Quota Attainment
In average SMBs, 45-60% of AEs hit quota. Top performers exceed 70% (Forrester 2024).
💡TL;DR
Fastest path to higher attainment: keep pipeline/rep at 3-4x quota. Next come win rate and cycle cuts. SMBs see high individual variance, so track median (excluding outliers) alongside lift drivers (lead quality, time allocation, process adherence). Show weekly attainment projections and gap-filling plays.
Definition
Percentage of reps hitting or exceeding their sales quota in a given period. Often split by role, tenure, or territory to see where enablement or pipeline is lacking.
🏢What This Means for SMB Teams
One rep missing quota sways the whole team number. Surface weekly projections and correct early.
📋Practical Example
A 18-rep ERP value-added reseller ($30M revenue) struggled with uneven performance. Before: 52% of reps hit quota and pipeline/rep averaged 2.1×. They set a minimum 3× pipeline rule, reallocated inbound by attainment risk, and added weekly gap-closing plays. After 90 days, quota attainment rose to 71%, pipeline/rep reached 3.3×, and quarterly bookings increased by $1.4M without adding headcount.
🔧Implementation Steps
- 1
Set a pipeline/rep floor (e.g., 3× quota) and redistribute leads when reps fall short.
- 2
Publish weekly attainment projections with risk flags by rep.
- 3
Assign gap-closing plays (upsell blitz, dormant revival) to at-risk reps every Monday.
- 4
Track time allocation: ensure 60%+ is in active pipeline work, not admin.
- 5
Review enablement needs monthly by correlating attainment with win-rate and stage loss reasons.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
How do SPIFFs affect attainment?
Short-term SPIFFs can boost focus but should be tied to gap-closing behaviors (e.g., stage progression) rather than pure bookings to avoid sandbagging.
What if one whale deal skews attainment?
Cap any single deal’s contribution (e.g., 1.5× quota) for attainment calculations and track whale-adjusted attainment to keep coaching focused on repeatable behavior.
⚡How Optifai Uses This
Optifai projects attainment from pipeline/rep and progress, then recommends gap-closing plays.
📚References
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Related Terms
Revenue Per Rep
Total revenue (or ARR) generated divided by number of sales reps over a period. It captures productivity and reveals whether to hire, coach, or re-segment territories.
Pipeline Coverage
The ratio of total pipeline value to sales quota, indicating whether there are enough opportunities to meet revenue targets given historical conversion rates.
Sales Velocity
A metric measuring how quickly deals move through the pipeline and generate revenue, calculated as: (Number of Opportunities × Win Rate × Average Deal Size) / Sales Cycle Length.
Forecast Accuracy
How close revenue forecasted is to actual results, typically measured as |forecast−actual|/actual. Accuracy improves when stage probabilities are consistent and adjusted by leading signals such as multi-threading, activity freshness, and procurement status.
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