Sales Scorecard to Identify Performance Gaps

Ask a rep how their discovery call went and you'll get "really good" about 97% of the time. Pull the recording and there's a non-zero chance you hear a 40 min monologue where the buyer said "we need better reporting" and the rep immediately showed a dashboard. We say "go deeper" all the time. We've just never defined what deeper actually looks like. So managers coach off of their unquantifiable gut, reps keep doing the same thing, and everybody agrees discovery is important while nobody measures it. So we built a scorecard. Six skills, each scored 1-4: - Pre-call research. - Depth of questioning. - Numbers, Names, and Dates captured. - Status quo identified. - Cost of inaction surfaced. - Talk-to-listen ratio. Each skill has a "what to listen for" column and a "what good sounds like" column. A 1 on depth of questioning is hearing "we need better reporting" and pitching the dashboard. A 4 is asking what decisions they can't make today because of the reporting gap. No ambiguity. Pull one recorded call per rep per week. Score it before your 1:1. Pick one skill to work on. Just one. One skill per week compounds into a fundamentally different rep by quarter end. Also in here is a completed scoring example with evidence notes and a coaching assignment for the following week, plus three ways to run it (weekly 1:1, team calibration, rep self-assessment). Hope this is useful!

After hiring 3,000+ employees across 3 companies, I can spot dead weight in 5 minutes. Most founders can't see it in their own teams. I look for someone always in meetings. Always "busy." Always has a reason their project isn't done. But when you ask "what did you deliver this week?" they give you effort, not outcomes. "I've been working on the strategy." "I've been coordinating with the team." Translation = Nothing measurable happened. Hard work without results is expensive theater. At Quest, I built a system I call The Public Scorecard. It makes it impossible for underperformance to hide. Every role gets 3-5 KPIs that everyone can see. No ambiguity. No interpretation. Just numbers. Each KPI must be: - Measurable (a number, not a feeling) - Owned by one person (no shared accountability) - Updated weekly (real-time visibility) Make them public. Slack channel. Dashboard. Weekly all-hands. At Impact Theory, each team member has a 90s style thermometer posted by their desk. Then tie consequences to the numbers: Green = crushing it → promotion track Yellow = inconsistent → 30 days to fix Red = failing → 90 days or out Some KPIs by department… Sales: - Monthly revenue closed - Pipeline value added - Close rate percentage - Average deal size - Days to close Marketing: - Qualified leads generated - Cost per lead - Lead-to-customer conversion - Content pieces published - Campaign ROI Customer Success: - Retention rate - Net revenue retention - Ticket resolution time - Customer satisfaction score - Upsell revenue Operations: - Fulfillment time - Error rate - Cost per unit - Inventory turnover - On-time delivery Product/Engineering: - Features shipped - Bug resolution time - System uptime - User-reported issues - Sprint velocity When everyone sees everyone's numbers: - Underperformers can't hide behind "I'm working hard." - Top performers get recognized instead of overlooked. - Peer pressure enforces standards without micromanaging. Politics die. The scorecard decides. Your culture should make underperformers uncomfortable and high performers excited. If you're running a business doing $1M+ in revenue and you can't tell who's actually performing vs. who just looks busy, I'm hosting a free leadership workshop. I'll show you how to build scorecards that expose underperformers, reward top talent, and create a meritocracy where the best people win. Register here: https://buff.ly/Kd2mb41

