Customer Data Reveals Gaps

C-Lens Index Data from a December 2009 scan. 322 customers.  Industrial supply company selling through distributors.

Here is just a small portion of a larger set of data.  These are basic sales actions.  Look at what customers say they are getting:

Note: Click on the graphs for a better view.

Note the 1-5 scale is defined in the blue box.  Look at the responses for choices 1 and 3.  Choice 1 is Important to Me and TM (Salesperson) does it Frequently.  Choice 3 is Important to me and TM does it Infrequently.

These are five relatively basic sales actions--asking questions, listening, etc.  For each of these, from 25-to 30-percent of customers are seeing these infrequently.  The implication is that a significant number of sales people aren't seen by customers as practicing a basic skill.  Are these skills unevenly distributed across the population of sales people?  What else could explain this data?