Attainment is the act of achieving or reaching a goal or objective. In sales, attainment refers to the achievement of a sales goal or quota. Salespeople are typically evaluated on their attainment, and those who consistently meet or exceed their goals are often rewarded with bonuses, commissions, or other forms of recognition.
To set your quota attainment, we recommended these best practices:
Quotas should equal a multiple of their OTE.
This could be 3x the rep’s OTE or 8x, and will vary based on the size and stage of company. We suggest a quota 5x that of the seller’s OTE. This helps secure that the ep’s sales are greater than what it costs to employ the rep. So, if your OTE is $200K, following the 5x rule, that means their quota would be $1M.
- Sales cycle length and company stage play a big role.
To ensure that your quotas are reasonable, use data and benchmarking reports from companies that match your size and sales cycle from your industry. It also doesn’t hurt to talk to peers, mentors, and your friends at QuotaPath. - Adjust when needed.
Remember that you should adjust quotas to account for changes in the market, the economy, and your own sales process. Evaluate your quota and attainment rates so that you can ensure quotas remain challenging but achievable.
What’s considered a good quota attainment percentage? Our recommendation remains 80%, and specifically that 8 out of your 10 sellers hit 100% quota.
Why? 80% drives consistency across the entire team. It represents a realistic number that’s not too high and not too easy. Plus, it accounts for the performance of both your top and bottom performers, meaning that your overperfomers can help accommodate for the shortcomings of lower performers.