In order to hit your target you need to know the numbers and by that we mean, how many deals you need to close, how many prospects you need to call on and how many days do you need to work.

By understanding the ratio of prospects to proposals to orders you can develop a strategic plan to hit your sales target. Otherwise you are simply working hard and hoping.

The maths is very simple but you need to be honest with yourself based on your knowledge of your percentage conversion at each stage. For example if your close rate is only 50% at the proposal stage you will have to create more opportunities for proposal than if your close rate is 80%. Equally if you can increase your average order value from say £2,000 to £10,000 then you will drastically reduce the number of orders you will need to secure to reach your target.

The information you will need to complete the assessment is detailed below, along with a link to download a spreadsheet that will help you calculate the number of orders, prospects and working days you will require to hit your target.

To start, you need to understand the following:  

• Your target for the year (Total annual sales).
• The average order value each order you win.
• How many days absent from work due to holidays will you have
• How many days off sick per annum do you have typically
• What is your average close rate in percentage from opportunities to orders.

Know the Numbers