This blog contains content from Chapter 5 of our eBook - Coaching the Coaches: Five Lessons for Training Front-Line Sales Managers. Start from the beginning here.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” – Peter Drucker
You know you need to better train and support your sales managers, so you’ve put some key elements in place. You’ve defined your management operating rhythm, so your sales managers know what is expected of them and their teams. They understand a defined sales cadence that directs who should do what and when. Your sales leaders have invested time and energy into being coaches, role models and leaders of leaders. Your sales managers feel supported and equipped to do their jobs.
Is it all working as planned? How will you know if your organization truly is supporting front-line sales managers and helping them be successful?
You measure your efforts.
For sales managers and leaders, a critical metric to focus on is participation rate. How many sellers on a manager's team are performing at or above their quota - every month, every quarter, every year? Say a sales leader has 20 managers and eight sales reps under each manager. What percentage consistently hits their number? Participation numbers for your team are the primary indicator of whether you have the right sellers in the right roles and a consistent operating rhythm that yields results.
Your participation rate is more meaningful than merely hitting your quota attainment numbers, because it shows whether or not your team has deep bench strength. You want a balanced, consistent line-up versus one slugger who hits all the home runs.
Another important metric, of course, is retention. Are your sales managers staying onboard for longer than 18-24 months? If they are, you might want to find out why. We bet they feel supported and empowered. We bet they feel like leaders.
