Sales enablement metrics are crucial for measuring the effectiveness and outcomes of sales strategies, tactics, and tools.
However, one of the biggest problems with sales enablement metrics is that there are simply too many of them.
With so many options to choose from, across behavioural, leading and lagging metrics, it can be difficult for enablement teams to know which metrics are the most relevant and important to track. And to compound the issue, many Enablement and RevOps teams struggle to find the bandwidth to consistently publish the metrics.
This can lead to a situation where businesses are tracking a large number of metrics, adding complexity to their processes, utilising valuable time, but fail to provide the insights business leaders need to make informed decisions.
Another issue with sales enablement metrics is that many of them focus on operational or volume-based aspects, such as the number of training sessions delivered, or the number of certifications attained.
While these metrics can point towards a sales team's level of competence, it doesn't indicate effectiveness or level of performance.
Finally, as a result of the above, many sales enablement metrics do not resonate with business leaders, who are more interested in overall performance and growth. When presenting the traditional sales enablement metrics to sales leaders, the expression we're presented with is typically 'so what?' - not in a negative or dismissive way, but due to the inability to correlate the metrics with sales and business performance.
For example, a business leader may not be interested in the number of new sales certifications, but rather in the overall revenue performance of the team as a result of the certifications. While both metrics are important, there is a need to demonstrate correlation.
If sales enablement metrics do not align with the priorities of business leaders, they are less likely to be used to drive decision-making, and in turn, sales enablement can be perceived as a cost center, at risk of being impacted by a reduction in workforce.
In conclusion, while sales enablement metrics are an important tool for measuring the effectiveness of sales strategies and tactics, the sheer number of metrics available, the focus on operational aspects of the process, and the lack of resonance with business leaders, are all contributing factors to the problem.
To address these issues, businesses need to identify the most important metrics to track and ensure that they align with overall business objectives.
Sales Velocity is a core metric that helps sales enablement to define and prioritise strategies that align to the business objectives, obtain key stakeholder buy-in, and ultimately measure the outcomes of enablement program execution.
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