Two Tall Guys Talking Sales
Metrics are not just a sales management dashboard issue. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey make the case that salespeople need their own working metrics, the numbers that help them protect commission income, smooth the revenue rollercoaster, improve forecast accuracy, and make better decisions about where to spend time. This is a practical conversation about pipeline coverage, deal velocity, prospecting discipline, relationship touches, product mix, and the sales processes that turn activity into Sales success. Key Topics Discussed Salesperson Metrics vs. Management Metrics — 00:00 Kevin opens by separating metrics that matter to salespeople from the broader numbers that matter to marketers or sales managers. The real issue is not reporting. It is knowing whether you are doing enough of the right work to make quota. Pipeline Coverage and Forecasting for Yourself — 01:26 The conversation moves into pipeline coverage, deal movement, and the danger of being able to hit quota without knowing when you will hit it. That gap creates weak forecasting, poor Revenue management, and avoidable stress. Avoiding the Sales Commission Rollercoaster — 03:41 Sean explains why inconsistent revenue hurts individual salespeople more than sales managers. A manager can average performance across a team, but a salesperson lives with the direct financial impact of pipeline gaps, delayed deals, and uneven prospecting. Matching Sales Activity to Sales Cycle Length — 05:28 Sean makes the point that a 60-day sales cycle and a six-month sales cycle require different behavior. The salesperson must understand how much time belongs in prospecting, discovery, qualification, scoping, closing, and relationship development. Measuring Deal Creation and Customer Touches — 07:07 Kevin discusses why the number of new deals created matters, especially when viewed by time period and business model. He also shifts into relationship metrics, including how often salespeople intentionally reconnect with customers, former customers, and referral sources. Planning to 110% with A, B, and C Deals — 12:12 Sean closes with a practical quota-planning model: build the year around 110%, then break the number into A, B, and C deal sizes. This forces better Sales strategies, sharper prioritization, and more realistic Revenue generation planning. Key Quotes Kevin Lawson — 00:00 "I want to talk about metrics that matter to salespeople, not marketers, not sales managers… but the people out there carrying the bag." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 03:41 "I want to talk about the ability to not ride the rollercoaster." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 05:50 "If you have a six-month sales cycle, same problem, but you have more time to budget it out. You can go a week without prospecting, but you can't go a month without prospecting." Kevin Lawson — 07:40 "I really like for all sales teams to know how many deals need to come into their pipeline per time period." Kevin Lawson — 10:24 "Being intentional with the relationship is as important." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 12:34 "Start the year assuming you're going to go to 110%. Build your plan to go to 110%." Additional Resources B2B Sales Lab Sean and Kevin referenced the B2B Sales Lab, a community where B2B salespeople can ask questions, get feedback, and talk through real-world Sales strategies, sales processes, Value selling, Messaging, Business acumen, and Revenue generation challenges. Learn more at b2b-sales-lab.com. Traction by Gino Wickman https://a.co/d/0c9rXQMz Kevin referenced the idea of "traction" while discussing relationship discipline and consistent outreach. The point was not about theory. It was about keeping sales relationships active before the pipeline forces you to care. A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast Build a simple personal pipeline math model this week. Start with your annual quota, then plan to 110%. Break that number into A, B, and C deal sizes. Estimate how many of each deal type you need, then work backward into how many opportunities must be created each month based on your close rate and sales cycle length. From there, decide whether your current prospecting, customer outreach, referral activity, and deal advancement work can actually support the number. If the math does not work, the problem is not motivation. It is the plan. Summary This episode is worth listening to because Kevin and Sean take a topic many salespeople avoid, metrics, and make it directly relevant to the person carrying the number. The conversation is not about building a prettier CRM report or giving sales management more inspection points. It is about using metrics to protect your income, reduce uncertainty, improve your forecast, and make better daily decisions. If you have ever had a great month followed by a weak one, or a full pipeline that somehow failed to convert when you needed it, this episode will sound uncomfortably familiar. More importantly, it gives you a practical way to regain control before the rollercoaster starts again.
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