Sales OKR Examples: Metrics and Sample OKR Sets to Build From
OKR examples by department
Sales OKR Examples: Metrics and Sample OKR Sets to Build From
These sales OKR examples give you two things to work from: a full list of the metrics sales teams track, and nine complete OKR sets built from them. Every Key Result follows one formula, with an action verb, the metric, a starting value, a target and a deadline. We write the values as X and Y, since a target that fits a three-rep startup would mislead a sales floor of forty. Fill them in from your own CRM.
The short answer
What makes a good sales OKR?
A good sales OKR names a change the business needs, such as winning more deals with the right buyers, and measures it with outcomes. “Make 50 calls a day” counts the effort. “Raise the win rate on qualified opportunities from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter” measures what the effort was meant to produce.
Each Key Result is written the same way:
- Start with an action verb, such as raise, increase, reduce, grow or hold.
- Name the metric that should change.
- Give the starting value and the target, written as from X to Y.
- Set the deadline, such as the end of Q4.
Step 1: pick your numbers
Sales metrics to build your Key Results from
Sales teams track these numbers, and they’re the raw material for every one of the sales OKR examples further down. They’re grouped by the stage of the sale they measure. None of them is a Key Result yet. Pick the few that show the change your Objective is about, then write each one with the formula above.
Pipeline and prospecting
- Pipeline value created
- Qualified opportunities created
- Pipeline coverage ratio
- Sales-accepted leads
- Outbound-sourced pipeline
- Share of pipeline matching the ideal customer profile
Conversion and win rate
- Win rate
- Stage to stage conversion rate
- First meeting to opportunity rate
- Proposal to close rate
- Deals lost to no decision
- Win rate against named competitors
Deal size and revenue
- New bookings
- Average contract value
- Average discount
- Share of multi-product deals
- New recurring revenue
- Price realization
Sales cycle and velocity
- Median sales cycle length
- Time in each stage
- Sales velocity
- Time from first meeting to proposal
- Deals stalled past [N] days
Forecast accuracy
- Forecast accuracy
- Commit to close rate
- Deals that slip to next quarter
- Changes to the commit after week four
- Close date accuracy
Account retention and expansion
- Net revenue retention
- Gross revenue retention
- Expansion revenue
- Renewal rate
- Accounts using more than one product
- Upsell win rate
Efficiency and productivity
- Revenue per account executive
- Quota attainment
- Share of reps at or above quota
- Cost of sales
- New rep ramp time
- Selling hours per week
Activity inputs
- Calls made
- Emails sent
- Meetings booked
- Demos delivered
- Proposals sent
- Follow-ups logged
The activity inputs belong on a dashboard, where they help coach reps; the Key Results come from the outcomes those activities feed. Some of these numbers are health metrics you protect and hold steady, such as average discount, gross margin on new deals, renewal rate and pipeline coverage. Keep them inside a set range while the OKRs push elsewhere. If one starts slipping, it becomes a candidate for its own OKR.
Step 2: write the Key Result
How to turn a sales metric into a Key Result
The standard form covers almost every Key Result. Two more forms help in the cycles when a number isn’t available yet, such as a new stage you’ve only just added to the CRM. Here’s one of each, written for a sales team:
- Standard Key Result. Reduce the median sales cycle from X to Y days by the end of Q3.
- Baseline Key Result, for a metric you’ve never measured. Determine the current win rate for each lead source by the end of Q1. Next cycle, it becomes “Raise the win rate on [lead source] deals from X% to Y% by the end of Q2.”
- Milestone Key Result, used sparingly when there’s no metric to track yet. Complete loss-reason tracking on every closed deal by the end of week six.
Then run the outcome test: if the team could finish all the work and the number might still not move, the Key Result measures activity. Rewrite it around what the work was meant to produce. The OKR examples hub walks through the full method, from brainstorming Objectives to prioritizing them, and the Salesforce guide to sales pipeline management explains the stage numbers you’ll pull your starting values from.
Step 3: start from a sample
Nine sales OKR examples to adapt
Each of these sales OKR examples has a qualitative Objective and three Key Results written in full. Several pair numbers so a rep can’t hit one by breaking another, such as speed against win rate or deal size against discount. Treat them as patterns, and swap in your own product, segments and starting values.
