WEBVTT
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Welcome back to the Selling Point Podcast.
00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:26.559
I'm Anthony Nix, founder of Transformative Sales Systems, where we help small and mid-sized businesses build the sales leadership, process, coaching, and accountability they need to grow.
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:37.439
Now, if the first serious conversation about sales performance happens after the team misses its numbers, you have waited too long.
00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:41.759
By then, the problem may have been developing for weeks.
00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:47.600
In a business with long sales cycles, it may have been developing for months.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:53.600
You need a way to see that problem earlier while you still have time to act.
00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.640
That's what we're going to be talking about today.
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:05.280
Sales accountability without micromanaging, and how to build a sales scorecard that helps you lead.
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:13.760
As an owner, you should be able to understand where the sales effort is headed without chasing down an explanation of everyone's day.
00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:23.120
Your salespeople should know what you expect, how their performance is going to be reviewed, and what support they can count on.
00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:32.400
That starts with a small set of useful measures and a manager who follows through on what those measures reveal.
00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:43.599
Now, nobody's gonna uh contest that revenue matters, but it arrives after much of the selling work has happened.
00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:52.959
A salesperson can have a strong month because of work done six months ago, even while their future pipeline is getting weaker.
00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:59.200
Another person can be making real progress that hasn't produced an order yet.
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:07.920
Your scorecard needs to connect the work being done to the opportunities it creates and the business you actually win.
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:14.719
For a small B2B team, I'd start with five to seven measures.
00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:19.199
Each one should help you make a management decision.
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:21.840
Fit the measures to the role.
00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:31.439
Someone developing new accounts will need different expectations from an account manager protecting renewals or expanding existing relationships.
00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:38.879
A new hire's expectations should reflect where they are in the onboarding process.
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:52.080
For each measure, define what counts, who owns it, the target, the reporting period, and where the information is going to come from.
00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:58.000
Show actual results and enough history to recognize a pattern.
00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:04.719
When those definitions are missing, you spend the meeting arguing about the numbers.
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:16.960
All right, so I'm going to walk you through seven measures that are from a companion article that you can find on the blog on Transformative Sales Systems.com.
00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:21.280
And I'll include it in the description of this podcast.
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:29.360
Think of this as starting as a starting scorecard for a team responsible for new business.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:35.120
The article's sample targets are hypothetical team totals.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.520
They need to be adapted to your business.
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:44.240
The first measure is meaningful prospect conversations.
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:58.719
Count completed discussions with target accounts where the salesperson learns something about a business issue and documents a next action or a clear reason to stop pursuing it.
00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:03.439
In the sample, an account counts once per week.
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:08.800
Repeated calls to the same account don't inflate that week's total.
00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.800
Next, newly qualified opportunities.
00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:17.600
Agree on the evidence required before something qualifies.
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:28.560
That might include a business need, fit with your capabilities, a credible decision path, a next step agreed to with the buyer.
00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:34.480
Count each distinct opportunity once when it first meets those conditions.
00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:42.560
A revised quote or a move to another CRM stage does not create another opportunity.
00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.759
Next, new qualified pipeline value.
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:56.560
Opportunity count alone can hide a problem if the team is creating deals that are too small to support the goal.
00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:06.399
The sample looks at the value of opportunities that first qualified during the last latest four weeks.
00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:10.639
Use the same basis for valuing those opportunities.
00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:19.759
Mixing annual values on one deal with three years of potential sales on another gives you a very misleading total.
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:30.879
All right, next, the percentage of active qualified opportunities with a current dated next step agreed with the buyer.
00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:37.040
A reminder to send another email tells you what the salesperson intends to do.
00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:45.519
A buyer agreeing to meet Thursday to review the proposed scope gives you evidence of the buyer's involvement.
00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.720
Show the count behind that percentage.
00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:55.439
Nine out of 10, 90 out of 100 are both 90%, but volume does matter here.
00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:01.519
If there are no eligible opportunities, report the measure as not applicable.
00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:06.560
Missing information should remain unknown until someone verifies it.
