About This Episode
Most sales teams think they know what success looks like. They measure quota, revenue, and a handful of other stats that look great on a dashboard. Deals closed. Calls made. Proposals sent.
These numbers feel important because they’re easy to track and report on. They show results.
But what if I told you that many of those metrics are just noise, distracting you from the numbers that actually help you close more deals?
It’s a trap many organizations fall into. Measuring everything in an attempt to gain clarity, only to end up drowning in data with no clear action to take.
Here’s the problem: Most of these metrics only tell you what happened. They don’t tell you why it happened or how to improve.
A sales team could hit their quota one month and completely miss the next. Leadership reviews the reports, sees that revenue dropped, and tells the team to “work harder.” But that doesn’t solve the problem. Because quota is a result, not a cause.
In this episode of Endless Customers, I sat down with Tom DiScipio, Managing Partner and Client Advisor at IMPACT, to unpack the real sales performance indicators that matter, the numbers that predict success, not just measure it after the fact.
Tom’s been in the trenches of sales for a long time, and he’s made the mistakes, tested the theories, and worked with companies around the world to optimize their sales performance. And if there’s one thing you take away from this conversation, let it be this:
If you’re tracking everything, you’re tracking nothing.
Tom and I break down the three key areas that sales teams should be tracking and how you can shift from reactive sales management to a proactive, predictable growth strategy.
Why tracking quota alone can cost you sales
Quota is the number every sales leader watches. It determines success, sets compensation, and drives business growth. Hitting quota is critical, it’s the ultimate proof that a salesperson did their job.
But here’s where many teams go wrong: Quota is a lagging indicator.
“If you’re only looking at your sales quota,” Tom shares, “it means you’re essentially ignoring all the other important metrics and numbers that actually help you reach quota.”
By the time you realize there’s a problem, when quota isn’t met, it’s already too late to fix it.
That doesn’t mean you should stop tracking quota. You absolutely should. But if it’s the only number you’re focused on, you’re missing the full picture.
Think of it like coaching a football team. You wouldn’t wait until the final scoreboard flashes to decide if your team played well. Instead, you’d focus on the leading indicators; first downs, turnovers, time of possession, and red zone efficiency. These are the real numbers that predict whether you win or lose.
Sales works the same way. If your only measure of success is whether your team hits quota, you’re essentially driving forward while staring in the rearview mirror.
So instead of just tracking quota, sales leaders should be asking:
What actually leads to the quota being hit? Are we tracking the right activities that contribute to closed deals?
What actions predict success? Are reps having enough meaningful conversations, engaging the right prospects, and moving deals through the pipeline efficiently?
What early warning signs show we’re off track before it’s too late? Are there red flags that indicate a problem before it affects revenue?
Tracking quota is essential, but quota alone won’t help you improve. The best sales teams don’t just measure results, they track and optimize the activities that drive results every single day.
That’s the difference between reactive and proactive sales leadership.
The three key areas you should be tracking for sales success
To build a high-performing sales team, you need to focus on the right mix of metrics that predict success before it’s too late to adjust.
The best sales teams don’t just measure results. They track leading indicators, impactful metrics, and performance-based insights to drive consistent growth.
Here’s where your focus should be:
1. A mix of leading and lagging indicators
You can’t have a sales dashboard that’s only full of lagging indicators or only full of leading indicators. You need to know the outcomes that you want to achieve, and you need to know that you’re doing the right things along the way to achieve those outcomes.
You need a mix of both leading and lagging indicators to balance short-term performance with long-term results.
The mistake most teams make is relying too heavily on lagging indicators and don’t track enough leading indicators.
If you only track results, you’re reactive. By the time you realize you missed your goal, you’ve already lost valuable time.
If you track leading indicators, you can course-correct. You can see issues before they become major problems and make adjustments on the fly.
Here’s a look at what you should do:
Define the key leading indicators that impact your revenue (without overwhelming your team with too many numbers).
Ensure your leading indicators align with your sales process so they provide meaningful insights.
Use both leading and lagging indicators together to spot trends and fine-tune your approach over time.
By tracking both types of metrics, you’ll have a clear roadmap to success, not just a scoreboard that tells you the game is already over.
2. Have fewer, more impactful metrics
Too many sales teams track everything, numbers that look impressive in a report, but they do little to actually improve performance.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of collecting as much data as possible. More data should mean more insights, right? Not necessarily.
Tom has seen this mistake time and time again. And he’s made it himself. “You basically end up in your weekly meeting looking at the numbers, and you sort of go blind to them. You’re just reading them for the sake of reading them.”
The problem isn’t having data, it’s focusing on the wrong data. Leaders love dashboards filled with charts and graphs, but if those numbers don’t help you make better decisions, they’re just noise.
So how do you figure out what really matters?
Tom suggests a simple exercise: Imagine you’re stranded on an island, and you can only get one sheet of paper with sales data to determine whether your team is succeeding or failing. What 6–8 metrics would you track on that sheet?
If a number doesn’t make that list, you probably don’t need it.
And remember, it’s not just about tracking the right metrics. It’s about making sure those metrics align with your actual sales process. The goal isn’t to collect data for data’s sake. It’s to track the behaviors and activities that drive real revenue.
Here are some guiding questions to help you identify the right metrics:
Does this metric provide a clear picture of success? Focus on numbers that genuinely reflect progress and outcomes.
Does this metric serve a purpose? Just because a number looks impressive doesn’t mean it contributes to growth.
Does this metric help improve performance or predict success? If it doesn’t drive better decision-making, it’s just noise, stop tracking it.
The best sales teams don’t track more, they track smarter.
By focusing on fewer, high-impact metrics, your team will be more productive, more focused, and ultimately, more successful.
3. The performance of your sales team, not just activities
Tracking activity is important, but activity alone doesn’t guarantee success.
A rep can make 100 calls a day and still close zero deals.
A team can send out dozens of proposals but struggle to get any across the finish line.
That’s why assessing performance, not just activity, is critical. It’s not about how much your team is doing, it’s about how well they’re doing it.
Rather than counting calls and proposals, ask yourself: Are these activities leading to results?
Start by evaluating three key areas.
First, how are reps showing up to calls? Are they confident, clear, and handling objections effectively, or just going through the motions?
Second, are proposals being sent at the right time? If deals aren’t closing, proposals may be premature or not compelling enough.
Third, is your team continuously improving? If reps are struggling, is there a structured plan for coaching and skill development?
If you want your team to improve, one of the most powerful ways is to implement regular role-playing.
Why? Because role-playing helps refine messaging, identify weaknesses, and sharpen objection handling before they happen in a real call.
The best sales teams aren’t just running deals, they’re practicing and improving constantly.
“For those of you who listen to this podcast regularly, you’ve heard Connor Delaney speak before. He and I role-play four times a week,” Tom shares. “I’ve been in sales for ten years, and I still learn something new from him every single time.”
Just like professional athletes train, review game film, and run drills, top-performing salespeople refine their skills before game time. But too many sales teams make the mistake of practicing only in live calls—where every mistake costs them real deals.
If you want your team to improve, you have to coach them.
Implement regular role-playing sessions to refine messaging and objection handling.
Track sales call effectiveness, not just the number of calls made.
Set a weekly coaching cadence to ensure reps get the support they need.
What gets measured gets improved. If you’re not actively coaching and developing your sales team, you’re leaving deals on the table.
Stop wasting time on bad-fit prospects
Here’s a hot take that more sales teams need to hear: Disqualification is just as important as qualification.
Too often, sales teams focus solely on chasing every possible deal, thinking that more opportunities mean more revenue. But if your team is spending time on deals that were never going to close, they’re not just wasting effort; they’re missing out on better, more profitable opportunities.
We talk a lot about what makes a great-fit client, but do we spend enough time talking about what makes a bad-fit client?
Tom agrees. “If your sales team is spending time on deals that will never close, you’re wasting time that could be spent on better deals. It’s not just about closing deals—it’s about closing the right deals.”
So how do you make sure your team is qualifying the right way?
Tom suggests:
Define 3–5 key qualifiers, so reps can quickly disqualify bad-fit leads.
Help prospects self-qualify through marketing content that clarifies pricing, fit, and expectations.
Give your reps permission to say no. More isn’t always better.
The best sales teams don’t just focus on winning, they focus on winning with the right customers.
Are you measuring what matters?
If you’ve been running your sales team the same way for the last ten, twenty, or thirty years, it’s time to rethink.
For too long, sales teams have relied on quota and revenue to measure success, but these numbers only tell part of the story. If your team is struggling to hit its targets despite tracking countless stats, the problem isn’t effort, it’s focus.
The key to real sales growth isn’t just looking at results. It’s knowing which actions drive those results before it’s too late to fix them. If you’re still tracking only revenue and closed deals, you’re making decisions based on hindsight instead of foresight.
Start by evaluating the three key areas discussed:
Use both leading and lagging indicators to see problems before they impact revenue.
Focus on fewer, more impactful metrics instead of drowning in unnecessary data.
Track performance, not just activity, so you can refine skills and increase conversions.
If your sales dashboard isn’t helping you take action, it’s time for a change.
Take a step back and ask yourself: Are we measuring what matters?
Because at the end of the day, the right numbers don’t just tell you where you’ve been, they help you get where you want to go.
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