Why a monthly plan does not work
- you learn about the miss when nothing can be done about it
- there are no checkpoints where a gap becomes visible
- the plan is stated in money, and only actions can be managed
How to break it down
- Split the monthly plan into weeks, allowing for your within-month seasonality.
- Split the weekly plan into drivers: enquiries, conversion, deal size.
- For each driver, name who is answerable.
- Set a daily number for every driver, not only for money.
How to read a gap
- Fewer enquiries, conversion normal is a question for marketing, not for the sales team.
- Enough enquiries, conversion down is a question for the sales team: speed, follow-ups, script.
- Conversion normal, deal size down is a question for the product mix and for upselling.
- Everything normal, no money is a question for receivables: the deals exist, the payments never arrived.
This is the practical use of a metric tree: it turns «the plan is not being met» into a specific area and a specific person.
One habit that changes a lot
Every Monday, compare against the same week of last month rather than against last week. The first week of a month is almost always weaker than the last, and comparing neighbouring weeks raises a false alarm.