Most new BDRs don’t underperform due to lack of hustle. They underperform because no one ever shows them what “good” actually looks and sounds like. That’s where a call scorecard could potentially change everything. A simple call scorecard takes the guesswork out of call coaching. No more vague feedback like “just be more confident!" or "validate their objections:)" You can point to real moments in the call: Was the targeting on point? 📞 Did they get a correct connect? 📞 Did they ask a strong opening question? 📞 Was their intro compelling? 📞 Did they actually listen, or just wait for their turn to talk? 📞 What was the talk/listen ratio? 📞 Did they uncover a pain point? 📞 Did they uncover a "need"? 📞 Did they talk about a relevant customer win? 📞 Did they book the meeting?! Scorecards break it down step by step. I'd take it a step further and break down a scorecard like: 💯 Pre call (research & targeting) 💯 Call (conversational aspect, objection handling, success rate, etc.) 💯 Post call (follow up) Suddenly, coaching isn’t about “who’s a natural.” It’s about clear habits anyone can learn. The best part? New reps can *see* their own progress, not just hear about it from a manager. I’ve seen nervous BDRs go from quiet to confident just by scoring & coaching on a few calls each week. Is it the only enablement strategy you need? Of course not. But if you want your team ramping up faster ... and actually enjoying the process 😉 A scorecard could be a really good place to start. Anyone else tried this with their team?! I did this a while back at Redis, but haven't implemented anything like this elsewhere. Was thinking about it this morning. Let me know what you think, and what you'd add to a scorecard like this!

Understanding your sales team's true performance goes beyond revenue numbers... Here's how to gain real clarity on what drives success. 1) Look Beyond Surface Metrics Revenue numbers only show part of the picture. Analyze deeper performance indicators to understand who's truly excelling and why. 2) Evaluate Territory Impact Some reps might hit targets due to favorable territories. Others might struggle despite strong skills. Consider: • Market potential • Territory size • Historical performance 3) Track Key Behaviors Monitor activities that lead to success: • Pipeline management • Opportunity conversion rates • Customer engagement levels 4) Assess Individual Skills Identify core competencies that drive results: • Negotiation abilities • Solution presentation • Relationship building 5) Implement Data-Driven Coaching Use performance insights to: • Target specific skill gaps • Develop personalized improvement plans • Track progress systematically 6) Monitor External Factors Consider influences outside rep control: • Market conditions • Competition • Product lifecycle Understanding true performance requires comprehensive analysis. Focus on behaviors, skills, and contextual factors to get the complete picture. When you understand what truly drives success, you can develop targeted strategies for improvement. Start by examining one key performance metric beyond revenue this week. Track its impact on your team's success and use these insights to enhance your coaching approach.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐈-𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞. Built this one in Power BI using mainly the button slicer visual and some DAX. And here is the real point… Most sales teams already know who their top performers are. What they usually do not know is when those people are missing from the inbound slots that matter most. That is what this dashboard is built to show. Not just top performers. Not just a leaderboard. But 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 📊 A few things stood out fast in this example: 👉 Weekend slots were far more exposed than expected. 👉 The 30, 60 & 90 day toggle changed the picture materially. 👉 “estimated lost conversions” quantifies the likely impact of under-coverage. That is the bit I like most. Because once you quantify the likely gap, this stops being an ops-only discussion and starts becoming a revenue one. 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 👇 #PowerBI #DataVisualisation #BusinessIntelligence #MSFabric

