Sales Frameworks

Not all metrics are key for your Business

5min read
Sean Chevell Sean Chevell Kinektion
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There are so many Businesses that don't stop to think about which metrics are most appropriate for their business, for the stage they are at, and forget to reassess as they continue to grow.

The 3 phases of a business typically include the start-up phase, the scale-up phase, and the mature phase.

  1. Start-up phase: The start-up phase is the initial stage of a business, when the company is first being established and is working to develop its product or service, gain traction in the market, and build its customer base.
  2. Scale-up phase: The scale-up phase is the next stage of a business, when the company has gained some initial traction and is looking to expand and grow. This often involves increasing production or sales, entering new markets, and building a stronger team and infrastructure to support growth.
  3. Mature phase: The mature phase is the final stage of a business, when the company has reached a stable level of growth and is focused on maintaining and optimizing its operations. This often involves refining processes, expanding into new markets or product lines, and focusing on long-term sustainability and profitability.


Start Up

The top 3 key metrics that a start-up company should be watching may vary depending on the specific industry and business model, but some common metrics to track include:

  1. Revenue: Revenue is a key metric for any business, as it represents the amount of money that the company is generating from sales. Start-up companies should track their revenue closely to understand how their business is performing and identify trends and opportunities for growth.
  2. Customer acquisition cost: The cost of acquiring a new customer is an important metric for start-up companies, as it can provide insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the company's marketing and sales efforts. By tracking this metric, start-ups can identify ways to reduce their customer acquisition cost and increase their profitability.
  3. Customer lifetime value: The lifetime value of a customer, or the total amount of revenue that a customer generates for the company over the course of their relationship, is another important metric for start-ups. By understanding the lifetime value of their customers, start-ups can identify ways to retain and grow their customer base, which can drive long-term revenue growth.
Quick Story: One organisation I consulted with were reporting to the Board the number of Registered Users on their SAAS solution, as their lead key metric. But once I pointed out that not only their User retention rate was incredibly low, but they were reporting Non-Paying Registered Users. Thereby giving the Board a false indication of performance. Once we started changing the Key Metrics to focus on these three meatrics and including # of Paid Users, the Company was then able to make more informed decision on how to transistion into the Scale-Up Phase.

Scale Up

The top 3 key metrics that a scale-up company should be watching may vary depending on the specific industry and business model, but some common metrics to track include:

  1. Gross margin: Gross margin is a measure of a company's profitability, and is calculated as the difference between the cost of goods sold and the selling price of a product or service. Tracking gross margin can help scale-up companies understand the profitability of their business and identify areas for improvement.
  2. Customer retention rate: The customer retention rate is the percentage of customers who continue to do business with a company over a given period of time. Tracking this metric can help scale-up companies understand the effectiveness of their customer relationship management efforts and identify ways to retain and grow their customer base.
  3. Employee retention rate: The employee retention rate is the percentage of employees who remain with a company over a given period of time. Tracking this metric can help scale-up companies understand the effectiveness of their HR policies and practices, and identify ways to attract and retain top talent. A high employee retention rate can help to improve morale, productivity, and overall business performance.
Quick Story: One of my previous Organisations went through a period when we lost our Highest Performing, in # of Sales, Account Manager. But once qwe srated looking at the margins on the products that they were selling, we found out that not only did they have a rather large drop off in Customers over the year, but  the discounts they were offering were eroding profits considerably. When we reset the metrics to inlcue my Top 3 Key Metrics for sales, which can be found in this guide, we in fact found that on the side-by-side comparison to other Account Managers, they were in fact fourth on the ladder 
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Mature

  1. Return on investment (ROI): Return on investment is a measure of a company's profitability, and is calculated as the ratio of the profit generated to the amount of money invested. Tracking ROI can help mature phase companies understand the efficiency of their business and identify areas for improvement.
  2. Net promoter score (NPS): Net promoter score is a measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty, and is calculated based on responses to the question "How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?" Tracking NPS can help mature phase companies understand the effectiveness of their customer relationship management efforts and identify ways to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  3. Employee engagement: Employee engagement is a measure of how engaged and motivated a company's employees are, and can be assessed through surveys or other methods. Tracking employee engagement can help mature phase companies understand the effectiveness of their HR policies and practices, and identify ways to improve morale and productivity. A high level of employee engagement can help to improve business performance and drive long-term success.
Quick Story: By now a Business within this phase has worked out the key foundations of operations and systems. But the biggest risk often comes from within, the shifts in engagement & culture. Those Businesses that I have worked with that have weathered the storm well in this regard have both a Customer NPS Program and an Internal Staff Engagement Program in place. Left unchecked these two elements can greatly erode Business Performance over time, slowly and silently. 
The Top 20 Bulletproof Metrics for Your Business
Here is a free guide that you can use to explore other Key Metrics that you might want to try for your Business and how to calculate them
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