Introduction
What is Sales Metrics? Let’s get to it
Your team’s sales productivity isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure, but it is a process. Consistent sales and revenue growth are the outcomes of a scalable, repeatable sales process that produces consistent results. Once you have that, your firm can expand by adding new team members who are capable of learning the winning formula.
Unfortunately, this will not be possible until you have a clear knowledge of what works and, more importantly, what does not work for your firm. While you may be aware of who is a consistent performer, that information cannot be shared with the rest of the team unless you understand why they perform effectively. Understanding how and why to monitor your sales metrics is the first step in increasing sales productivity. What you can learn from this information allows you to make proactive decisions that will help your business grow.
In this blog, we’ll be learning about:
- What is Sales Metrics?
- Why should you keep track of sales metrics?
- Sales metrics vs KPIs
- Important sales metrics
What is Sales Metrics?
A sales metric is a data point that reflects sales performance. Data points – examined on an individual, team, or organizational level. Effective sales managers utilize metrics to track success toward targets, modify compensation, give bonuses or incentives, detect flaws, and plan for future growth or market changes before they spiral out of control.
Why should you keep track of sales metrics?
Sales would be the lead vocalist in your company’s rock band. Everyone is keen on sales and revenue success. Also, a great (or bad) performance may serve as a powerful rallying force for your whole organization.
Monitoring sales analytics in the form of sales metrics aids in improving performance, optimizing sales operations, and increasing responsibility. Your sales staff must prioritize a variety of duties while working in a fast-paced atmosphere. A well-defined sales analytics approach gives your team focus and clarity, allowing them to focus on what they do best.
Using the best sales tools can enhance your business reach.
Sales Metrics vs KPI
They may appear to be interchangeable, yet they are not. Metrics underpin all KPIs. You utilize them to keep track of your team’s development and gain a better understanding of how to lead them. However, not all metrics are KPIs.
The term “Key” in key performance indicator is the major differentiator. A metric must represent the company’s aim or objective to qualify as a KPI. A KPI, unlike other indicators – linked to the company’s overall strategy. However, some businesses make the mistake of believing that KPIs are all that matters.
They aren’t achieving a specific KPI. They realize something is wrong, but they aren’t sure what caused the low KPI. As a result, informed assumptions and erroneous strategy adjustments emerge. You won’t be able to pinpoint the reason behind that KPI’s failure unless you have other essential sales metrics. However, with the appropriate measurements, the reason and solution are more obvious.
Important sales metrics you should not overlook
The following sales metrics can be used to assess the overall success of a company:
Gross Revenue
Revenue is perhaps the most crucial measure for every company. Total income may be calculated on any time period, although it is most commonly measured monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Annual Recurring Revenue, or ARR, is a popular measure for measuring long-term success. Similarly, Monthly Recurring Revenue, or MRR, is a shorter-term comparable metric.
Total Deal Value / Deal Duration [Years, Months] = Annual or monthly revenue
When representatives are closing multi-year contracts and retention rates are strong, annual recurring revenue is a fantastic indicator for dependable revenue.
Average Revenue
Leaders and managers can use the average income generated by a single product, service, account, or client to determine where they should spend their attention and resources. It’s also crucial to recognize when your firm is significantly reliant on a few major clients, as evidenced by a greater average revenue per account.
Total Revenue /Number of [Accounts, Products, or Customers] = Average revenue
Market Expansion
Understanding your market share is critical since it indicates where your company is in relation to the projected growth in your business or sales plan. Typically, businesses would compare this to their total addressable market (TAM), which is an estimate of the size of a specific market for a product or service.
Total Revenue / TAM= Market Expansion
It’s important to remember that markets are dynamic, which means they can grow or shrink for a variety of reasons.
Attainment of Quotas
Quota attainment is exactly what it sounds like: the proportion of deals a salesperson has closed in respect to their assigned quota for a specific time period (either by number or by revenue). Depending on your sales cycle, it might be tracked monthly, quarterly, or annually.
(number of concluded deals or income in a particular time period) / (quota for that time period)=Quota attainment.
This is an important sales forecasting metric to keep track of how transactions have closed in comparison to objectives, as well as to identify reps who could benefit from further coaching or assistance. Reps’ quota achievement percentages may indicate the need for team structure adjustments if tracked over time.