00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.240
Define which opportunities are active.
00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:17.199
Keep one, lost, inactive, and on hold deals out of that calculation.
00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:21.439
And make their movement visible separately.
00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:30.079
Otherwise, removing a stalled opportunity can improve the percentage while leaving the underlying sales problem unresolved.
00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:35.839
Now fifth, seller commitments completed on time.
00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:41.519
These are the actions the salesperson owns and has agreed to finish.
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:46.160
Measure completion against the original due date.
00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.319
If a date legitimately changes, document why.
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:58.800
Quietly moving the date before the meeting hides a missed commitment and makes the scorecard less useful.
00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:07.600
For this percentage, divide the actions completed on time by all of the sellers' actions due that week.
00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:11.600
If no actions were due, then the result is not applicable.
00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:20.560
A missed action means it remains visible even if the salesperson finishes it later.
00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.360
Sixth, new business bookings.
00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:31.360
These are firm orders or signed contracts that meet your company's booking rules.
00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:38.720
Keep potential pipeline, unsigned quotes, and uncommitted forecasts out of that number.
00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:46.319
Bookings, invoice sales, recognized revenue, and cash collected describe different events.
00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.160
Label the result you're measuring correctly.
00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:56.399
Seventh, estimated margin on booked work.
00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:04.240
Growing order volume while giving away the margin can create a completely different problem for a business.
00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:16.079
Working with estimating or financing to calculate the margin across the book worked using total booked value and the associated estimated direct costs.
00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:19.040
Remember, this is just an estimate.
00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:23.920
Actual job results will and probably be different.
00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:31.600
Together, these measures give you several places to investigate when performance changes.
00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:39.279
Review them at the same time, same weekly cutoff while preserving each measure's time period.
00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:46.879
A quarterly booking target remains quarterly even though you check progress every week.
00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:49.679
Look at the pattern across the measures.
00:08:50.159 --> 00:09:00.720
If conversations increase but newly qualified opportunities to clean over decline over the next several weeks, examine account selection and discovery.
00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:10.000
If bookings are strong while new qualified pipeline keeps falling, future results might be very much at risk.
00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:20.799
The explanation still comes from reviewing the opportunities, talking with the salesperson, and understanding what has changed.
00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:28.399
Now, before you copy anyone else's targets, work backwards from your own business goals.
00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:31.279
So here's kind of a simplified example.
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Suppose your team needs 300,000 in new bookings during a quarter.
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If the average one deal is$50,000, you need six wins.
00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:54.000
Now, let's suppose 30% of comparable, fully resolved, qualified opportunities have historically become customers.
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Roughly 20 opportunities, qualified opportunities, would support six expected wins.
00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:04.960
That's a planning estimate.
00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:07.440
It doesn't guarantee six orders.
00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.120
Timing matters just as much.
00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:20.080
If your sales cycle is six months, opportunities created this quarter may be supporting a later quarter.
00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:29.120
You need to understand both the pipeline available to close now and the pipeline you're creating for the future.
00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:36.240
Use your history to set reasonable expectations and revisit the assumptions as you learn.
00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:42.480
Make sure someone can explain how a weekly target supports the business goal.
00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:52.799
And remember that the sales leader owns the team's results while individual salespeople own their assigned responsibilities.
00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:58.480
Now here's why the scorecard earns its place in a meeting.
00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.799
Let's use a coaching example.
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Suppose you and a salesperson have agreed on a target of two newly qualified opportunities per week.
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They've had enough substantive conversations, but only one opportunity qualified.
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Start by checking what happened.
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Review a few of those conversations.
00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.720
Perhaps the accounts were a poor fit.
00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:33.759
Perhaps the salesperson moved straight into product discussion and never undercover uncovered a business problem or issue.
00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:40.000
Or perhaps the opportunity is real, but the next step is kind of vague.
00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:45.279
Each explanation calls for a different response.
00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:52.080
Telling the salesperson to make more calls doesn't resolve a discovery skill gap.
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Suppose discovery is the problem.
