Why lagging indicators are not enough
Revenue, quota attainment, and closed deals are important. But by the time you see them, it is too late to make changes.
Leading metrics show you the health of your pipeline and the effectiveness of your process in real time.
Metric 1: Qualification scoring
Most sales teams rely on gut feeling to decide if a deal is qualified. But this leads to forecasts that are always off. A clear qualification score based on consistent criteria helps you see which deals are truly solid.
Tip: Define qualification questions and score them objectively.
Metric 2: Deal cycle speed
How long does it take a deal to move through each stage? If your cycle times are too slow, you lose momentum and risk losing deals to competitors.
Tracking cycle speed helps you spot bottlenecks and coach reps to improve.
Metric 3: Rep productivity
Time is the most limited resource in sales. Measure how much time reps spend on revenue activities (calls, demos, follow-ups) compared to admin work (data entry, searching for content).
Higher productivity means more pipeline and better results.
Metric 4: Forecast accuracy
Compare your forecasts to actual results every quarter. If you consistently over- or under-predict, you need to improve your process.
Use data to adjust assumptions instead of relying on opinions.
Metric 5: Customer engagement
Watch for signals that show real interest:
- Email opens
- Meeting attendance
- Product usage
- Response times
Strong engagement is a good sign the deal is moving in the right direction.
How uman helps you measure and improve
uman tracks all five metrics automatically:
- Qualification scoring is built into workflows.
- Cycle times are recorded for every opportunity.
- Rep activities are logged without manual effort.
- Forecasts update as deals progress.
- Engagement signals are visible in one place.
Instead of scattered reports, you get a clear view of performance.
Conclusion
If you want predictable revenue, you need to measure the right things.
uman helps you see what matters and improve every part of your process.
