SPM Ch. 3: Call Activity Predicts Sales Performance

Sales activity predicts success. And, the biggest indicators of sales performance for an inside sales team – whether in office, remote, or out in the field – are the volume and quality of the outbound calls being made.

Successful sales management has been an elusive goal and a moving target since the beginning of the 2000s for many reasons. One major cause is that sales leaders are continuously challenged to increase the performance of their teams. Sometimes they are given additional headcounts to support this growth – and other times they are not – so, either way, team managers need to improve individual performance for ROI.

Just a few statistics below demonstrate that sales managers have never been under more scrutiny.

• The average tenure of the sales manager has shrunk from 26 months to 19 months (Gong, 2018)
• Only 68% of SDRs achieve quota (Bridge Group, 2016)
• In spite of spending on tech, sales remain the final frontier for the effects of Big Data; 57% of sales organizations do not believe they effectively use analytics (McKinsey & Company, 2016)

How Call Activity Correlates to Overall Sales Performance

The Gryphon Methodology is built upon a concept that is fundamental, essential, and very simple to understand yet often forgotten, ignored, or overlooked:

Sales Activity is Predictive of Success. If you can’t manage the day-to-day activity of your sales reps, you can’t measure your output and you won’t noticeably improve performance.

Though almost no one would disagree with this statement, the vast majority of companies really don’t know what their sales reps are doing each day.  They may be privy to the big things like meetings or negotiations, but without a clear and accurate handle on the little things, sales leaders can’t manage the causes that lead to optimal effects.

The goal, therefore, is to control the causes that drive positive gains and then to multiply the effects.  When you, the sales leader, do this, you will have a greater influence on not only the effects but the business overall.

Managing Sales Performance to a Standard

Data is not the lifeblood of sales management.  However, accurate, relevant data that is available quickly and shown in context is the basis of effective sales leadership.  It is this core principle on which the Gryphon Sales Performance Platform is built.

By adopting call tracking best practices, team management processes, and technology-enabled enforcement mechanisms, your sales organization will realize a 10-20% or even 50% increase in average rep effectiveness as defined by reducing the daily number of phone-based behaviors that are required to generate an optimal outcome.

Calculate how many calls your existing team should make to achieve quota. 

READ THE REST OF THE SERIES HERE:

SPM Ch. 1: The Problem with Sales Performance Data

SPM Ch. 2: Limited Visibility into Sales Performance Data

SPM Ch. 4: How to Introduce Sales Performance Standards

SPM CH. 5: Setting KPIs and Optimizing Sales Performance

SPM Ch. 6: A Culture of Continuous Sales Performance Improvement