How do you set goals for your Demand Gen team? What do you hold them accountable to?

The demand gen team is goaled on inbound stage 2 Salesforce opportunities. Not only do we need to create demand, but we also have to capture it, nurture it, and progress it down the sale funnel, all while increasing velocity by removing friction at every stage of the prospects' journey. 

The inbound stage 2 Salesforce goal is determined by our revenue goals. We work backward from what revenue we need to hit our corporate goals. We then look at the Salesforce opportunity progression percentages to determine how many inbound stage 2s we need to hit that revenue goal, then I work backward to determine how many stage 1s I need with our given stage 1 to stage 2 conversion rate. I do the same to determine how many marketing-qualified leads we need and how many engaged leads we need to hit our goals.

To keep each other accountable, we offer absolute transparency into how we are pacing toward our goals. We have a dashboard that shows our quarterly goals and how we are pacing toward those goals. This dashboard is refreshed every 3 hours. 

The goals you set for your demand gen team should be aligned with the overall business goals. The team is there to support the overarching desired business outcomes and the sales teams. Therefore, the goals and KPIs for the team should align with the business KPIs.

Depending on your business, this can take different forms. For example, do you have a PLG (Product-Led Growth) go-to-market motion or a traditional sales go-to-market motion? Here are just a few examples of KPIs you may focus on:

1. MQLs or sign-ups, but not just as a count; there needs to be a quality metric tied to this.

2. Conversion rates.

3. Pipeline contribution up to an agreed-upon stage.

4. ROI and payback period.

What you hold the team accountable for should be based on what is needed from that specific discipline to support the desired business outcomes. For example, the field marketing team would have different goals compared to the growth marketing team. Remember that this is not a one-size-fits-all KPI and should be tailored to your specific business goals.