Someone once said, "Numbers don't lie." While that may be true, it's important to recognize that numbers don't always tell the entire story. Here are a few examples:
Twitter Followers. A friend of mine shocked me when he told me that he had amassed more than 11,000 followers; I didn't even know he was on Twitter! However, in the next breath he confessed that he had worked the system by following and un-following people until he reached his goal. He seldom posts a tweet and has yet to generate any business as a result. Yet, I know a few people who have generated significant revenue from a small number of followers. This also applies to Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites.
Sales Calls. I have heard far too many sales managers demand that their team make more sales calls because "Sales is a numbers game." These sales leaders often focus on the quantity of calls a rep makes instead of the quality. Unfortunately, this focuses on activity rather than effectiveness of the approach. A sales rep can make 100 calls to low-value prospects and fail to make a single appointment or close a single sale. If you're not calling the right people, you will never reach your target.
Lead Generation. Many companies have contact forms on their website and track the number of leads they generate via those forms. Many sales people grumble about the quality of these leads and in many cases, their frustration is legitimate. I believe this is similar to the previous point because it looks at sheer volume instead of quality. Implementing a pre-screening or qualifying checklist could weed out the tire-kickers and help your sales team improve their sales results while saving them time.
Sales Revenue. An acquaintance proudly told me that he had acquired several projects worth over $200K in revenue in a single month. I have to confess that I had a "green with envy" moment until he told me he was shocked that his year-end profit was so low because the cost of working with those clients was much higher than he anticipated. Top-line sales are essential but it's the bottom-line profit that will keep you in business.
To increase your sales you need to focus on more than the numbers. If you lead a sales team, make sure that you are considering the right numbers. If you don't, you could be fooling yourself.