Our sales estimators are consistently hitting their weekly targets for quotes sent, but our close rate has dropped because they are quoting unqualified leads. How do we structure our Scorecard to prevent them from gaming quote volume?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When employees are measured solely on activity, they will inevitably find the path of least resistance to hit their target. If your estimators are evaluated only on quotes sent, they will quote anyone with a pulse to keep their number green. This wastes your estimation capacity and dilutes your sales team's energy. To solve this, you must pair every volume metric on your Scorecard with a quality or conversion metric. Do not let estimators track quotes sent in isolation. Instead, add a counter balancing measurable to their seat on the Accountability Chart, such as the percentage of quoted deals that meet our ideal client profile or the conversion rate of quotes to closed sales. Another effective approach is tracking the total dollar value of qualified pipeline generated, rather than the raw number of bids. You can also establish a minimum threshold for opportunity size before a quote is allowed to be counted. When you run your weekly Level 10 Meeting, look at these two numbers together. If quotes sent is green but the qualification or conversion rate is red, the metric is being gamed. By holding the estimator accountable to both the activity and the outcome, you force them to self-police the quality of their inputs. They will quickly stop quoting bad fits because doing so will make their conversion metric turn red. This establishes a healthy tension that protects your capacity and preserves your margins.