The end of the quarter is around the corner and everyone is feeling the pressure to hit their numbers. Whether you make your number or not, your sales team’s data-backed performance should be analyzed during a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) at the end of every quarter.
A Quarterly Business Review is a chance for your company’s key stakeholders to analyze last quarter’s results and chart a course for the upcoming quarter and beyond.
- Is revenue growing at a steady pace?
- Are all teams aligned with top corporate objectives?
- Do goals need to be adjusted to changing market conditions?
All of these questions and more should be covered in the Quarterly Business Review.
To prepare for the QBR, department executives need to all have a solid understanding of the QBR structure and follow a strong process to gather data in preparation.
In this blog post, we’ll cover the basics of how Sales VPs should prepare for QBRs.
Step 1: Decide who you want to invite from your sales team
Who you invite depends on the size, stage, and structure of your company. At smaller companies and startups, you’ll probably be the only person presenting about your sales team’s performance. At larger companies, you could choose to invite your Regional Sales Directors to present alongside you.
Step 2: Collect the appropriate sales reports
Quarterly Business Reviews should be data-driven meetings – so, naturally, you need to collect that big-picture data that demonstrates your team’s performance and create reports using that data.
(Pro tip: if you want to save hours and hours building sales reports in Excel, use sales analytics software like InsightSquared that draws from your historical data.)
To figure out what sales reports to include, look at your quota and sales bookings projections from the last QBR and compare them to actual results. Cover any significant gaps between predictions and performance in your presentation.
Here are a few of the sales reports we like to use in our QBRs:
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Q1 and Q2 comparison, by Sales ($) and Deals (#)
Q1 by Sales ($):
vs. Q2 by Sales ($):
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Bookings vs. Quota
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Number of opportunities that converted into Won Deals
Step 3: Forecast
Once you’ve presented your results and analysis, you’ll need to put those numbers in the context of projecting your team’s performance over the next quarter.
Choose 2-4 clearly defined goals for your sales team to outline in detail for the Quarterly Business Review. These should be quarterly goals, not ones that can be met in the next few weeks. Don’t stop at simply setting goals – what is your plan for achieving them? What is their business value? Discuss in detail.
Next, build some reports that give a big-picture view of your projections. Examples include:
- Is your lead flow growing?
- And, more importantly for your audience, what does your bookings trajectory look like?
Step 4: Create an agenda
It’s almost time for your Quarterly Business Review presentation. Before you dive into the metrics, your audience should know exactly what you’re going to cover in your presentation. Provide them with a clear agenda at the very beginning of your presentation. Ideally, you should make and distribute your agenda in advance of the meeting.
And when you finally present, build a conversation around the performance data. Use it as an opportunity to create and communicate new goals for your team. Show your audience you care about their opinion by listening closely to alternative perspectives and responding thoughtfully.
If you’re interested in deep diving into QBRs for Sales VPs, check out our eBook.
How do you prepare for your Quarterly Business Review? What tips do you have?