Hey sales leaders: Your internal QBRs are probably just very detailed win/loss reviews and pipeline inspections that take all day. Shouldn't they be opportunities to improve rep performance? You have weekly 1:1s with your reps to inspect deals, evaluate current pipeline, and talk about recent wins/losses. So doesn't it seem weird to do the exact same thing during your QBRs? Doesn't it seem like an inefficient use of time if there's literally nothing discussed during QBRs that you didn't already talk about during other 1:1s? In every candid conversation about QBRs I've ever had with sales leaders over beer, they've said they feel the same way about QBRs that their reps feel about updating CRM: it's busy work. What if we turned them into something that is actually valuable? What if we made them a discussion about performance gaps and how to mitigate them? Not just for one deal, but across all deals. Here's an approach to consider. STEP 1: Configure your QBR deck template to include the leading indicators that are most relevant for your reps' success. These vary from org to org, but below are some examples: TERRITORY/PORTFOLIO STRATEGY -- Avg % completion of strategic account plans -- % of account plans with updates in last X days -- % of target accounts with new opportunities -- % accounts with activity in last 60 days PIPELINE GENERATION -- # new contacts added to target accounts -- Avg # contacts invited to field events -- % of contacts who respond to prospecting efforts -- SQL Acceptance Rate -- % Of Initial Meetings with next steps discussed OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT -- Avg Sales Cycle Length -- Stage-to-Stage Advancement Rates -- Avg # Contact Roles Per Opportunity -- Avg # meetings per won/lost opportunity -- Avg # of contacts who speak or reply to emails throughout a sales cycle -- % of opportunities with a Mutual Success Plan ACCOUNT GROWTH -- % of expansion opportunities with new buyers -- # of customer accounts with new testimonials -- # of executive-to-executive briefings with customer accounts STEP 2: Work with revops to create reports/dashboards that are configured for performance improvement. When extracting performance and coaching insights from data, you need to visualize 3 things: 1. Benchmark -- for each metric, what good is. 2. Leaderboard -- for each metric, who's doing well and not well 3. Trendline -- for each metric, are things getting better or worse STEP 3: In the QBR conversations with each rep, focus on the top 2-3 metrics that suggest growth opportunities. And discuss specific ideas on how to improve performance against those metrics. Whattaya think? Happy selling. #heysalesleaders #salesexcellence

"𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲." 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻... 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. PepsiCo, 2015. Post-QBR high-fives all around. We'd identified three areas scoring below 4. Supplier acknowledged the gaps. Everyone agreed on what needed to improve. I checked back 6 weeks later. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: • Area 1: No progress • Area 2: "We're working on it" • Area 3: No one could remember what we'd committed to 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Because we didn't document the improvement plan. No owners. No deadlines. No follow-up scheduled. We scored them. We discussed it. We accomplished nothing. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟳 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗥𝗠 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿. 🎄 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Do your scorecards lead to documented improvement plans, or are they just data in a spreadsheet? SGAR requires action on scores below 4: → What specifically needs to improve? → Who owns it (both sides)? → Timeline for progress? → How will you measure success? → Act within 2 weeks of the QBR Scorecards without consequences don't drive behaviour change. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝗻 (𝟮𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻): For any area your supplier scored below 4, create a simple improvement plan using this template: 1. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗮𝗽: What exactly needs to improve? 2. 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: Why is performance at this level? 3. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: What will they do? What will you do? 4. 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: Who's responsible (both sides)? 5. 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: When will we check progress? (2-4 weeks) 6. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰: How will we know it worked? Share this with the supplier. Schedule a mid-quarter check-in to track progress. After that PepsiCo failure, I made improvement plans mandatory for any area scoring below 4. Template sent within 48 hours of QBR. Progress check scheduled immediately. No exceptions. Result? Supplier performance improved 23% year-over-year because we closed the loop. Measurement without action is just paperwork. Ps: Want the editable version of this template plus 23 other tactical vendor management tools? Sign up at https://lnkd.in/eJKDiq9P, you'll get the complete toolkit on December 25th.

