What's the best way to analyze your sales metrics for trends?

1 Choose the right metrics

Analyzing sales metrics for trends begins with choosing the right metrics to focus on. Depending on your goals, industry, and sales cycle, you may track calls, emails, appointments, leads, opportunities, conversions, and revenue. However, prioritize those that reflect your SDR activities and outcomes, such as contact rate (percentage of prospects who respond), lead qualification rate (percentage of leads who meet criteria), appointment setting rate (percentage of leads who agree to meeting/demo), conversion rate (percentage of leads who become customers), and revenue per lead (amount of revenue generated by each lead). These metrics can help you evaluate your effectiveness, efficiency, and impact as an SDR.

2 Use a dashboard

The second step to analyze your sales metrics for trends is to use a dashboard that can display and visualize your data in a clear and concise way. With a dashboard, you can monitor your progress, compare your performance to targets and benchmarks, and identify patterns and anomalies in your data. For example, you can use it to view changes over time, compare metrics across segments, analyze correlations between different metrics, and spot gaps and opportunities in your sales funnel. There are various tools and platforms available to create and customize your own dashboard, including HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho.

3 Apply statistical methods

The third step to analyze your sales metrics for trends is to apply statistical methods that can help you interpret and understand your data. These methods can test hypotheses, measure confidence, and draw meaningful conclusions from the data. For instance, you can use statistical methods to calculate the average, median, mode, standard deviation, and range of the metrics. Additionally, you can determine the significance, variance, and correlation of the metrics. Regression analysis, trend analysis, forecasting, identifying outliers, anomalies, and errors in your data are all possible with statistical methods. Fortunately, you don't need to be a math expert to use these methods; tools and software such as Excel, Google Sheets or R can do the calculations and analysis for you.

4 Ask the right questions

The fourth step to analyze your sales metrics for trends is to ask the right questions that can help you gain insights and take action from your data. Such questions can uncover the root causes, implications, and solutions for your sales challenges and opportunities. Examples include: why are your metrics increasing or decreasing over time, what are the factors that influence your metrics, how do your metrics compare to goals and industry standards, what are the best practices and strategies that can help you improve your metrics, and what are the risks and assumptions that need to be considered when making decisions based on your metrics? Asking the right questions can turn data into actionable insights and recommendations.

5 Experiment and iterate

The fifth step to analyze your sales metrics for trends is to experiment and iterate on your sales processes and tactics based on your data and insights. This can help test assumptions, validate hypotheses, and optimize results. You can experiment and iterate on your target audience, outreach channels, messaging, timing, frequency, follow-up, and nurturing. For instance, you might expand or narrow criteria for target audience; use email, phone, social media, or video for outreach channels; use different hooks, headlines, or calls to action for messaging; choose the best days, hours, or intervals to contact prospects for timing; and use automation, personalization, or content for follow-up and nurturing. Experimenting and iterating can help you find the best ways to reach and engage prospects and move them through the sales funnel.

6 Learn and improve

The sixth and final step to analyze your sales metrics for trends is to learn and improve from your experiments and iterations. Doing so can help you measure your impact, celebrate your wins, and address your gaps. You can track and report results such as using charts, graphs, or tables to show your progress and achievements. Additionally, you can share and discuss findings with your peers and managers using feedback, reviews, or coaching. You can also implement and scale solutions using templates, scripts, or workflows to standardize and streamline best practices. Finally, you can update and revise goals with SMART criteria to set new and realistic targets. Learning and improving can help you grow and excel as an SDR.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?