Many companies still track their sales reps’ prospecting in a spreadsheet. On paper, it is simple: ten minutes a day is enough to keep it up to date. In practice, how many actually do it, and how regularly?

A well-configured CRM produces these figures on its own, provided you know which ones to track. Here are five indicators to better track your prospecting, built on a simple process and adaptable to yours.

The team behind our flexible, automatable CRM tells you everything.

Start from the process, not the indicators

An indicator only makes sense in relation to a specific step in the process. The common mistake is to choose figures before describing what they measure. So start with the steps of your prospecting. As an example, let us take a deliberately simple process.

• Unqualified lead: unverified information about a person or company, for example from a list or a trade show.
• Qualified lead: the information has been verified and there is commercial interest.
• Meeting booked: an in-depth discussion is scheduled.
• Converted lead: a need has been identified and a proposal is under way.

Once these steps are set up in the CRM, every status change becomes data. Reports are then built effortlessly, in real time, and a manager can spot a slowdown before it affects revenue.

Three volume indicators

1. Number of qualifications

How many leads move from unqualified to qualified, per day or per week. This is the most direct effort indicator: it measures the sorting and verification work done.

2. Number of meetings booked

How many in-depth discussions are scheduled over the same period. This is often the target set for prospecting teams, because it marks the shift from contact to relationship.

3. Number of opportunities identified

How many leads receive a proposal. This is the junction point between prospecting and sales, and the first indicator that signals future revenue.

These three figures cannot be interpreted at first reading. An observation period is needed to have points of comparison, from one sales rep to another and from one period to another. Activity is also seasonal: a drop in August does not mean the same thing as a drop in October.

Two efficiency indicators

4. Qualification rate

This is the ratio of qualified leads to leads processed. It measures the quality of the sources as much as the sales rep’s work: a low rate often signals a poorly targeted list rather than a lack of effort. Compared between sales reps working on the same sources, it becomes a coaching tool.

5. Conversion rate

This is the ratio of leads converted into opportunities to qualified leads. It measures how well the offer matches the target: it depends both on marketing’s ability to aim right and on the sales rep’s ability to convert. It is worth calculating by sector or source, to identify the most promising segments.

From dashboard to decision

These five indicators fit on a single dashboard. They let sales reps know where they stand against their targets, and let managers spot where the process gets stuck: many qualifications and few meetings is not the same problem as many meetings and few opportunities.

They measure prospecting, not overall sales performance. For that, see our article on sales performance indicators. And if your tracking still relies on a spreadsheet, our article on the limits of Excel files is for you.

Your questions about prospecting indicators

How often should you check these indicators?

Every week for volumes, every month for rates. Weekly rates are based on too few cases to be reliable.

Should you set targets for each indicator?

For volumes, yes. For rates, it is better to follow a trend: a rate target encourages people to discard difficult leads.

What should you do if the qualification rate drops?

Look at the source of the leads first. A new list or a new channel explains most sudden drops.

Do these indicators apply to a small team?

Yes, even for a single sales rep. They then serve the rep first, to know where their time goes.

Should you add other indicators?

Only if a specific question requires it. Five indicators that are tracked are better than fifteen that are checked now and then.