NOVA-6: The Sales Framework Distilled From 20+ Years in the Field

Most sellers don't lose deals because they don't know what to do. They lose deals because they don't do it — consistently, on every deal, even when they're busy. NOVA-6 is built around that gap.

It's not theory. It's an execution framework distilled from 20+ years of field sales experience and tested across thousands of real deals. Six dimensions. Twenty-seven checkpoints. One system a rep can follow on every opportunity.

Why a New Framework?

After two decades of carrying a quota, leading teams, and watching the same deal patterns play out over and over, one thing became clear: the principles that win in field sales are universal. What's missing is a single, opinionated system that tells a rep what to do next on the deal in front of them — without making them choose between a dozen overlapping playbooks.

NOVA-6 is that system. Six dimensions, scored 0–100, with stage-specific checkpoints that unlock as a deal progresses. Low scores show you exactly where to spend your next hour.

The Six Dimensions of NOVA-6

N — Needs Discovery

How deeply you understand the customer's current state, desired state, and the gap between them — including the personal stakes underneath the business problem.

Key behaviors:

• Documented current state with specific metrics
• Quantified impact of the problem in their numbers
• Connected to personal stakes, not just business impact
• Uncovered the problem behind the problem

O — Organization Power

Your access to and understanding of the decision-making structure. Too many deals die because the rep sold to the wrong person — or the right person, with no internal support.

Key behaviors:

• Mapped the org chart and influence lines
• Identified economic buyer, user buyer, and technical buyer by name
• Established an executive sponsor relationship
• Understood the informal power structure, not just the formal one

V — Value Influence

Your ability to create urgency and quantify the value of change. A good product isn't enough. Inaction has to feel more painful than the effort of changing.

Key behaviors:

• Calculated and communicated the cost of inaction
• Identified or created a compelling event
• Quantified ROI in the customer's own language
• Built a business case that survives internal scrutiny

A — Alignment Strategy

How well you're building consensus across the buying committee. In B2B, deals are rarely won or lost by one person — they require alignment across stakeholders with different priorities.

Key behaviors:

• Multi-threaded across 3+ stakeholders
• Tailored the value proposition to each persona
• Anticipated and addressed political obstacles early
• Built a coalition of support before asking for the decision

6 — Sixth Sense

The intangible elements: trust, credibility, rapport, and intuition. These are the reasons a customer picks you when the competitor has similar features and pricing.

Key behaviors:

• Established genuine rapport beyond business topics
• Demonstrated real domain expertise
• Read between the lines — what was said, and what was avoided
• Built a relationship that survives contact turnover

+ Nova Intelligence

How well you leverage data, patterns, and AI-powered insights to sharpen your approach. Modern sales isn't about working harder — it's about working smarter with the tools available.

Key behaviors:

• Using data to prioritize high-probability deals
• Recognizing patterns from similar won and lost deals
• Applying plays that have worked in similar situations
• Continuously learning and adapting your approach

How NOVA-6 Scoring Works

Each dimension gets a score from 0 to 100 based on the activities you've completed and the information you've gathered. Low scores tell you exactly where to focus.

High Organization Power but low Needs Discovery? You're talking to the right people but haven't uncovered compelling pain. High Needs Discovery but low Alignment Strategy? You've done great work with one person but haven't multi-threaded.

Implementing NOVA-6

The easiest way to implement NOVA-6 is through Opsight's AI coaching platform. For every deal in your pipeline, Opsight automatically calculates your NOVA-6 scores and gives you specific coaching on how to improve each dimension.

But even without software, you can start applying NOVA-6 today:

1. For each active deal, rate yourself 1–5 on each dimension
2. Identify your two lowest-scoring dimensions
3. Plan specific actions to improve those areas this week
4. Repeat weekly