ISRs, AMs, AEs - whatever you call them, the metrics that drive the closing function are always in demand. 

Every eighteen months we conduct this research project, I'm asking for your help as we begin our 5th round.

The key themes we hope to uncover and share include:

• SaaS versus On-Premise: where are groups similar, where do they differ
• Compensation: base + ote, pay on what/how/when, accelerators and decelerators
• Quotas: $ quotas, other components, % attainment
• Rep Profiles: experience, tenure, ramp, career path

We worked hard to make this year’s survey easier and it should only take 6-8 minutes to complete.

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For every 1000 accounts prospected in a given quarter, how many opportunities should an SDR group generate?

That question can mean only one thing, it's time for the latest release of the Outbound Index.

For those unfamiliar, the Index is a collaboration between Pete Gracey, CEO of QuotaFactory, and I into the metrics of outbound prospecting. With each release, we provide an 'outbound snapshot' powered by actual, transactional CRM data.

In other words, we don’t ask ‘Hey, how’s the prospecting going?,’ we dig into the data and find out the truth.

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Did you pay for your wedding cake on your one year anniversary? Did you put the down payment on your car after your first oil change? Ridiculous, right?

Then why do companies pay after the date of hire for inside sales candidate referrals?

There is definitely a talent crunch for SDR and ISR candidates. I’m seeing referral rewards of $500, $1000 and even $2000 for a single hire. That’s a big payoff, but the long odds encourage little effort. (Note: I’m talking about getting more referrals from your network - not from current employees.)

Many companies pay out after the candidate has been hired and working for 30, 60, or even 90 days. That length of time doesn’t incent immediate action and leads to little or no referral efforts.

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Lead response time is a hot topic lately.

Companies have published research highlighting findings such as ‘calling inbound leads in under a minute delivers 3-4X conversion rates’ and ‘calling within 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes drops the odds of qualifying by 21X.’

I believe those studies are well done and their findings are true. But the question remains: for those of us with fairly complex B2B sales processes, do they matter? 

My hypothesis is that contact and conversion rates rarely equal quality of conversation (and ultimately revenue). I see two big problems in our rush to make contact.

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