Metrics & Microscopes

Show me a seller that is not tracking their numbers and I will show you a seller on their way out of the industry. We all like a friendly game, but this isn’t it. Selling is our way of earning a living. And if you are going to play this game, you need to keep score.

Our numbers are our road map. They show us where we are going. They also show us how well we are doing.

Keeping track of metrics not only keeps you on track. It helps you improve.

What numbers?

What numbers should be tracked. Lead measures and lag measures. Lead measures are numbers that impact the ultimate goal, the lag measure.

Lag measures happen in the past. They cannot be changed. Lead measures happen daily. We can do more or less of a lead measure and directly impact the lag measure.

For most prospectors, I think the best measures to watch are: Decision Makers Met, Decision Maker Meetings Set, and Decision Maker Meetings Ran. You may call them something else in your industry, but you probably caught my meaning.

Sales would be the last number tracked. The first three are lead measures. Sales is the lag measure.

DMs Met, Set and Ran are excellent, in my opinion, because each ties to a specific skillset that can be coached and improved upon. We can work those numbers to improve the overall ability to sell.

Whatever metric you track, make sure that the lead measure is the focus. The lag measure is simply a result.

Be Weary of Microscopes.

Data is best used when there is a lot of data. Metrics viewed under a microscope will rarely be an accurate gauge. If something typically happens 10% of the time, that doesn’t mean it will happen exactly 1 out of every 10 times.

Data is best when it is view monthly, quarterly and annually.

Still collect data on a regular weekly basis, but do not put much stock in it until you have a lot of it. That is where you will start to see patterns and trends.

Premature Changes.

Do not make changes based on incomplete data or insufficient data. A seller that makes 100 calls and doesn’t set an appointment probably does not suck at making calls.

There are a lot of factors that go into why appointments were not set. This is why I personally track DM’s spoken to or DMs Met. It is hard to sell to someone if you cannot talk to them.

There are some other factors that could impact not setting appointments. Time of day. Day of the week. Not calling from a local number.

Skillset could be a cause as well, but without more information, it is hard to make that conclusion. That is why changes should not be suggested or made until we have more concrete data.

Too often a seller will have a day or week where they do not set an appointment or close a deal. Instinct says that there has to be a problem or there needs to be an improvement. That is not how numbers work.

It is equally likely that the same activity the next week will produce the expected results and enough to make up for the previous week. In short, keep track of data, but do not rush to conclusions.

Take Aways.

Numbers are the core of selling. They are our guide and model where we need to improve. Before we put our faith in numbers we have to make sure we are tracking data that can help us. We also need to make sure we look at numbers from a broad perspective. Changing based on a small sample size could be confusing and ineffective. It will also burn sellers out.