ObjectiveFill our pipeline with buyers who look like our best customers
- Increase qualified pipeline value created from X to Y per month by the end of the quarter
- Raise the share of new opportunities that match our ideal customer profile from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Grow pipeline coverage for next quarter from X to Y times the target by the end of the quarter
ObjectiveWin more of the deals we choose to chase
- Raise the win rate on qualified opportunities from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Increase the proposal to close rate from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Reduce deals lost to no decision from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
ObjectiveSell the full value of [product] to the accounts that need it
- Increase average contract value on new deals from X to Y by the end of Q4
- Grow the share of new deals that include [add-on] from X% to Y% by the end of Q4
- Hold the average discount at or below X% through the end of Q4
ObjectiveHelp buyers in [segment] reach a decision sooner
- Reduce the median sales cycle from X to Y days by the end of Q3
- Cut the median time deals spend in [stage] from X to Y days by the end of Q3
- Hold the win rate on [segment] deals at or above X% through the end of Q3
ObjectiveGive leadership a forecast they can plan hiring and spend around
- Raise forecast accuracy at week four from X% to Y% by the end of Q2
- Lower the share of committed deals that slip to the next quarter from X% to Y% by the end of Q2
- Increase the share of open opportunities with a buyer-confirmed close date from X% to Y% by the end of Q2
ObjectiveGrow with the customers who already trust us
- Increase expansion revenue from existing accounts from X to Y by the end of Q4
- Raise net revenue retention in [segment] from X% to Y% by the end of Q4
- Grow the number of accounts using two or more products from X to Y by the end of Q4
ObjectiveMake every selling hour return more revenue
- Increase revenue per account executive from X to Y by the end of the quarter
- Lower the cost of sales as a share of new bookings from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Reduce the median ramp time for new reps from X to Y days by the end of the quarter
ObjectiveTurn our outreach into conversations buyers want to have
- Raise the reply rate on outbound emails from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Increase the share of first meetings that become qualified opportunities from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
- Grow pipeline created from outbound from X to Y per month by the end of the quarter
ObjectiveUnderstand where our best deals come from
- Determine the current win rate for each lead source by the end of Q1
- Complete loss-reason tracking on every closed deal by the end of week six
- Increase the share of opportunities with a recorded source from X% to Y% by the end of the quarter
The last of these sales OKR examples mixes a baseline Key Result, a milestone Key Result and a standard one. That combination suits a team measuring something for the first time. Next cycle, the baseline turns into a standard “from X to Y” Key Result.
See it in context
Where these OKRs come from
The sales OKR examples above leave out which part of the strategy each one serves, because that depends on your company. Our sample business profile shows the full picture for one made-up company: its strategic priorities, its SWOT, and the linked OKRs for every department.
More idea banks
OKR examples for other departments
Sales OKR examples work better when they sit next to the goals of the teams that hand you leads and take over your customers. Marketing and customer success are the first places to look for shared goals. Harvard Business Review’s piece on ending the war between sales and marketing covers why those two teams need common measures.
- Marketing OKR examplesDemand, conversion, brand and content metrics and OKRs.
- Customer success OKR examplesOnboarding, adoption, retention and expansion metrics and OKRs.
- Finance OKR examplesCash, margin, forecasting and close metrics and OKRs.
- Product OKR examplesAdoption, activation, discovery and value metrics and OKRs.
Frequently asked questions
How many OKRs should a sales team set?
One to four Objectives per cycle, each with two to five Key Results. A sales team focused on one Objective, such as winning more of the deals it already has in play, has room to finish it well.
How do you write a sales Key Result?
Start with an action verb, name the metric, give the starting value and the target, and set a deadline. For example: “Reduce the median sales cycle from X to Y days by the end of Q3.”
Is revenue a good Key Result for a sales team?
Revenue works as a Key Result when the team can move it this cycle. Pair it with a measure that protects deal quality, such as average discount or gross margin, so the team only wins by closing business that pays. Our post on OKRs for profitable growth goes further.
Should call and meeting counts be sales Key Results?
Calls, emails and meetings booked are activities, so they sit on the coaching dashboard. Write the Key Result around what they lead to, such as qualified opportunities created or the share of first meetings that turn into real deals.
Can I use these sales OKR examples as they are?
Use them as a starting point. Keep the structure, then swap in your own product, segments and stages, and set every X from your CRM data before the team agrees on Y.
Bring your sales OKRs into one weekly rhythm
Start a free trial and turn these sales OKR examples into goals your team tracks every week. Or take the free OKR Starter Course and learn to write them first.