Theory provides the groundwork and techniques in an ideal setting, while practice applies these concepts to the unpredictable real world, especially in fields like sales. To bridge theory with real-world experience, break down classroom-taught skills into practical applications for daily interactions. What is the skill that's being taught in the classroom and where else can it be used, outside of the sales process? Negotiation, executive presence, conducting discovery, etc. are all skills that can be applied to other ares of work/life. Where and how can you provide an opportunity to practice building this skill besides with your customer? Then, consider the amount of effort/scale the skill can be practiced to gain more experience: * Large scale/low touch: Use tools like AI simulations and roleplays for controlled practice. This is best leveraged when learning a new framework or skill. * Med scale/touch: Offer chances for individuals to apply skills in internal meetings and conversations where the skill can be demonstrated with others in a safe space. * One-to One/high touch: Encourage leaders/trainers to provide feedback through reviews of recorded calls or shadowing in-person meetings for timely coaching to the individual and the skill.

So much of the sales KPI tracking has been automated (# meetings, Pipeline generated, funnel progression) so I find the manual ones more difficult to track, but move the needle the most. ie: how many on-sites did a rep conduct this quarter? It's a manual process for reps to log into a CRM and update a meeting field as "in person" and often gets over looked in an organization. There is no substitute for in person meetings. Another example that's difficult to track things like how many new business units or contacts from other business units you broke into in a month, quarter, or year.

Sales KPIs play a critical role in forecast accuracy, especially in unpredictable markets. Amidst the market turbulence, really the only thing you have are deal execution and forecast accuracy. The difference between having a math based forecast everyone is aligned around vs not is stark. There are so many ways to cut your forecast in an effort to determine where you'll land. The math itself is important but the most important is having a shared language and "walkup" in order to pinpoint the assumptions you're making - so you can have an in-depth discussion in a short amount of time.

Re-evaluating KPIs on a regular basis is a healthy practice for your company. Just because it worked this year, doesn't mean those same motions will work next. For instance, in year's past, you may have been okay working with a Business Head to justify budget. Nowadays, CFO's are scrutinizing expenses more than ever, expecting to see the R in ROI. If you are not involving them early, your success rate is likely suffering. You'll want to evaluate the attributes making up your wins vs the deals you lose, before determining what to use moving forward. It could be access to power, Executive alignment, departments involved, breadth of solution to differentiate from competition, on-sites delivered, problems you're solving, or length of sales cycle. Identify your trends and set those as your targets. Then make sure you have a simply process to track the data and hold your sellers accountable.

The sales equation is quite simple: Pipeline x Average Sales Price x Close Rate = Revenue If not all KPIs are measured leading to this equation we are missing out. Focus should be on the area with the biggest gap! Also if you have strategic objectives like Net New Growth or shift in a product mix or geographic expansion those KPIs become more relevant. So the importance of KPIs are dependent upon priorities. The basic function is the above mentioned sales equation.

KPIs can be over-hyped when they solely focus on action and lack direction. E.g. “make 100 dials” can result in sellers sacrificing quality for quantity, or in the case of a company I’ve spoken with — hundreds of AEs calling a now-defunct local pizza line to pad their stats. (True story!) More helpful is to direct the action towards an end that benefits the seller and the business — “make 100 dials or key personas in our database to accomplish this relevant CTA”.

If I were a sales rep trying to justify a raise, I would ensure I know: -Performance against quota -Percent to goal -MRR / ARR sold -If at a very early stage company, your contribution to the company's growth might be material, what % growth on the top line did you drive? -If larger, I'd be thinking about the KPI impact of strategic projects. I.e. if you developed a sales play that increased close rates of your peers from 20 to 30% - can you quantify that impact in revenue. It's a lot easier to ask for a raise when you can spell out that you drove $1 mil in incremental growth above and beyond your quota.

I would say adding more rigor around the reporting of KPIs on a weekly basis does help reps stay accountable. It should not be a one and done discussion if you want certain behaviors to be consistent. It is also beneficial to make sure KPI expectations are understood by any new reps coming in to a business. Ensuring good behaviors are exhibited from the start of a new reps tenure will set them up for ongoing success.

Being in sales, we experience challenges on a daily basis. One of the bigger frustrations is having a great quarter or year and then seeing the dial goes back to zero, knowing you need to start all over again. It’s what we all sign up for, but that doesn’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow. As a sales leader, one of the biggest challenges can be motivating reps to maintain consistency. Keeping reps motivated to successfully climb the mountain each quarter is not a one size fits all approach. For some reps, it’s providing growth and development opportunities that keep them driving, for others it’s SPIFs and recognition that helps them get where they need to be. Finding a way to effectively manage your time can be another big frustration. At times, the sheer number of responsibilities on our plate can feel overwhelming. It’s hard when everyone seems to need something from you and there aren't enough hours in the day. I’ve found that it’s important to be as highly organized as possible, prioritize tasks, learn your productivity patterns, block out calendars to complete important activities and schedule breaks to refresh.

Great question and something I love talking to (and sometimes 'debating') our leaders about - the idea behind 'what's the characteristic (or two) of your best seller you would want to clone?' For me, at the top of the list are 2 attributes I look for in potential sales team members: 1) 'Customer first' mindset: I don't want to lead or support a team of 'vendors' who are only interested in selling 'licenses'. I want to enable a team of 'consultants' or 'trusted advisors' that are not interested in selling 'licenses', but providing 'customer solutions' built on value. I want sales teams built on the belief that they can differentiate themselves by showing up to a prospect/customer meeting with curiosity and a perspective on what is happening in the particular industry and company...prospects will pick up on the fact that you seem genuinely interested in understanding their reality. 2) The ability to be a master customer storyteller...something I call 'storyselling'. To me this is an important attribute if you are hoping your sellers show up like 'consultants' and sell on value. Think of how you like to be sold to...most want to partner with someone who understands their current situation, and desired future state. You typically buy from someone you trust, and that trust is typically built out of 'experience' or 'subject matter expertise'. Finally, you want someone who can paint a picture of the future, to get you excited about the 'art of the possible' and nothing means more and comes off as 'authentic' than hearing stories of how other customers, of a similar size and industry, or facing the same challenge, have transformed their business in the way you are looking to do so.