How it works
You can count dozens of things: emails sent, calls made, deals open, average deal size. Those are metrics. A metric becomes a KPI when you give it a target and check it on a schedule.
Sales KPIs come in two kinds. Lagging ones, like revenue, win rate and quota attainment, tell you how a month went once it's over. Leading ones, like calls, conversations and meetings held, tell you mid-month where it's heading. You're paid on the lagging ones, and you can only move the leading ones.
Worked example, with made-up rates: your target is $40,000 a month and your average deal is $4,000, so you need 10 deals. If you win 1 in 4 opportunities, that's 40 opportunities. If half your meetings turn into an opportunity, that's 80 meetings, or 20 a week. So the KPI you check on Wednesday is meetings held this week. If it says 6, you find out on Wednesday, with two days left to fix it.
Keep the list short. A rep needs a handful of KPIs, and at least one should be something you can move today.
Where it shows up in your week
A leading KPI only helps if someone looks at it mid-week. With ActivityTracker for sales managers, your reps log calls in one tap, and you see who's gone quiet while the week can still change. The sales KPIs guide covers which seven to check each week and how to set their targets.