Opportunity-Effort-Skill Diagnostic
Find the constraint before prescribing the fix
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 98%
Sharran Srivatsaa models sales performance as a triangle with three sides: opportunity, effort, and skill. Opportunity means having leads or people to speak with; effort means doing the required work; skill means having the capability to convert the opportunity. A company can supply training and leads, but the salesperson must still contribute effort. When results fall short, the leader should diagnose which side is weak instead of defaulting to more motivation or more training. Sharran uses business hours as a quick probe for an effort problem, because an unstructured day can expose inconsistent activity. The mechanism is constraint matching: identify the missing input, then choose the intervention that directly strengthens it.
Origin
Extracted from Coffeez for Closers. Sharran Srivatsaa described the triangle as his quick diagnostic for sales professionals and organizations.
Core principles
- 01Performance depends on opportunity, effort, and skill
- 02A weak result does not reveal which input is missing
- 03Each constraint requires a different intervention
- 04Honest diagnosis makes the next action clearer
How to run it
- 1
Check opportunity
Determine whether the person has enough qualified leads, conversations, or situations in which the desired skill can produce a result.
Pro tip Count real opportunities rather than assuming access to a company database means opportunities are reaching the salesperson.
- 2
Check effort
Inspect whether the person is consistently doing the work required to use those opportunities.
Pro tip Ask what business hours they keep to expose whether their activity has a dependable structure.
Watch out Do not call someone unskilled when the skill is simply not being applied.
- 3
Check skill
Assess whether the person can execute the scripts, framing, follow-up, and conversations the opportunity demands.
Pro tip Use live practice or an actual objection rather than relying only on completed training.
Watch out Providing information does not prove that a usable skill has been built.
- 4
Treat the constraint
Name the primary weak side and apply the corresponding fix: more opportunity, more consistent effort, or targeted skill development.
Pro tip Reassess after the fix because removing one constraint can reveal another.
In the wild
When a salesperson appears inconsistent, Sharran asks what business hours they keep. If they have no defined hours and work only when business happens to arrive, he identifies effort and structure as the immediate constraint rather than prescribing more leads or another sales course.
→ The diagnosis points to a work-rhythm intervention instead of a mismatched solution.
Sharran explains that a company can give its salespeople opportunity through leads and skill through training. The remaining requirement is for each salesperson to bring the effort needed to use both inputs.
→ Responsibility is divided clearly between the organization and the salesperson.
Common mistakes
Prescribing before diagnosing
Adding leads, training, or pressure without identifying the weak input can leave the actual constraint untouched.
Confusing flexibility with effort
A flexible role can still require defined working habits; otherwise available time may never become consistent activity.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for diagnosing underperformance in sales roles where leads, activity, and capability can each constrain results.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when performance is primarily blocked by an external factor outside opportunity, effort, or skill.
From the transcript
“there is opportunity number one”
“the second is effort and the third is skill”
“is this a opportunity problem is this an effort problem or is this a skill problem”
From the episode
Real Entrepreneurship Spirit with Sharran Srivatsaa