Your sales managers are drowning in data—but starving for clarity. I was on a call last week with a VP of Sales who showed me his dashboard. 47 different metrics. I asked him : "Which number, if it moved 20% this month, would change everything?" Silence. Here's what I see happening: Leaders know *something* is off. Pipeline isn't converting. Reps are busy but not productive. Deals are slipping. But they can't pinpoint the actual behavior or skill gap that's causing it. Here's how to actually diagnose what's broken (and fix it fast): —— Step 1: Pick ONE North-Star Metric Not 10. Not 5. One. What's the single number that, if improved, would cascade into revenue growth this quarter? Could be: → Connect rate → Discovery-to-demo conversion → Demo-to-proposal rate → Close rate Pick the constraint. Ignore the rest for now. —— Step 2: Work Backward to the Behaviors Metrics don't move themselves. Behaviors move metrics. Ask: What are the 3–5 specific actions that directly influence this number? Example—if your North-Star is close rate: • Multi-threading (are reps building champion + EB relationships?) • Next-step clarity (is every call ending with a concrete commitment?) • Objection handling (are reps folding on pricing or timeline pushback?) Now you have a target. You know exactly what behaviors to inspect and improve. —— Step 3: Inspect the Work, Not Just the Outcome Most managers live in lagging indicators. They see the deal lost, the pipeline gap, the missed forecast—after it's too late. Top leaders inspect leading behaviors weekly: → Listen to 2–3 discovery calls per rep. Score them on your behavior checklist. → Review pipeline hygiene: Are next steps clear? Are close dates realistic? → Check activity quality: Are reps reaching the right people, or just burning through volume? You'll spot the gap in week one. You can course-correct in week two. —— Step 4: Use BIPSY to Diagnose the Root Cause When a behavior isn't happening, most managers assume it's a skill problem and throw training at it. But the issue might be: B – Behavior: They don't know they should be doing it. I – Issue Diagnosis: We don't know the CAUSE of the problem. P – Process: There's no clear standard or it's not reinforced. S – Skill: They know what to do but can't execute it well. Y – You (Impact): YOU as the leader aren't doing the right things. Diagnose correctly, and your fix is 10x faster. Don't guess. Diagnose. —— Step 5: Coach the Behavior Until It Sticks One conversation won't change anything. Great managers build a weekly rhythm: Monday: Inspect the work (calls, pipeline, activity). Tuesday–Thursday: Coach the gap in 1:1s with real examples. Friday: Measure early proof (did the behavior improve?). Rinse and repeat. This is system force, not brute force. The Bottom Line: Your team doesn't need more dashboards, more meetings, or more motivation. They need clarity and specific actions.

Your dashboard isn’t broken. It just doesn’t show the whole picture. CRO walks into the board meeting... - We’ve got the dashboards. Forecasts. Reports. - Our pipeline coverage was looking very healthy. - But we can’t explain why we missed our target by 30%. As a result, no one trusts the data - We can’t connect leading and lagging indicators - We can’t feel confident in our forecasts to hit targets - Because we can’t see what’s contributing to those numbers But there’s a relatively simple fix to this. A 3-layer GTM scorecard: 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 These are the board-level KPIs—Net New ARR, NRR, CAC Payback Period. Every scorecard should anchor here, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟮: 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 Think pipeline per rep, outbound conversion, win rate by segment. These show how well your GTM engine is running—not just what it produced. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟯: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 Speed to Lead, Sales Cycle, Stage Conversion, Account Coverage. These metrics expose what’s breaking and who owns the fix. Most dashboards only cover Layer 1. Some get to Layer 2. Teams that consistently earn trust and forecast with confidence? They run all three. They can tie every metric to a process, a lever, and a decision. In tomorrow’s newsletter, we break down how to build this 3-layer scorecard from scratch—and how to use it to inform planning, forecasting, and performance reviews across the GTM engine. It’s not a dashboard. It’s an operating system. Would you use something like this? 🤔 More on this in tomorrow’s 📰 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙊𝙥𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 📰 Subscribe to get it here: https://bit.ly/49RCm0h ✌️

Pipeline Analytics in HubSpot 🚨 After dozens of conversations with CROs, RevOps, and boards this year, it’s clear: This level of visibility is no longer “nice to have”. It’s becoming board-level standard. They want to spot the gaps. The inefficiencies. The hidden leaks. So what are they looking at? • Stage conversion rates (where deals drop off) • Avg time per stage (where things slow down) • Win rates (and how they trend) • Deal slippage % (forecast reliability) • Funnel leakage by stage • Pipeline volume vs. progression • Sales by team, person, and lead source And not just at the company level - but per region, team, and lead source. This dashboard turns raw HubSpot data into clear sales performance insights in a minute. So you can actually impact what revenue and growth will look like. Are you already reviewing your funnel like this, or still mostly looking at top-line numbers? 👇👇👇