As a sales newbie, I understand that the struggle is real when it comes to figuring out where to spend energy throughout the day. When it comes down to it, salespeople are just juggling so much. As I got acclimated in my sales development role at LevelEleven, I wondered which sales activities — out of the calls, emails, social media outreach and everything else I balanced — were most important. That’s where sales metrics came into play.
Here are the first four metrics that our sales leader had me focused on, and they helped tremendously. Consider them to optimize your own team’s sales onboarding process, especially with green hires:
Sales Metrics for Onboarding Green Hires:
1. CRM/Salesforce Adoption
What was measured: Logged events or tasks into our CRM platform, Salesforce, per day. (Goal: 20/day)
Why it helped: Right out of the gate, I struggled with the Salesforce adoption process. (Find out what you can learn from that here.) Being a first-time CRM user had me more confused than a chameleon in a bag of skittles. When my manager set up — and more importantly, put visibility around — metrics around logging events in Salesforce, it motivated me to make sure to input all of my events.
Tips when implementing: If you get this metric going for your new sales hires, make sure to explain why logging everything in your CRM is important. Aside from being tracked, my manager described how unorganized things can get without Salesforce and the consequences of not logging events or tasks.
2. Outbound Sales Calls
What was measured: Outbound calls made per week (Goal: 150/week)
Why it helped: Like many green hires, early on I was hesitant to pick up the phone. Having a sales metric around outbound calls encouraged me to start dialing. Knowing that the number of outbound calls was being tracked gave me the little push I needed to make calls.
Tips when implementing: Take 30 minutes out of your day to listen in on your green hires’ cold calls and offer advice to show them the ropes.
3. Leads Created
What was measured: Leads per day logged in Salesforce (Goal: 40)
Why it helped: Knowing that leads were being tracked from the start also helped with my Salesforce adoption. In addition, it got me more comfortable with qualifying leads early on. Once this sales metric was put in place, I knew I had to work on prospecting a good amount of the day to hit my goal.
Tips when implementing: Set your new hire up with LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It’s a great prospecting tool and makes lead creation easier.
4. Conversations:
What was measured: Conversations per day with prospects. (Goal: 10/day)
Why it helped: Quality conversations with decision makers may have been the most important sales metric to me as a new hire. My manager set up sales metrics around conversations to motivate us around getting on the phones and talking to people. As a new hire, the best way to understand the product and customers you are selling to is by having conversations. (Read more on the importance of conversations as a sales KPI here.)
Tips when implementing: Help your sales newbies by spending time doing mock calls with them. This is a great way to help new hires get more comfortable with the company language.
After my manager set up sales metrics to focus my daily activities around, I immediately noticed a shift in my attitude about work. I was no longer struggling or stressed, and I was able to adjust to Salesforce smoothly. By staying on track with CRM adoption, lead creation, conversations, and outbound call metrics, I no longer felt like a sales newbie, but instead a sales pro.
