Sales Productivity Metrics Should You Track
Activity-Based Metrics
1. Number of Calls Made
This one’s pretty straightforward.
We’re counting phone calls your sales team makes in a day.
Calls are a fundamental part of the sales process, and tracking the number of calls made and received helps you understand how effectively your sales team is reaching out to potential customers.
But you need to track the quality of the calls as well
More calls don’t always mean more opportunities.
It’s not a numbers game anymore.
2. Number of Emails Sent
The number of emails sent by sales reps, revealing their outreach efforts and communication efficiency.
Emails are a key channel for initial contact and follow-up communication.
Tracking the number of emails sent helps you understand how effectively your sales team is using this channel to engage with prospects.
How to calculate: Count the number of emails sent by each sales rep over a specific period.
Example: If a sales rep sent 100 emails in a week, this would be their email count for that period.
3. Meetings Scheduled/Attended
The number of meetings scheduled and attended by sales reps, highlighting their ability to engage with prospects and move deals forward.
Meetings are critical for building relationships and advancing deals.
Tracking the number of meetings scheduled and attended helps you understand how effectively your sales team is using this channel to close deals.
How to calculate: For this metric, you’ll want to track both scheduled and attended meetings.
Let’s say Mayur scheduled 10 meetings this week but only 8 were attended. You’d note both numbers.
The difference between scheduled and attended can be insightful too – if there’s a big gap, it might signal a problem with no-shows or cancellations.
Example: If a sales rep scheduled 5 meetings and attended 3 of them in a week, their total meeting count would be 8.
3. Demos Conducted
For many businesses, product demos are where the magic happens. It’s when your team gets to show off what your product or service can do.
Demos show your team’s ability to showcase your product effectively. They’re often a key step before closing a deal. A high number of demos can indicate that your team is successfully moving prospects through the sales funnel.
How to calculate: To calculate this, simply count the number of demos each rep conducts over a given period.
For example, if Nayan did 3 demos on Monday and 2 on Friday, that’s 5 for the week.
Many sales tools allow you to log demos, making this easy to track.
Pro tip : Track the conversion rate from demo to sale to see how effective these presentations are.
If you’re doing lots of demos but not closing many deals, it might be time to revamp your demo strategy.
4. Proposals Sent
Proposals are often the bridge between interest and commitment.
Proposals are a key step in the sales process.
Tracking the number of proposals sent helps you understand how effectively your sales team is moving leads forward.
It can indicate how close deals are to closing.
A steady stream of proposals suggests your team is consistently moving deals forward.
How to calculate: To calculate this, count the number of proposals sent out by each rep over a specific period. For instance, if your team sent out 20 proposals this month, that’s your number.
Pro tip: Track the time between first contact and proposal sent.
It can reveal a lot about your sales cycle.
If it’s taking too long to get to the proposal stage, you might need to streamline your process.
You need to also the ratio of proposal sent to closure.
A low ratio means your sales team is sending proposals at a very early stage of sales cycle
Efficiency Metrics
We’ve looked at what our sales team is doing. Now let’s see how well they’re doing it.
Efficiency metrics help us understand if all that activity is actually paying off.
Let’s break it down:
1. Sales Cycle Duration
Sales cycle duration is the average time it takes to close a deal.
A shorter sales cycle means your sales team is more efficient at moving prospects through the pipeline and closing deals.
Tracking the sales cycle duration can help you identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
How to calculate : We measure this from the first touchpoint with a prospect to when the deal closes.
Let’s say we started talking to a client on January 1st and closed the deal on March 31st. That’s a 90-day sales cycle.
Add up all your deal durations and divide by the number of deals to get your average.
Pro tip: Look at this metric for different types of deals or customer segments. You might find that some take way longer than others. That’s valuable info for your strategy.
2. Lead Response Time
This one’s about how quickly your team gets back to new leads.
In sales, speed is everything.
The faster you respond to a lead, the more likely you are to win their business.
It shows you’re on the ball and eager to help.
How to calculate: It’s the time between when a lead comes in and when your team first responds.
If a lead comes in at 2:00 PM and your rep reaches out at 2:30 PM, that’s a 30-minute response time.
Track this for all leads and average it out to get your overall lead response time.
Remember: Faster isn’t always better if it means sacrificing the quality of response.
But generally, quicker responses win more deals.
3. Time to Productivity
This measures how long it takes for new sales reps to start pulling their weight.
Its also known as Sales Ramp-Up Time.
Hiring and training new reps is expensive.
The faster they can start closing deals and meeting their targets, the better your return on investment.
It also shows how effective your onboarding process is.
How to calculate: Define what “productive” means for your team.
Maybe it’s hitting 50% of quota or closing their first deal.
Then measure the time from when a new rep starts to when they hit that milestone.
If Sarah starts on June 1st and hits 50% of the quota on August 15th, her time to productivity is 2.5 months.
Remember: If this number is high, it might be time to revamp your onboarding process and sales training programs.
4. Quota Attainment
This shows us how many of our reps are hitting their sales targets.
It’s a clear indicator of how well your team is performing overall.
Low quota attainment might mean your targets are too high, or your team needs more support.
How to calculate: Count how many reps hit or exceeded their quota, then divide by the total number of reps.
Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
If 8 out of 10 reps hit quota, your quota attainment is 80%.
Pro tip: Look at this over time. Is it going up or down?
That trend can tell you a lot about your team’s trajectory.
5. Pipeline-to-Quota Ratio
This compares the value of your sales pipeline to your quota.
It tells you if you have enough potential deals in the works to hit your targets.
Too low, and you might struggle to meet quota.
Too high, and you might be wasting time on low-quality leads.
How to calculate: Add up the potential value of all deals in your pipeline.
Divide that by your quota.
If your pipeline is worth $500,000 and your quota is $100,000, your ratio is 5:1.
Many sales experts recommend a ratio between 3:1 and 5:1.
Remember: Not all pipeline deals will close.
That’s why we need more in the pipeline than our actual quota.
Revenue-Based Metrics
Now we’re getting to the heart of it.
These metrics tell us how all that sales activity translates into revenue.
Let’s break down:
1. Average Revenue per Sales Rep
This answers – How much money is each of your sales reps bringing in?
It’s a clear indicator of individual performance.
It helps you identify your top performers and those who might need a little extra support.
How to calculate: Take the total revenue generated over a specific period and divide it by the number of sales reps.
If your team of 10 reps brought in ₹1 Crore last quarter, the average revenue per rep is ₹10 Lakhs.
But don’t stop there.
Look at individual performance too.
Maybe Rahul brought in ₹12 Lakhs while Sonam only managed ₹6 Lakhs.
That’s valuable info for coaching and team management.
Pro tip: Consider factors like territory size or account value when comparing reps.
2. Average Deal Size
This answers – How much money is each of your sales reps bringing in?
It’s a clear indicator of individual performance.
It helps you identify your top performers and those who might need a little extra support.
How to calculate: Take the total revenue generated over a specific period and divide it by the number of sales reps.
If your team of 10 reps brought in ₹1 Crore last quarter, the average revenue per rep is ₹10 Lakhs.
But don’t stop there.
Look at individual performance too.
Maybe Rahul brought in ₹12 Lakhs while Sonam only managed ₹6 Lakhs.
That’s valuable info for coaching and team management.
Pro tip: Consider factors like territory size or account value when comparing reps.
