The drill of selling is what a salesperson has to do every day, month, and year to succeed. In order to develop a sales plan, a salesperson should know his or her key selling metrics. The first of these key selling metrics is a salesperson’s close ratio, which is the total opportunities a salesperson has attempted to close in a specific period divided by actual sales closed in the same period. Knowing this figure is vital to understanding a salesperson’s overall selling effectiveness, as a low close rate can indicate potential issues in prospecting and qualifying.

Next, a salesperson should know is his or her “C to A” ratio. A “C” prospect is one with whom a salesperson has had an initial meeting, who has acknowledged a need or desire, but who has not made a decision to pursue a purchase. An “A” prospect would be one who has made a decision to pursue a solution, for whom the salesperson has created a value proposition, and for whom the salesperson may have a solution. Knowing this ratio can be helpful in identifying possible communication difficulties or other issues that need to be addressed in the sales plan.

The final selling metric to consider is how many leads a salesperson has had handed to them versus how many opportunities he or she pursued independently. Knowing these three selling metrics will allow a salesperson to come up with a workable formula for setting sales goals. For example, if a sales person has a close ratio of ten percent and wants to make fourteen sales, that means he or she will need 140 “A” leads. If his or her C to A ratio is 50 percent, he or she will need 280 “C” leads. If the company is handing over 200 leads, the salesperson will need to generate 80 leads independently. Combined with a salesperson’s projected and actual performance, these selling metrics will enable a salesperson to set goals and make adjustments for his or her personal sales plan.

Ultimately, organization is what will make an individual’s daily drill a success. Learning to manage time and organize activities effectively is a huge stepping stone toward realizing an individual’s arc of potential. The first step in this organization plan is to make a list of outstanding tasks, meetings, and to-do items, then prioritizing this list and creating a plan to complete each item. The next step is to create a list of work activities, from anticipated meetings and phone calls to outreach prospecting and personal activities. These activities should encompass things that need to be accomplished daily as well as monthly and annual activities like performance reviews and special meetings. Finally, these activities need to then be prioritized according how important and/or time-sensitive they may be.

The most essential and time-sensitive activities will be top priority, and I like to calls them a person’s 20 percent activities. During the next step, which involves integrating this list of activities into a workable calendar, 20 percent activities should be mapped out first, followed by the rest in order of diminishing importance and time-sensitivity. The final step is to build and update a daily log of these activities. This will not only help to refine a salesperson’s selling metrics, but committing will ensure that they are actually followed through with.

Because not all activities are of equal importance or priority, there are a few key 20 percent actions that need to be focused on to maintain forward momentum. Have these “hell or high water” commitments, because a salesperson needs to make a pledge to get these items done no matter what happens. This will enable a salesperson to get very focused on the right activities, which combined with knowledge, will, and necessary skills, will inevitably lead to a vast improvement in overall selling performance.