AMA: Asana Head of Enterprise, North America, Mike Haylon on Sales KPIs

I like a consistent review of competitive win rates by stage. I think these can serve as early signals to so much: from how your narrative is landing, whether price is where you fall down or perhaps even foresight into late losses building up as a result of a missing piece of functionality or two. We have the benefit of someone who dedicates the majority of their time on content creation, visiting with customers and regular analysis of our results. Whether or not you can make this a full-time jo ...Read More

As important as any KPI is why the metric is being measured, how you intend to reliably collect and review the data and the frequency you will get together to review the trend good or bad. In entering new markets, however difficult and unpredictable, you need to establish what you do believe to be true: size of the TAM, ICP definition and owners of each stage and target conversion of part of the funnel. Once you commit to the process - and give enough time for the work to show meaningful results ...Read More

I think any KPI that is not integrated into the quota and comp structure for any AE by and large is misguided. If you want AEs to focus on specific behaviors then build it into their comp plan and prioritize quota relief over increased commission payments if you have to choose. There are only two exceptions to this in my mind: any KPIs (pipe coverage, onsite meetings, etc.) where you can establish a direct connection to the health of those metrics and their ability to close more revenue OR behav ...Read More

Sales leaders can set KPIs around behaviors we want to see and hold the team accountable to them but top performers will disregard them if they don’t find it is what puts them in the best position to achieve their growth targets. That’s why it’s really important to spend meaningful time with your top account executives upfront to be sure you have a pulse on the ways in which they are translating the strategy you’ve set into actual work in the field. If I believe based on the data that it will ta ...Read More

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 ass ...Read More