How to Track and Improve Team Performance

Managing a Sales Team How to Track and Improve Team Performance

Introduction

As a sales manager, you want your team to excel—to win, increase deal sizes, and breeze through the pipeline like nobody’s business. But how do you translate that dream into a reality? Start by tracking your team’s performance.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to measure success with key performance indicators (KPIs) and why team metrics matter. You’ll also get five tips for improving sales team performance.

Watch this video to learn how to measure and improve your sales team’s performance.

What Are Key Performance Indicators?

Have you ever come across the phrase below or a variation of it?

“What gets measured gets improved.”

– Peter Drucker

If your goal is to improve your sales team’s performance, you need to start by reviewing how they’re currently doing. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurements that can help you track progress. They’re not always uniform, as each company creates a unique set of goals.

Still, there are several KPIs that are important for most sales leaders to follow, including:

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.

– Michael Jordan

Why Are Team Performance Metrics So Important?

Apart from showing progress, team performance metrics matter because they provide a solid foundation for sales managers to lead and support their team.

Expand the accordion below to see three ways team metrics boost overall sales performance.

Team Unity

Owning common stats helps foster unity among teammates. Everyone can rally around and contribute to a clear, shared goal.

Career Development

Identifying areas of struggle and success for each rep allows you to offer specific guidance for that person. While not everyone will excel in the same way, helping your reps through customised support will create a much stronger team.

Forecasting Revenue

Detailed team metrics help you predict sales more accurately. Reliable projections help you develop appropriate quotas and targets, as well as generate dependable reports for others at your company.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

– Babe Ruth

5 Tips for Improving Sales Team Performance

Keeping an eye on metrics is crucial for sales leaders. But measuring isn’t enough.

Advance through the following slides to see five tips for jumping from data to action.

Tip 1: Choose KPIs You Care About

Data is only as good as the meaning you attach to it. While the average response time might be critical for some, it might not even crack your top five. You don’t have to measure something just because everyone else does.

Instead, think about the following:

- What metrics are most relevant for your team, product, and industry?

- How can those measurements help you achieve your goals?

- What data would be helpful for your team to improve their focus?

Tip 2: Clarify Team Goals vs. Individual Goals

A sales team consists of reps who make up parts of a whole. Everyone needs to understand their responsibilities and how they contribute to a common goal. Give people a purpose that fuels the engine. For example, you might:

- Set a team goal to increase the conversion rate by 5%.

- Then set individual goals depending on each rep’s area for improvement (e.g. reducing time spent in the prospecting stage, increasing lead quality).

- And then, connect those individual goals to the overall team goal.

Tip 3: Keep Your Team up to Date

As a sales manager, you have a bird’s eye view of your team’s progress and performance. Share as much information as possible as often as necessary. The benefits of giving people the data include:

- Unifying teammates around a common theme or goal.

- Identifying areas where one member might be able to help another.

- Providing regular reviews and feedback for your reps to build on.

Tip 4: Create Connections

You’re the leader, but you’re also just one person. But within a group, you have access to a wealth of knowledge that can be mined. Each team member has expertise, and sometimes it might be just what someone else needs. So, create space for everyone to come together and make connections.

For example: Alex struggles to close deals, but Stella excels at it. You could actively bring up the subject with both of them, but then Alex might feel attacked. Instead, you could pair Alex and Stella for casual chats around closing strategies, or organise happy hours where conversations will happen naturally without you driving them.

Tip 5: Celebrate Both Small and Big Successes

Don’t wait for the big moments. Celebrate smaller steps along the way. Don’t send the message that making a sale is the only outcome that matters. If a customer or lead left positive feedback, that’s a win, too. Metrics don’t always reflect these things, so it’s important to carve out space and be intentional about recognition.

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Summary

High-performing sales teams don’t spring up overnight. It takes consistent care to allow such a team to blossom. As the leader, you can nurture that growth by keeping a watchful eye on the metrics that matter.

Tracking KPIs for your team helps foster unity and career development, as well as forecast revenue. So, collect the data, then translate it into action to help improve team performance by following these tips:

Choose KPIs you care about.
Clarify team goals vs. individual goals.
Keep your team up to date.
Create connections.
Customise incentives.
Celebrate both small and big successes.

By combining metrics with clear, meaningful goals, you’ll help your sales team excel.

So, what’s next after creating a solid sales process and establishing clear goals? Let’s move on to one of the most important responsibilities for managers—team management.

Click on “Mark Complete ✓“.

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