The month ends. Sales amounts drop. Margins dip. A red slide appears in the review. The question is asked: “What happened?” Leaders scramble for answers. Some criticise the market. Some cite team performance. Most just yearn to go back and fix it. But they can’t. Because what you review is already history. And history can’t be changed. This is the snare of outcome obsession.
Great management doesn’t begin at the scoreboard. It starts with the playbook. And that means pivoting on process, not just results.
Two Types of Metrics Every Leader Must Know
In sales growth strategy consulting, Profound Consulting believes one truth: what you manage is what matters. There are two kinds of metrics you need:
1. Result Metrics (Lag Metrics):
- Revenue
- Profit Margin
- Customer Churn
- Productivity
These are outcomes. They compute the past. But you can’t change them once they appear.
2. Process Metrics (Lead Metrics):
- Sales calls made
- Leads followed up
- Tickets resolved in 24 hours
- Demos arranged per week
These are activities. You can manage them in real time. They enable the results. If you only track revenue, you’re observing the scoreboard after the match ends.
Why Managers Must Be Coaches, Not Historians
In management consulting services, we often see leaders who feel inadequate. Why? Because they manage by autopsy.
Here are three dangers of focusing only on results:
- Reactive Culture: Teams describe misses. They tell stories. They don’t plan wins.
- Low Morale: You deduce performance no one can now influence.
- No Next Step: A profit dip doesn’t tell you what to do at 9 AM tomorrow.
Real leadership means repositioning from outcomes to inputs. From judge to coach. From lag to lead.
A Real Example: Sales Team Turnaround
One client of our management consulting solutions struggled with stagnant revenue.
Weekly reviews showed lower conversions. But the perpetrator wasn’t the conversion. It was that reps weren’t making sufficient first contacts.
We tracked:
- Calls made
- Emails sent
- Follow-ups done
Just by increasing consistent outreach, conversions soared. Revenue followed. The scoreboard only changed after the playbook did.
How to Start Managing Process Metrics
Want to see results? Focus on what drives them. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Start with the Goal
- Select a result metric.
- Example: Grow retention by 10% this quarter.
2. Brainstorm the Drivers
- What actions influence that goal?
- Example:
- Onboarding completion rate
- Weekly customer check-ins
- Response time to tickets
3. Choose 3-4 Key Activities
- Don’t track everything.
- Choose consequential, influenceable actions.
- Make them visible to your team.
4. Coach Daily and Weekly
- Focus reviews on actions, not end results.
- Ask: “How can I help you improve that metric this week?”
5. Measure Both, But Prioritize Inputs
- Keep tracking outcomes monthly.
- But establish your daily strategy on the activities.
Why This Works
Because actions create results. You don’t grow revenue by staring at it. You grow revenue by:
- Making more calls
- Enhancing your pitch
- Following up better
In short, you implement. That’s the core of sales growth strategy consulting at Profound Consulting.
Create a Culture That Manages the Future
This mindset shift builds flourished, more empowered teams. Here’s how:
- Stop remunerating busyness. Reward actions that move the needle.
- Focus on what clients require, not what bosses expect.
- Redesign outdated policies if they choke results.
Many Indian businesses struggle with heirloom systems. That’s why management consulting services in India is rising in demand. Clients want flexibility. Speed. Custom support. And that can’t come from watching numbers alone.
My belief: Boardrooms Must Build the Future, Not Scrutinize the Past. Play the match being an active player on the ground and not by commenting from the stadium (The Ivory Tower)
Monthly reviews have their allocated place. But daily action wins the game.
Start measuring what matters:
- The demo booked, not just the deal clinched
- The outreach done, not just the revenue obtained
Let results confirm your process. Not the other way around.
Final Thought
You can’t undo the past. But you can structure the future. Bring the change from chasing numbers to coaching behaviors. From tracing history to constructing tomorrow. That’s the future of smart, effective management. And at Profound Consulting, we help you get there.
Need help in building a method-driven performance culture? Let’s talk. Visit profoundconsulting.in