Because this figure fluctuates during the month or quarter, you should track it at one-on-one sales meetings with your reps and managers. This will also help you to see if your team is regularly moving opportunities through the sales pipeline in the current and next quarters.
Winning Percentage
The percentage of deals that are closed-won within a given time period is referred to as the win rate.
Total number of winning opportunities / total number of closed chances Equals win rate (both won and lost)
Analyzing how the win rate varies over time may help you determine how well your sales agents are performing and how much sales pipeline coverage you’ll need to meet your sales goals. Win rates – segmented by product, team, marketing campaign, or other factors to provide insight into how each element performs.
Rate of Conversion
The conversion rate in sales refers to the number of qualifying leads that turn into won transactions.
Number of leads turned into sales / total qualifying leads = conversion rate
This crucial statistic is used to determine how successful your sales staff converts leads into new customers over time, as well as to enhance the overall quality of leads by aligning the sales and marketing teams. Monitoring conversion rates and the qualities of those leads over time ensures that your business remains focused on selling to the right consumers and grows.
Tracking the conversion rate between each step is useful for organizations with longer sales cycles and many sales stages. How frequently, for example, do net new leads become sales qualified pipeline, and how frequently do sales qualify pipeline to become revenue?
Understanding Numbers
Understanding these conversion numbers at each level will help you keep your revenue generator running smoothly. If the conversion rate from net new leads to sales qualified pipeline has been low in the past, you may need to try fine-tuning your top-of-funnel message or instrumentation to attract a different cohort of leads with more precise requirements.
Analyzing conversion rates by lead source adds another dimension to this. Sales teams should follow the origin of transactions in the sales funnel to gain a sense of which sources convert to new clients, which become stalled, and which are lost.
Customer Acquisition Cost
Tracking customer acquisition cost (CAC) helps you to identify the expenses associated with extending your client base and developing your organization. This is especially beneficial for businesses looking to grow fast or demonstrate their value to investors.
(Money + Time Spent) / Customers Acquired
Knowing your CAC helps to analyze your marketing and sales ROI easier, allowing you to optimize your budgets and spend cash properly. If you can reduce your CAC, you will enhance your profit margins and provide value to your firm.
Customer Lifetime Value
The value that a new client provides to your company isn’t limited to the amount of money they spend on their first transaction. The overall amount of value a buyer delivers during their lifetime as a customer – from their first purchase to the point of churn – is referred to as customer lifetime value (CLV).
CLV should be measured regularly to see how it varies over time.
Annual revenue per client multiplied by the number of years the customer has been a customer – Customer acquisition cost=CLV
If your yearly profit contribution per client is more variable, however, the more comprehensive version of this method should be used instead. You’ll need to know your typical gross margin per client lifetime, retention rate, and yearly discount rate in this scenario.
(Retention rate / [1+ Rate of discount – Retention rate]) *Gross margin
Customer lifetime value is understood best when connected to customer acquisition cost, regardless of whatever methodology you choose.
Sales Pipeline Coverage
Sales pipeline coverage is an important statistic for determining whether your team has enough chances flowing down the pipeline to meet quota for a particular time.
Your SPC ratio examines how filled your pipeline is in comparison to your period quota. Because not every change will result in a sale, SPC assists you in determining how many opportunities you should have running at any one time.
(Average Sales Days / 90 Days) * (1 / Close Rate) = Pipeline Forecast / Sales Forecast
Your SPC ratio indicates how much value your pipeline should have at any given time. For example, if your ratio is 5:1, you should seek to fill your pipeline with prospects worth at least five times your projected sales quota.
Conclusion
Sales data analysis might be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The procedure is difficult if you don’t concentrate. Sales metrics, on the other hand, increase overall sales success when combined with the proper strategy, smart tools, and particular recommendations.
Remember that the best sales plan is one that is always developing. Newmarket variables, KPIs, sales performance, and so on will be introduced over time.
As a result, iterating the sales strategy aids in decision-making and propelling the company to new heights. Finally, it can help you meet your sales targets and develop a loyal client base.
Following the Sales Process steps and Sales Methodology increases your success.