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Agree that the salesperson will prepare questions for two upcoming calls.
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You will review those questions beforehand, focusing on the business impact and how the customer will make a decision.
00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:14.399
Then you'll debrief the calls and look at what the salesperson learned.
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Set a completion date and review the commitments at the next meeting.
00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:28.240
Now the scorecard has helped you identify a specific coaching need and took action on it.
00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.679
Keep the meeting structure practical.
00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:35.759
The team review can identify patterns and assign issues.
00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:40.240
Detailed opportunity inspection belongs in the pipeline review.
00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:44.879
And individual skill development needs protected coaching time.
00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:49.679
Sometimes the issue belongs to management.
00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:58.080
If qualified projects are waiting on estimates or pricing decisions, the sales leader needs to help resolve that delay.
00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:03.519
Asking the salesperson for another update won't remove that bottleneck.
00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:11.840
Your behavior as the manager determines whether the process helps people perform.
00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:15.840
You got to keep it accountable, accountability fair.
00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:26.399
If you've agreed that a proposal will reach the customer by Thursday with the scope and the margin approved, give a capable salesperson room to deliver it.
00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:31.120
Use the shared CRM record and the normal review schedule.
00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:38.240
Step in sooner when something changes that requires a decision or puts the commitment at risk.
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:43.600
More frequent contact may be appropriate during onboarding.
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A recovery plan or an important deal.
00:13:46.960 --> 00:14:01.840
Explain the reason, the support you're going to provide as the sales leader, and when you'll return back to the normal rhythm, people should understand why the level of involvement has changed.
00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:05.519
Hold yourself to the same standard.
00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:12.639
If you promise a pricing decision, an introduction, or a coaching session, you had better deliver it.
00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:17.679
Your missed commitments affect the team's ability to meet theirs.
00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:23.120
And also pay attention to what the numbers may encourage.
00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:31.200
A pipeline target can tempt people to keep weak deals open or enter optimistic values.
00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:36.960
An on-time completion target can tempt them to rewrite due dates.
00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:43.360
Review a few underlying records, including records behind the numbers that look healthy.
00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.919
Make it reasonable to report bad news promptly.
00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:59.200
If correcting a forecast or closing out a legitimate loss triggers a public interrogation, people may delay telling you what's really going on.
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:04.240
You lose the early visibility you were trying to create.
00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:18.960
You still address repeated failures to meet clear expectations, document the pattern, provide appropriate support, and make the performance decision the evidence calls for.
00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:23.039
Accurate reporting helps you do that fairly.
00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:28.320
Now, you can begin with a manageable first month.
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:37.679
In the first week, choose the measures, write the counting rules, name the owners, and review the history before setting the targets.
00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:42.799
Ask the team where the data is unclear or difficult to collect.
00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:48.240
In the second week, run the report and check the records behind it.
00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:54.159
Fixing reporting problems before drawing conclusion about somebody's performance.
00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:01.919
During the third week, use the results to choose a coaching or process issue that needs attention.
00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:05.440
Assign a specific action and a completion date.
00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.720
Follow up so people see that the review leads to something useful.
00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:17.919
At the end of the month, evaluate whether the scorecard is accurate in helping you make decisions.
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:20.639
Remove measures nobody uses.
00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:32.240
Make changes to definitions and targets prospectively so you preserve an honest record of what was expected.
00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:36.799
Thirty days can tell you whether the reporting routine works.
00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:47.279
Understanding whether an early indicator actually relates to later revenue can take one or two full sales cycles.
00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:57.679
Now, again, the companion article for this is located in the description of the podcast that you found this on.
00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.159
And you could use it and follow along.
00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:06.799
At your next sales meeting, pay attention to what happens after numbers fall short.
00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:15.839
The value of the scorecard shows up in the action someone takes afterwards and whether leadership follows through.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:25.279
Again, the companion article, Sales Accountability Without Micromanagement, includes the seven measures, counting rules, and some illustrative targets.
00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:30.880
You can visit Transformative Sales Systems.com and look for the article in the blog.
