What makes a great salesperson? Consistency. And this gets more important when you’re dealing with a sales team.
This isn’t exactly news - I’ve written about it. So have these guys.
Do you show up every day?
We expect people to say, “Fuck yes. I’m always hustling.”
But for many executives and managers, this isn’t easy to quantify. Some overcomplicate the process. Others focus on the wrong metrics. (We've put together a sales management toolkit with templates, checklists, and more to make managing a sales team easier for you. Download it here for free.)
So, what’s the best way to measure sales consistency?
Identify the Metrics That Matter
First, figure out precisely what you’re going to measure. I’d keep my eye on:
- Activity: How many calls are made? How many emails are sent?
- Quality: What’s the reach rate? What’s the open rate?
- Conversions: How many demos have been scheduled? How many free trials are registered? How many deals closed?
Do you want to understand the nuances of total contract value? Start here.
Track Individual Sales Activity
By studying the number of calls, responses, minutes per call, and conversions, you can establish baselines of consistency for each of your salespeople.
Once those baselines are set, you can effectively weigh performance data and work towards solutions to get low-performing salespeople back on track.
Track Team Sales Activity
When you develop a high-level understanding of your team’s sales activity for a given period, planning for long-term growth is easier. It also provides an opportunity to compare an individual’s performance to the team’s.
Okay, this is all good stuff, but what does activity tracking look like?
Here’s a quick example:
With Close or any solid sales management software, you can generate detailed activity reports for individuals and your entire team.
Want to know how many calls I made from July 31 to August 5, and how that compares to Walter, Samantha, and Philip? The answers are right in front of you.
Why is This Important?
Charts and graphs help us visualize data. They’re a quick way to analyze and compare multiple pieces of information simultaneously. The peaks and valleys prove our consistency over a week, month, or year.
What Else Can Activity Reports Tell Me?
Let’s use the graph above to discuss an imaginary world where I only make ten daily calls. We’ll focus on Walter for now since this is already a little weird to me.
Because you—the sales manager—understand our team’s performance well, you know that Walter typically averages 12 calls per day. However, This week, he’s only making 4-5 calls daily. After looking at the data, you have two options:
- Chalk it up to a bad week—even Jordan had shooting slumps
- Assess the situation and strategize ways to improve his performance
As you prepare for a conversation with Walter, you gather more data. First, you select another metric—minutes per call—and generate a report. At the end of the graph, you notice a pretty significant spike.
Here’s what you learn: From July 31 to August 5, Walter spent an average of 14 additional minutes per call.
Next, you check out his conversions and find he secured five more demos than any other 6-day span.
That drop in calls isn’t such a big deal, right?
When you ask him what he’s doing differently, there’s a simple answer: he’s using more open-ended questions on calls. This keeps prospects on the line so he can walk them through more steps in the sales process.
Because Walter consistently makes 12 calls daily, any deviation from that pattern tells you that something good or bad is worth investigating.
So what’s the lesson? Consistency provides activity data. Activity data leads to actionable insights. And actionable insights close more deals.
To learn more about how our reports promote sales consistency, check out our reporting feature or sign up to start your 14-day free trial.
