What are leading indicators in sales?

Leading indicators are early measures that predict future bookings, such as qualified pipeline created, stage conversion rates, ramp milestones and renewal risk. Lagging indicators, such as bookings and quota attainment, report results after the fact.

How do you know if the annual plan is on track?

Track a leading indicator for every condition the plan depends on, compare it with a monthly target, and set trigger points that force a decision when an indicator falls behind.

How often should the annual plan be reviewed?

Weekly at the manager level for behaviors, monthly at the leadership level for leading indicators, and quarterly at the executive level for the strategic bets themselves.

What is sales capacity planning?

It’s the process of working out how much bookings the sales team can produce, based on headcount, ramp, productivity, attainment and attrition, and comparing that with the revenue target.

How long does it take a new sales rep to ramp?

SBI’s benchmark for B2B software sellers is 9 to 12 months to full productivity. Plans that assume three to six months usually overstate first-year capacity.

How do you increase sales productivity without hiring?

Focus on four levers: more selling time, higher win rates, larger deal sizes and shorter sales cycles. Measure each in the fact base and assign an owner.

SBI Blog Revenue Growth Insights

Strategic insights, best practices, and thought leadership on revenue growth, go-to-market strategies, and operational excellence.

Q1 Leading Indicators: Know Early If the Plan Is Working | SBI

October 8, 20267 min read

Filter Articles

By Category

By Author (this page)

Showing 0 out of 5 articles

Sales

Q1 Leading Indicators: Know Early If the Plan Is Working | SBI

Short answer: By the time Q1 bookings come in short, it’s too late to save Q1 and hard to save the year. The conditions ...

7 min read

By John Staples

Sales

Sales Capacity Planning: Productivity Is the New Headcount | SBI

Short answer: Most sales capacity planning answers a growth gap by adding reps. That’s slow and uncertain: ramp takes 9 ...

6 min read

By John Staples

GTM Design & Structure Talent Lifecycle

Why Talent Assessments Are Necessary for Your Revenue Growth Strategy

Growth leaders understand that the key to a successful sales team is having well-trained and motivated employees who wor...

8 Mar 23

4 min read

By John Staples

Navigating the Sales Headcount Gap

Companies cannot afford to lose top commercial talent. To remain on an upwards growth trajectory, they have to be prescr...

22 Jun 22

2 min read

By John Staples

Customer Success

Key Account Management: Avoiding the “Bow-Tie” Resource Approach

The questions are: How are your resources aligned? Are they the right resources? Are you single-threaded within the acco...

28 May 21

4 min read

By John Staples

Ready to Transform Your Sales Performance?

Get a comprehensive assessment of your sales organization and discover opportunities for immediate improvement and long-term growth.

Get Started Download Now