00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:40.160
At Transformative Sales Systems, we provide fractional sales management to help owners put structure in place, just like what I've been discussing.
00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:51.599
We connect the sales process, the scorecard, and the coaching so the team has a clear expectation and the manager who can help it improve.
00:17:52.000 --> 00:18:02.079
If your weekly sales meetings keep returning to the same unresolved issues, let's talk about the sales leadership your business needs.
00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:07.680
Really appreciate you all and thanks for listening to the Selling Point podcast.
00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:09.519
I am Anthony Nix.
00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:14.720
Keep leading, keep improving, and I'll see you next time.
00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.640
Welcome back to the Selling Point Podcast.
00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:26.559
I'm Anthony Nix, founder of Transformative Sales Systems, where we help small and mid-sized businesses build the sales leadership, process, coaching, and accountability they need to grow.
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:37.439
Now, if the first serious conversation about sales performance happens after the team misses its numbers, you have waited too long.
00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:41.759
By then, the problem may have been developing for weeks.
00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:47.600
In a business with long sales cycles, it may have been developing for months.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:53.600
You need a way to see that problem earlier while you still have time to act.
00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.640
That's what we're going to be talking about today.
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:05.280
Sales accountability without micromanaging, and how to build a sales scorecard that helps you lead.
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:13.760
As an owner, you should be able to understand where the sales effort is headed without chasing down an explanation of everyone's day.
00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:23.120
Your salespeople should know what you expect, how their performance is going to be reviewed, and what support they can count on.
00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:32.400
That starts with a small set of useful measures and a manager who follows through on what those measures reveal.
00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:43.599
Now, nobody's gonna uh contest that revenue matters, but it arrives after much of the selling work has happened.
00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:52.959
A salesperson can have a strong month because of work done six months ago, even while their future pipeline is getting weaker.
00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:59.200
Another person can be making real progress that hasn't produced an order yet.
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:07.920
Your scorecard needs to connect the work being done to the opportunities it creates and the business you actually win.
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:14.719
For a small B2B team, I'd start with five to seven measures.
00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:19.199
Each one should help you make a management decision.
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:21.840
Fit the measures to the role.
00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:31.439
Someone developing new accounts will need different expectations from an account manager protecting renewals or expanding existing relationships.
00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:38.879
A new hire's expectations should reflect where they are in the onboarding process.
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:52.080
For each measure, define what counts, who owns it, the target, the reporting period, and where the information is going to come from.
00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:58.000
Show actual results and enough history to recognize a pattern.
00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:04.719
When those definitions are missing, you spend the meeting arguing about the numbers.
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:16.960
All right, so I'm going to walk you through seven measures that are from a companion article that you can find on the blog on Transformative Sales Systems.com.
00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:21.280
And I'll include it in the description of this podcast.
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:29.360
Think of this as starting as a starting scorecard for a team responsible for new business.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:35.120
The article's sample targets are hypothetical team totals.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.520
They need to be adapted to your business.
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:44.240
The first measure is meaningful prospect conversations.
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:58.719
Count completed discussions with target accounts where the salesperson learns something about a business issue and documents a next action or a clear reason to stop pursuing it.
00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:03.439
In the sample, an account counts once per week.
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:08.800
Repeated calls to the same account don't inflate that week's total.
00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.800
Next, newly qualified opportunities.
00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:17.600
Agree on the evidence required before something qualifies.
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:28.560
That might include a business need, fit with your capabilities, a credible decision path, a next step agreed to with the buyer.
00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:34.480
Count each distinct opportunity once when it first meets those conditions.
00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:42.560
A revised quote or a move to another CRM stage does not create another opportunity.
00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.759
Next, new qualified pipeline value.
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:56.560
Opportunity count alone can hide a problem if the team is creating deals that are too small to support the goal.
00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:06.399
The sample looks at the value of opportunities that first qualified during the last latest four weeks.
00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:10.639
Use the same basis for valuing those opportunities.
00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:19.759
Mixing annual values on one deal with three years of potential sales on another gives you a very misleading total.
