Performance against quota isn't the most important KPI for a revenue leader ... it hasn't been for more than a decade …
... so why is it still the primary metric by which Boards and CEOs gauge the success of a revenue leader and their team?
... answer - because few of us want the responsibility of telling our boss and the Board that their quota target is FUBAR, and then the responsibility and workload of teaching them how and why there are other more illustrative metrics and KPIs by which to govern a world-class revenue team
… BTW, why would anyone knowingly challenge their leadership and risk a $250K salary and a $500K OTE ... it's just easier to go along to get along
... but is it easier?
... the average tenure of an executive-level sales leader has fallen to 16 months! Shit, so much for playing the long game ...
... and, over 50% of B2B revenue professionals missed their quotas in 2023! so it's not exactly easier in the short term either
... something's broken ... really fucking broken
... the reality of revenue leadership is that building great revenue machines takes time, it takes longer than 16 months, and demands you look at more than a single KPI
... if you're tracking and measuring your leading indicators and your key saas metrics as part of your period-over-period reporting, you can see your future success headed toward you and in what time frame
… quota performance is the last metric you should care about because it only provides you data on the last mile of your process, so it’s important, but it shouldn’t be your singular focus
… leading indicators and saas metrics specific to your business are what you need to present to your CEO and your Board for every period in which the data can be refreshed - without exception
... don’t get dragged into the performance against quota myopia ... FUCK QUOTA!
… Good luck and good selling … LFG!
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