Pipeline and forecasting
How to evaluate sales team performance, beyond quota
Quota shows something is wrong, not what. The numbers, observations and checks that find the cause.
To evaluate sales team performance properly, look past quota attainment. Quota tells you that something is wrong, but not what. Start with the numbers in your CRM: pipeline created, stage-to-stage conversion, deal size, cycle length and forecast accuracy, by person and by team. Then look at the causes behind them: how people run calls and pitches, whether the sales process and tools help or get in the way, and how well new starters are onboarded and coached. Turn what you find into a short plan with a few priorities, owners and a date to measure again.
This guide is for sales directors, CROs and founders who want a fair, evidence-based view of their commercial team, whether to plan next year, to decide where to invest, or because results have dipped and nobody agrees why.
Key points
- Quota attainment is a result. Evaluate the activities and conversions that produce it.
- Pull the same handful of numbers from the CRM for every seller and for the team, over the same period.
- Find the stage where deals stall. That is usually where the real problem sits.
- Observe skills with one scorecard, used the same way for everyone, and share what you write down.
- Check process, tools, onboarding and coaching before concluding that people are the problem.
- End with a 90-day plan: three priorities, an owner each, and the measures you will check again.
Why quota alone misleads
Quota attainment mixes many things together: territory quality, inherited accounts, one large deal, product fit and timing. Two sellers can both reach 80% of target for opposite reasons. One builds plenty of pipeline but converts poorly; the other converts well but has too little pipeline. They need different help.
Quota also arrives late. By the time the quarter closes, the cause is three to six months old. The measures below show problems earlier.
The numbers to pull from your CRM
Use the same period and the same definitions for everyone. Twelve months is a sensible window for most B2B cycles; use longer if your deals take more than six months.
| Measure | What it tells you | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline created (value and number of deals) | Whether people generate enough opportunity | Low creation hidden by a few large inherited deals |
| Stage-to-stage conversion | Where deals are won and lost in your process | One stage where conversion drops sharply |
| Win rate on qualified deals | Ability to close once a deal is real | High win rate on very few deals |
| Average deal size | Who sells the full scope, who discounts | Large gaps between sellers on similar accounts |
| Sales cycle length | Speed, and how well deals are qualified | Long cycles with many stalled deals |
| Forecast accuracy | Judgement and pipeline discipline | Consistent over-forecasting |
| Expansion and retention (account roles) | Value delivered to existing customers | Renewals saved late, little upsell |
For forecast accuracy, use a fixed snapshot date and the method in our guide to improving sales forecast accuracy. If the CRM data is too patchy to produce these numbers, that is itself a finding; see how to get a sales team to keep the CRM up to date.
Stage conversion and where deals stall
Stage conversion is often the most revealing view, and your CRM may already report it. In HubSpot, for example, funnel reports analyse conversion rates between stages and are calculated from “Date entered [stage]” timestamps that the system updates automatically. If deals skip stages, check how your report treats them before reading too much into the percentages.
- Build the funnel for the team, then for each seller.
- Find the biggest drop. Is it from discovery to qualified, from proposal to commit, or somewhere else?
- Read the lost deals at that stage. Loss reasons, notes and, if you have them, call recordings.
- Look at time in stage. Deals that sit for months in one stage are often lost already.
- Compare sellers at the same stage. A drop for everyone points to process or product; a drop for one person points to skills or coaching.
Skills: how to observe calls and pitches fairly
Numbers tell you where to look; observation tells you why. To keep it fair:
- Use one scorecard for everyone in the same role, with a few observable behaviours: preparation, discovery questions, explaining value, handling objections, agreeing a next step.
- Observe more than one call per person, of the same type.
- Separate observation from judgement. Write down what happened before scoring it.
- Share the notes with the seller and discuss them.
Acas guidance on performance reviews says reviews may look at whether an employee is meeting agreed objectives and showing the right behaviours in their work. It recommends keeping a written record of what is discussed and sharing it with the employee afterwards, and says objectives should be fair and reflect the employee’s usual tasks and workload. The same principles make a skills assessment credible to the team.
For a wider reference point, the Institute of Sales Professionals publishes a Sales Capability Framework, which it describes as defining the essential knowledge, skills, behaviours and tools required for effective and ethical sales performance. It can help you decide which capabilities matter for each role before you design a scorecard.
Process and tools: what helps and what gets in the way
Before deciding that sellers are underperforming, check what they are working with.
A process and tools checklist
- Stages have written exit criteria, and sellers apply them the same way
- Qualification is defined, and deals are reviewed against it
Pre-sales joins deals at an agreed point, with the information it needs- Handover to customer success is defined and followed
- The CRM holds what managers need, without excess fields
- Sellers can find current pricing, proposals and case studies quickly
- Admin time (quotes, approvals, reporting) is not crowding out selling time
Ask sellers where they lose time each week. The answers are often specific and easy to fix.
Onboarding and coaching
Look at the newest people separately. If recent hires all take a long time to reach their first qualified opportunity, look at onboarding before you question recruitment. Our 30-60-90 day plan for new sales reps shows how to set milestones you can measure.
Then look at coaching. Acas says that alongside formal reviews, managers should talk to employees informally about performance on a regular basis, through feedback, coaching and one-to-ones. Ask managers how often they review calls or deals with each seller, and check the diary. Coaching that happens only when a quarter goes badly is not coaching.
Turning findings into a 90-day plan
An evaluation is only useful if something changes. Keep the plan short.
- Pick three priorities, the issues that explain most of the gap. For example: low conversion from discovery to qualified; no agreed point for
pre-sales ; new hires without a plan. - Give each an owner and a first action within two weeks.
- Set a measure for each, taken from the CRM numbers you have just pulled.
- Agree individual objectives with sellers where needed. Acas suggests objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
- Measure again at 90 days, with the same definitions, and decide what comes next.
How we can help
Our Sales Team Assessment does this work for you in three weeks: interviews with leaders and up to ten sellers, a review of CRM data, pipeline and forecast, calls and meetings observed, and a written report and plan presented to leadership. It is £4,950 + VAT, or from £7,950 + VAT for teams of more than 15 people (see pricing). It is not a personality test. If you want help putting the plan into practice, the 12-Week Enablement Programme starts with the assessment and ends with a review against the starting measures, from £19,500 + VAT (see pricing). To talk it through, book a 30-minute call.
Sources
All checked on 26 October 2026.
- Reviews and appraisals: performance management (Acas): what reviews look at, written records, informal feedback and coaching, fair and SMART objectives.
- ISP’s Sales Capability Framework (Institute of Sales Professionals): what the framework covers and how it is used.
- Create custom funnel reports (HubSpot Knowledge Base): conversion between stages and stage timestamps.
Frequently asked questions
How do you evaluate sales team performance?
Pull the same measures from the CRM for everyone (pipeline created, stage conversion, win rate, deal size, cycle length, forecast accuracy), find where deals stall, observe calls with one scorecard, and check process, tools, onboarding and coaching before drawing conclusions.
What metrics should you use to measure sales team performance?
Beyond quota attainment: pipeline created, stage-to-stage conversion, win rate on qualified deals, average deal size, sales cycle length, forecast accuracy and, for account roles, retention and expansion.
How do you assess the skills of a salesperson fairly?
Observe several calls of the same type with one scorecard used for everyone in the role, write down what happened before scoring it, and share the notes with the seller.
How often should you evaluate a sales team?
Review the core numbers monthly or quarterly, and do a fuller evaluation once a year or when results change and the cause is unclear. Acas suggests formal performance reviews at least once a year.