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:30.879
All right, next, the percentage of active qualified opportunities with a current dated next step agreed with the buyer.
00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:37.040
A reminder to send another email tells you what the salesperson intends to do.
00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:45.519
A buyer agreeing to meet Thursday to review the proposed scope gives you evidence of the buyer's involvement.
00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.720
Show the count behind that percentage.
00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:55.439
Nine out of 10, 90 out of 100 are both 90%, but volume does matter here.
00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:01.519
If there are no eligible opportunities, report the measure as not applicable.
00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:06.560
Missing information should remain unknown until someone verifies it.
00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.240
Define which opportunities are active.
00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:17.199
Keep one, lost, inactive, and on hold deals out of that calculation.
00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:21.439
And make their movement visible separately.
00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:30.079
Otherwise, removing a stalled opportunity can improve the percentage while leaving the underlying sales problem unresolved.
00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:35.839
Now fifth, seller commitments completed on time.
00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:41.519
These are the actions the salesperson owns and has agreed to finish.
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:46.160
Measure completion against the original due date.
00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.319
If a date legitimately changes, document why.
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:58.800
Quietly moving the date before the meeting hides a missed commitment and makes the scorecard less useful.
00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:07.600
For this percentage, divide the actions completed on time by all of the sellers' actions due that week.
00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:11.600
If no actions were due, then the result is not applicable.
00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:20.560
A missed action means it remains visible even if the salesperson finishes it later.
00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.360
Sixth, new business bookings.
00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:31.360
These are firm orders or signed contracts that meet your company's booking rules.
00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:38.720
Keep potential pipeline, unsigned quotes, and uncommitted forecasts out of that number.
00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:46.319
Bookings, invoice sales, recognized revenue, and cash collected describe different events.
00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.160
Label the result you're measuring correctly.
00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:56.399
Seventh, estimated margin on booked work.
00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:04.240
Growing order volume while giving away the margin can create a completely different problem for a business.
00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:16.079
Working with estimating or financing to calculate the margin across the book worked using total booked value and the associated estimated direct costs.
00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:19.040
Remember, this is just an estimate.
00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:23.920
Actual job results will and probably be different.
00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:31.600
Together, these measures give you several places to investigate when performance changes.
00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:39.279
Review them at the same time, same weekly cutoff while preserving each measure's time period.
00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:46.879
A quarterly booking target remains quarterly even though you check progress every week.
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Look at the pattern across the measures.
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If conversations increase but newly qualified opportunities to clean over decline over the next several weeks, examine account selection and discovery.
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If bookings are strong while new qualified pipeline keeps falling, future results might be very much at risk.
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The explanation still comes from reviewing the opportunities, talking with the salesperson, and understanding what has changed.
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Now, before you copy anyone else's targets, work backwards from your own business goals.
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So here's kind of a simplified example.
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Suppose your team needs 300,000 in new bookings during a quarter.
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If the average one deal is$50,000, you need six wins.
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Now, let's suppose 30% of comparable, fully resolved, qualified opportunities have historically become customers.
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Roughly 20 opportunities, qualified opportunities, would support six expected wins.
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That's a planning estimate.
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It doesn't guarantee six orders.
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Timing matters just as much.
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If your sales cycle is six months, opportunities created this quarter may be supporting a later quarter.
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You need to understand both the pipeline available to close now and the pipeline you're creating for the future.
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Use your history to set reasonable expectations and revisit the assumptions as you learn.
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Make sure someone can explain how a weekly target supports the business goal.
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And remember that the sales leader owns the team's results while individual salespeople own their assigned responsibilities.
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Now here's why the scorecard earns its place in a meeting.
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Let's use a coaching example.
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Suppose you and a salesperson have agreed on a target of two newly qualified opportunities per week.
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They've had enough substantive conversations, but only one opportunity qualified.
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Start by checking what happened.
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Review a few of those conversations.
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Perhaps the accounts were a poor fit.
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Perhaps the salesperson moved straight into product discussion and never undercover uncovered a business problem or issue.
