythms that connect sales to the rest of the business) and standards and behaviours (what people consistently do). Excellence is reached up the diagonal. Process without behaviour is box ticking; behaviour without process is heroics.

Where the framework comes from

Built inside Shell. Proven in more than 50 countries.

Steve Knapp, co-founder of Plan Grow Do — Steve Knapp led the Sales First programme across Shell's B2B sales organisation.

Steve Knapp built his approach to sales excellence implementing programmes in over 50 countries, including the Sales First programme that transformed the sales culture across Shell's B2B business. Two themes recurred everywhere: sales leaders want a more effective, more efficient sales function, and in the daily grind they lack clarity on how to get there. The fear of overwhelming change keeps them with what is familiar, even when it is not working.

By dissecting behaviours, we uncover patterns that impact progress, while analysing processes reveals inefficiencies ripe for optimisation. This dual focus empowers us to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive bottom-line results.
Steve Knapp, Demystifying the Journey to Sales Excellence

Rob Taylor brought the second half: The Buyer Revolution, a research programme with more than 1,000 B2B buyers, and the AI Readiness Research with commercial teams. In 2026 the framework was updated so that every one of its 35 capabilities carries a Buyer Revolution direction and an AI lens. The heritage is Shell; the evidence is current.

"A programmatic approach to sales excellence based on clear targets and rewards, consistent use of CRM, world class account management disciplines and regular sales coaching and feedback. The small team led by Steve had a significant impact on over 2000 sales professionals globally and was a key enabler for increased sales and profitability."

Mark Gainsboroughon the Sales First Programme in Shell's B2B sales organisation

"Great sales insights from Steve, but not only for the sales team but crucially for our whole organisation. Lots of the team positive on the messages and how we can think differently about growth. Would highly recommend."

Dougie LattaVice President, Fans and Heaters, Howden

"Steve provided a very practical approach to make the team converge towards commonly supported outputs, and his rich experience, acquired in the field, to help consider several workable options. I would definitely renew the experience."

Laurent BlanchetOperational and commercial excellence, global Sales Effectiveness workshop

Rob Taylor presenting Plan Grow Do research at ILMA 2025 — Rob Taylor presenting the buyer research at ILMA, 2025.

Steve Knapp on an industry panel in 2025 — Steve Knapp on the UKLA panel, 2025.

The journey

From a line in the sand to a plan the whole business can follow

Three routes in, one framework throughout. Each step uses the output of the last, so nothing is repeated and nothing is guessed.

Start

Five minutes

One leader, 25 questions, an instant report.

Readiness

Your position

Overall level, five pillars, first three moves.

Team

The team's view

All 35 capabilities, every seller, the gap between leadership and the floor.

Validate

Interviews

Themes tested with the people who live them.

Result

A sequenced plan

Your plotted position and the next twelve months, in order.

Three routes in

Choose the depth. The framework is the same.

Every route plots you on the same five pillars and four levels. Start free and go deeper when you are ready, or begin with the full programme.

Step 1 · Free

Sales Excellence Readiness Assessment

Freeabout five minutes

For owners, CEOs, sales and commercial directors

Twenty-five questions on the framework's four levels. Your position on the map, a five-pillar scorecard, every gap connected to what buyers told us, the AI lens, and your first three moves. A ten-page report, on screen and by email.

Your overall level and score
Process enablement against standards and behaviours
Three moves sequenced across 90 days

Take the assessment

Step 2 · The team's view

The Do It Yourself Sales Excellence Assessment

£500+ VAT

For the whole sales function

A sales excellence assessment looking at the current effectiveness and efficiency of the sales function. A line in the sand: how your sellers perceive the professionalism and effectiveness of your sales, across all 35 capabilities.

Every seller answers, in their own words
Five data sets, one per pillar, plus the heat map
The gap between leadership's view and the team's, which is usually the finding

Book the team assessment

Step 3 · 12 weeks

Sales Excellence Assessment, Analysis and Plan

From£5,000+ VAT

For leadership teams ready to act

Through validation and clarification interviews and by using the input from your Sales Excellence digital survey, we establish the opportunities and blockers that will take your sales operation to the desired level, and build the plan and roadmap to get there.

Your plotted position on the framework
Findings presented to leadership, with the team's own words
A prioritised plan for the next twelve months, in sequence

See the twelve weeks

The 12-week timeline: scope, team briefing, the sales feedback form, the five pillar assessments, validation interviews, analysis, then the presentation of findings and the plan. View the timeline (PDF).

