Stop guessing, start counting

Do you feel like a pilot flying in thick fog? You seem to be moving forward, but where — is completely unclear. The same is how a business owner may feel if their sales department works “on intuition” rather than on numbers, when statistics collected in outdated spreadsheets do not give a clear picture, and the CRM system has turned into just a list of contacts.

To clear that fog, you need a precise tool — sales consulting, that will give you full control. It will help carry out an audit and analyze the key performance indicators of sales, or, as they are called, sales department KPIs, to accurately understand where you are now, where to go, and what needs to be changed to achieve the desired results.

To begin effective management, you need to know what exactly to pay attention to. We have identified 6 key sales department metrics that will show you the full picture and help you make informed decisions.

Lead Quality: Strength at the Entry

You can hire dozens of managers, but if they work with “cold” contacts not ready to buy, the result will be minimal. Therefore the first metric to track is the quality of leads coming into the department. What to measure:

• number of leads — how many new inquiries you receive over a given period;
• lead source — where your clients came from (search ads, social media, referrals);
• qualification level — the percentage of leads that match your target profile.

Response speed: first is best

In the modern world, where the customer wants everything “yesterday”, response speed is not just politeness but a powerful sales tool. Imagine a potential customer submits a request and the manager contacts them a day later. In that time they will already have reached out to your competitors. Companies that respond to a request within 15 minutes have a much higher chance of successfully closing the deal.

Sales funnel: where customers leak out

Think of your sales funnel as a production line. Leads enter at the start, and at the end we get paid invoices. If leads “disappear” at some stage, it’s a signal that there’s a “hole” in that area. Therefore it’s important not just to know how many deals you closed, but also to understand how they progress at each stage of the sales funnel. KPIs to track:

• Conversion at each stage — the percentage of transitions between stages (for example, from “qualified lead” to “meeting”);
• Average sales cycle — how long it takes to close a deal, from first contact to payment.

Sales script effectiveness: quality standard

Sometimes the problem is not the leads or the speed, but the quality of communication. The effectiveness of sales scripts is critically important for standardizing work and increasing conversion. If your managers work from different, and sometimes incorrect, scripts, it can negatively affect the outcome. What to measure:

• percentage of successful negotiations — how often a manager was able to close a deal following the script;
• number of calls — how busy the manager is and how often they use the scripts.

Sales channel analytics: don’t waste your budget

Spending money on advertising is one thing, and knowing which advertising brings customers is another. Most business owners don’t know which of their sales channels (search ads, social media, SEO, affiliate programs) are most effective. Simply asking a customer how they found you is not the best idea — memory often fails.

A truly effective approach is to use modern tools that track the source of each lead. Only then can you see the real picture, effectively manage the advertising budget, and know where to invest to get maximum profit. 

Repeat sales: your golden asset

Acquiring a new customer is always an expensive and lengthy process. Therefore the highest skill in sales is not the “first deal” but the ability to bring customers back again and again. Repeat sales are a key indicator not only of the quality of your product but also of the effectiveness of the team. Unfortunately, many managers focus only on new contacts, ignoring the potential of customers who have already bought. This is a big mistake, because sales analytics on this metric gives a complete picture of your business’s stability. To do this systematically, without manual data entry, you need a reliable tool such as a CRM to control KPIs.

For a deeper understanding of KPIs in sales, read our article at the link: https://s-rocket.com/ru/articles/kpi-otdela-prodazh.

Sales managers’ performance indicators are not just a set of numbers but a key to growth. By tracking these metrics, you will be able to make informed decisions, optimize processes, and ensure stable business growth.

Do you want not only to track sales department metrics but also to use them for steady growth? The Raketa Prodazh team will help you set up sales analytics that will turn numbers into profit. Contact us to take the first step toward running your business based on data, not intuition.