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Or perhaps the opportunity is real, but the next step is kind of vague.
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Each explanation calls for a different response.
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Telling the salesperson to make more calls doesn't resolve a discovery skill gap.
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Suppose discovery is the problem.
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Agree that the salesperson will prepare questions for two upcoming calls.
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You will review those questions beforehand, focusing on the business impact and how the customer will make a decision.
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Then you'll debrief the calls and look at what the salesperson learned.
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Set a completion date and review the commitments at the next meeting.
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Now the scorecard has helped you identify a specific coaching need and took action on it.
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Keep the meeting structure practical.
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The team review can identify patterns and assign issues.
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Detailed opportunity inspection belongs in the pipeline review.
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And individual skill development needs protected coaching time.
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Sometimes the issue belongs to management.
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If qualified projects are waiting on estimates or pricing decisions, the sales leader needs to help resolve that delay.
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Asking the salesperson for another update won't remove that bottleneck.
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Your behavior as the manager determines whether the process helps people perform.
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You got to keep it accountable, accountability fair.
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If you've agreed that a proposal will reach the customer by Thursday with the scope and the margin approved, give a capable salesperson room to deliver it.
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Use the shared CRM record and the normal review schedule.
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Step in sooner when something changes that requires a decision or puts the commitment at risk.
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More frequent contact may be appropriate during onboarding.
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A recovery plan or an important deal.
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Explain the reason, the support you're going to provide as the sales leader, and when you'll return back to the normal rhythm, people should understand why the level of involvement has changed.
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Hold yourself to the same standard.
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If you promise a pricing decision, an introduction, or a coaching session, you had better deliver it.
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Your missed commitments affect the team's ability to meet theirs.
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And also pay attention to what the numbers may encourage.
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A pipeline target can tempt people to keep weak deals open or enter optimistic values.
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An on-time completion target can tempt them to rewrite due dates.
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Review a few underlying records, including records behind the numbers that look healthy.
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Make it reasonable to report bad news promptly.
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If correcting a forecast or closing out a legitimate loss triggers a public interrogation, people may delay telling you what's really going on.
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You lose the early visibility you were trying to create.
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You still address repeated failures to meet clear expectations, document the pattern, provide appropriate support, and make the performance decision the evidence calls for.
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Accurate reporting helps you do that fairly.
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Now, you can begin with a manageable first month.
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In the first week, choose the measures, write the counting rules, name the owners, and review the history before setting the targets.
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Ask the team where the data is unclear or difficult to collect.
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In the second week, run the report and check the records behind it.
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Fixing reporting problems before drawing conclusion about somebody's performance.
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During the third week, use the results to choose a coaching or process issue that needs attention.
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Assign a specific action and a completion date.
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Follow up so people see that the review leads to something useful.
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At the end of the month, evaluate whether the scorecard is accurate in helping you make decisions.
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Remove measures nobody uses.
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Make changes to definitions and targets prospectively so you preserve an honest record of what was expected.
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Thirty days can tell you whether the reporting routine works.
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Understanding whether an early indicator actually relates to later revenue can take one or two full sales cycles.
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Now, again, the companion article for this is located in the description of the podcast that you found this on.
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And you could use it and follow along.
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At your next sales meeting, pay attention to what happens after numbers fall short.
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The value of the scorecard shows up in the action someone takes afterwards and whether leadership follows through.
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Again, the companion article, Sales Accountability Without Micromanagement, includes the seven measures, counting rules, and some illustrative targets.
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You can visit Transformative Sales Systems.com and look for the article in the blog.
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At Transformative Sales Systems, we provide fractional sales management to help owners put structure in place, just like what I've been discussing.
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We connect the sales process, the scorecard, and the coaching so the team has a clear expectation and the manager who can help it improve.
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If your weekly sales meetings keep returning to the same unresolved issues, let's talk about the sales leadership your business needs.
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Really appreciate you all and thanks for listening to the Selling Point podcast.
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I am Anthony Nix.
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Keep leading, keep improving, and I'll see you next time.
