This Is How a Bad Quarter Starts In Sales (As Illustrated by Data)
This Pattern of Procrastination Creates Inconsistency
The data science team at Gong.io analyzed 15 months of sales data, discovering that “average” performers in sales (characterized by being below the top 20% of performers) follow similar behavioral patterns throughout the quarter. When it comes to the amount of scheduled sales calls average reps conduct, it seems that they follow a pattern of procrastination, skyrocketing the quantity of sales calls they perform in the last month of each quarter (compared to month one and two):
This Desperate Scrambling Has a Low Success Rate
If you’re not yet convinced that this is a negative pattern, consider the success rate. Despite “middle of the pack” reps inflating the amount of sales calls they schedule and hold at the end of each month, the success of those calls (measured by securing the next step/meeting) are actually lower than any other month (most of the time):
What Do Reps Do During These Calls?
So far we’ve only discussed activity data (and its success rate). What happens when we zoom into what’s actually happening on these calls? Every call in this data set was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Gong’s conversation intelligence platform. For the unfamiliar, this means we can identify which topics are being discussed on sales calls, and to what extent, using artificial intelligence (AI). As expected, rep-initiated discount discussions skyrocket on the last month of each quarter, rising by nearly a third compared to the first and second months: