Are sales enablement budgets going to the right skills?

Uhubs Research Team • Published 1 Jul 2026 • Updated 17 Sep 2026 • 500,000+ dual-scored assessments • Methodology • Data tables • Full report
Published by Uhubs

Finding

Frequently not. Execution and commercial skill deficits outnumber interpersonal skill deficits by 4.6×: 64% of identified weaknesses are execution or commercial, against 14% interpersonal. Yet 50% of identified strengths are interpersonal.

The data

Skill category	Share of strengths	Share of weaknesses
Interpersonal / soft skills	50%	14%
Execution / commercial skills	30%	64%
Other	20%	22%

What it means for revenue leaders

Interpersonal skills training is easier to buy, easier to deliver and better received. It is also aimed at the strongest part of the capability profile. The actual gaps sit in time management, prospecting and strategy — three areas that are harder to teach and less popular in the room. The diagnostic question for any enablement budget: what proportion is going to execution and commercial competency versus interpersonal, and how does that compare to the 64/14 split in identified weaknesses?

How this was measured

Strengths, weaknesses and blindspots categorised across 80+ benchmarked competencies from paired rep and manager assessments. Blindspot = competency where the rep–manager gap is widest.

Source: Global Sales Capability Index 2026 (Uhubs). Based on 500,000+ dual-scored sales capability assessments across 45 countries and 30+ role types, 2020–2026. Published April 2026.