The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

One of the most common debates in sales is how to best measure performance and other sales indicators.

While some organizations prefer process-oriented KPIs, others have an outcome-oriented bias. Both ends of the spectrum are invaluable for powering your sales, but when it comes to prioritizing inputs vs. output, the “i’s” have it.

This is the glorious time of year when most leaders are engulfed in budgets, planning, meetings, and deadlines. 

With less than six weeks until 2023, let’s dive into a few things to check off or add to your list.

Setting meaningful as well as realistic goals is a skill that all sales leaders know is crucial. When looking at sales goals, let us clarify that they need to be both meaningful, with a focus on hard, not vanity metrics. They also must be realistic to your industry, region, market, team, and organizational capacity.  

One of the best ways for sales leaders to set realistic goals is first to look back. History can offer meaningful data and will provide checks and balances when dealing with projections and not actuals. 

As a sales manager, how often do you struggle with the line between being a supportive and understanding manager, and holding your sales team accountable?

After hearing excuse after excuse about why so-and-so wasn't going to buy such-and-such, you throw your hands up and ask yourself, "If all of this feels so out of my control, what is in my control? What can I focus my team on that ensures we win where we need to win?"