Why You Need Activity Goals and Metrics

One of the most dangerous mistakes a salesperson can make is to go without activity because it will cause major problems in producing results later.  As much as a salesperson may want to resist activity goals and metrics, they are necessary, and as much as the sales manager may not want to measure or enforce activity goals, it is necessary that you do so even when the numbers are being made.

Maintaining Momentum

The great game of sales is not very different than an athlete maintaining peak performance with the right activity (training). Without the right sales activity (prospecting) for even relatively short periods of time in sales, your pipeline starts to look a little light. Without face-to-face meetings, your deals start to stall and your pipeline looks even weaker.  Eventually, your numbers will not be sufficient for the company to consider you a value to the organization, your commissions will suffer, and a change will have to be made.

Maintaining momentum requires that you keep some standard activity level, just like an athlete. Your activity goals and metrics are an indication of your future sales results. Your activity metrics are a snapshot of your fitness level as a salesperson and without them it easy to underperform and miss your numbers.

Build a “Model” Week for Momentum

The best way to maintain momentum is to create a “model” week. Every week is not going to look exactly like the “model” week, and some are going to look very different based on the demands of the business you are in.  One week of poor activity isn’t likely to make or break your quarterly or annual sales results, so it’s better to look at the averages since some weeks are going to be more productive than others. Activities like prospecting calls and first sales meetings are good metrics and it is important to review your results and make changes to your activity levels as necessary.

Selling is one of those endeavors where it is very difficult to make up for lost time. You can train in the off season and perform during the season.  You can also train like crazy in the season but you are guaranteed to produce nothing but a sense of frustration and panic. Activity goals and metrics are what keep you deliberately training for the season and in sales, the season never ends.