We all know the adage that what can be measured can be managed. Except when it can't.
According to research from Vantage Point Performance, revenue actually can't be managed -- despite sales managers' best efforts. The reason is simple: revenue is the outcome of many sales activity input metrics, such as number of calls made or hours spent coaching. And if you're not regulating the inputs, the output becomes a lot more difficult to get a handle on.
Out of 306 sales metrics studied at companies, only 17% were deemed to be directly manageable. The remaining 83% fell into the categories of sales objectives (customer win rates, new customer acquisition, etc.) and business results (revenue, market share, etc.).
Take some time to evaluate your sales metrics against these three categories. Are you losing sleep over goals over which you have little control? Or do you find these goals easier to manage than this research would suggest?
![Understanding Sales Variance [Formula + Examples]](https://blog.hubspot.com/hubfs/Sales%20Variance.png)