What changes

From a sales function that depends on people to one that runs on a system

Forecasts built on optimism and who owns the dealForecasts built on qualification, clean data and buying signals

Two or three heroes carrying the numberStandards every seller lives, and managers coach to

Sales as a silo the rest of the business toleratesOne growth system with shared targets and one version of the truth

Training that lifts for a quarter and fadesA sequenced plan where each change makes the next one stick

Coaching when a deal is already in troubleDiarised coaching that sellers ask for

AI as a worry, or a toyAI as a commercial enabler, inside every capability of the framework

What you walk away with

A measured, evidence-led baseline, and the order to work in

A baseline score and heat mapAcross the five pillars, with the level of every capability assessed.

Your position on the frameworkProcess enablement against standards and behaviours, and what that shape means.

The leadership-to-team gapWhere the boardroom's view and the sales floor's view diverge, and why.

The team's own wordsQualitative feedback collated by pillar, so the plan is built on what people actually said.

Prioritised recommendationsStrategy work and skills interventions for the next twelve months, sequenced.

The Buyer Revolution and AI lens on every gapWhat buyers said about that part of the framework, and where AI changes the answer.

Who it is for

Leaders who own the number and want a system, not another sales initiative

The framework was built for B2B sales operations where the buyer is an expert and the sale is technical: lubricants and fuels, chemicals, industrial manufacturing, engineering services and distribution. It works from a team of five to a global sales organisation, because the pillars and levels do not change; only the scale does.

Owners and Managing Directors

Sales and Commercial Directors

Sales Managers building a first-line standard

Technical and industrial B2B businesses

A leadership team working through the Sales Excellence Framework with Plan Grow Do

A B2B sales team working through the framework together — The team's view, gathered in the room

Sales team working through Plan Grow Do workbooks — Standards written down, then lived

A sales team after a Plan Grow Do session — One plan the whole business can follow

Questions

Sales Excellence Framework FAQs

What is the Sales Excellence Framework?

A map of a B2B sales operation on five pillars (Business Strategy, Growth Management, Sales Leadership, Sales Execution, Pipeline Management) and four levels (Missing, Inconsistent, Consistent, Inspiring). It was built from the methodology that transformed sales culture at Shell International and has been applied in more than 50 countries. In 2026 every capability was updated with a Buyer Revolution direction and an AI lens.

What does the free readiness assessment give me?

Twenty-five questions, about five minutes, no sign-up to start. You receive a ten-page report on screen and by email: your overall level and score, your position on the framework's two axes, a five-pillar scorecard with the level of every capability assessed, the buyer research figure connected to each gap, the AI lens at the next level, and your first three moves sequenced across 90 days.

What is the difference between the free assessment and the £500 assessment?

The free assessment is one leader's view across 25 capabilities. The Do It Yourself Sales Excellence Assessment gathers the whole sales function's view across all 35 capabilities, one data set per pillar plus the heat map, so you can see the gap between leadership's view and the team's. That gap is usually the finding.

What happens in the Assessment, Analysis and Plan programme?

A guided 12-week programme: scope and team briefing, the sales feedback form, the five pillar assessments, validation interviews with the team, analysis, then a presentation of the findings to leadership with your plotted position on the framework and a prioritised plan for the next twelve months. From £5,000 + VAT, depending on the size of the sales function and the depth of validation required.

How are the four levels assessed?

Every question offers four descriptions of how things are today, one for each level, in a shuffled order without labels. You choose the closest description. Pillar and overall scores are the average level, and the process capabilities and behaviour capabilities are averaged separately to plot your position on the framework's two axes.

Which sectors is it built for?

Technical and industrial B2B markets where the buyer is an expert: lubricants and fuels, chemicals, industrial manufacturing, engineering and technical services, and distribution. The research behind the framework's buyer lens comes from more than 1,000 lubricant buyers, and the framework itself applies to any B2B sales operation.

Who sees my answers?

Your responses are held by Plan Grow Do Ltd and used to prepare your report. Your report link is private to you. We will email your report and, if you choose, occasional Sales Excellence insight, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. We never share individual responses.

Plan Grow Do

Find out where you are. Then fix it in the right order.

Five minutes for your position on the framework. Twelve weeks for a plan the whole business can follow.

Take the free readiness assessment Talk to Steve and Rob

Talk to us

Talk to us about Sales Excellence

Tell us about your sales operation and what the next twelve months need to deliver. Prefer email? info@plangrowdo.com

Published 2024. Last updated 13 October 2026.