Sales OKR Examples

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) help sales teams set aspirational, collaborative goals. Because key results focus on outcomes, OKRs for sales focus on initiatives that drive impact, versus sheer output. This allows sales teams to be more focused and intentional with efforts, producing more with less.

This article explores the benefits of OKRs for sales, how to set sales team OKRs, and examples of OKRs for sales.

Learn more about what OKRs are and how to use them

Why use sales OKRs?

Sales teams help drive growth bringing in new revenue. With this in mind, sales teams generally work off an overarching revenue goal with individual quota goals for sales representatives, which can be further specified by seniority, region, or industry.

Sales OKRs challenge the traditional outlook, as they may not be attached to sales goals at the individual level. General OKR rules state that if you're reaching 100% on every OKR, it’s not ambitious enough. 

This is a unique shift for sales teams as traditional sales goals are incentivized, but incentivizing sales OKRs is not recommended.

The stretch-goal mentality of sales OKRs presents unique challenges and opportunities for sales teams. Sales teams, when using OKRs, have to focus on performance — there's no inflating numbers with outputs (like quantity of outbound) to give the appearance of performance (deals and ARR).

The sales process is about balancing structure with stretch. OKRs for sales teams quantify goal setting (with key results) and find a happy medium for input and output metrics. When guided by a highly ambitious sales objective, for example, sales professionals have to stretch with key result benchmarks.

The idea of “do more” is rarely the answer to sales OKR success. 

Tracking and monitoring KPIs are essential to informing sales teams about their process. KPIs tie into sales OKRs by challenging their effectiveness in the sales organization — for example, is an overemphasis on increasing lead quantity (for growth) hurting customer retention rates?

Sales OKRs give insights your teams need to answer such questions and continuously optimize strategy. 

Traditional sales goals are KPI dense — cold calls/emails made, quarterly revenue, CAC (customer acquisition cost). While they have their place, your sales team OKRs can tie these metrics to a greater outcome.

The size, stage, and structure of the organization affect how sales OKRs (and all OKRs) are created. Knowing the needs of your organization will best inform which OKRs you should focus on per quarter. 

A freshly funded startup may have growth-focused objectives supported by sales revenue key results, while enterprises may use OKRs for sales management if their retention rate is struggling.

From a risk perspective, tying sales OKRs to compensation or performance management almost guarantees the gamification or sandbagging of goals to the individual’s benefit. 

Ensuring OKRs aren’t tied to commission or bonuses reduces this risk, which means sales OKRs must be applied at the business unit level versus the individual level.

Sales teams can frame OKRs as a hub and spoke model. At the hub is the overall sales OKR, focused on revenue, management, or enablement. The various spokes may represent individuals, functions, or focus areas, each with or without their own sales OKRs.  

Choosing a sales focus area is step one in creating a sales OKR that drives impact:

• Sales revenue OKRs
• Sales management OKRs
• SDR management OKRs
• Sales enablement OKRs
• Channel partner sales OKRs

Check out all our examples of OKRs for sales below. 

Let's look at some examples of OKRs for sales teams. 

OKRs for sales revenue

Sales OKR example 1

• Objective: Hit quarterly revenue of $10,000,000
• Key result 1: Expand successfully into the APAC region by achieving $1,000,000 in New ARR
• Key result 2: Achieve >30% of new business in upsell/cross-Sell to existing customers
• Key result 3: Increase the conversion rate from SQL to opportunity to 11%
• Key result 4: Decrease the sales cycle for the standard version of the product from 32 to 15 days

Sales OKR example 2

• Objective: Generate new bookings pipeline
• Key result 1: Generate of $12M in 'Land' pipeline
• Key result 2: Generate $4M in 'Expand' pipeline
• Key result 3: Do 7 product demos per week on average per sales rep

Sales OKR example 3

• Objective: Recruit world-class A-players for our sales team
• Key result 1: Hire 10 new AEs by the end of January
• Key result 2: Hire 20 new SDRs by the end of January
• Key result 3: Hire 5 new sales managers by the end of January
• Key result 4: Maintain a 4:1 onsite "Interview Offer" ratio

Sales OKR example 4

• Objective: Develop our reps into the best sales team in the industry
• Key result 1: Implement new sales training platform demonstrated by successfully delivering 3 training modules
• Key result 2: Complete weekly sales coaching lunch & learns
• Key result 3: Interview and finalize on new sales training methodology trainer to be delivered next quarter
• Key result 4: Complete regular monthly anonymous surveys of SDRs and AEs and get their feedback

OKRs for sales management

Sales OKR example 1

• Objective: Grow our sales in the central region
• Key result 1: Develop 50 new qualified opportunities in strategic named accounts
• Key result 2: Successfully onboard 10 new resellers that focus on the central region
• Key result 3: Rollout SPIF for central region driving 70% rep quota attainment in the central region

Sales OKR example 2

• Objective: Improve sales in South America
• Key result 1: Land 30 new customers with greater than $20k in ARR in South America
• Key result 2: Implement a new sales training program for our South American team
• Key result 3: Receive 10 5-star reviews from our customers who indicate willingness to be references

OKRs for SDR management

Sales OKR example 1

• Objective: Implement SDR social selling process
• Key result 1: Generate 75 SQLs to sales executives
• Key result 2: Generate >$185,000 in qualified pipeline through social selling techniques
• Key result 3: Successfully train 5 SDRs on social selling practices as measured by passing the Sprout training segment

Sales OKR example 2

• Objective: Exceed our quarterly pipeline quota by 50%
• Key result 1: Generate 150 sales qualified leads
• Key result 2: Generate $500,000 in qualified pipeline by end of Q3

Sales OKR example 3

• Objective: Grow our upsell and cross-sell
• Key result 1: Promote 3 SDRs to the account manager (existing customer sales) role
• Key result 2: Increase upsell and cross-sell revenue by 40%
• Key result 3: Increase net retention to 98%
• Key result 4: Have regular weekly alignment meetings with customer success

OKRs for sales enablement

Sales OKR example 1

• Objective: Enable our sales to be more successful
• Key result 1: Successfully deliver sales enablement training platform by X date as measured by 80%+ sales team training on how to use the system
• Key result 2: Deliver the new process for measuring outbound vs. inbound pipeline through presentation to sales execs by XX date
• Key result 3: Improve email sequences to result in a 20% improvement in click rates
• Key result 4: Implement the new forecasting module, migrating to the new methodology by XX date
• Key result 5: Revise the sales compensation plan and obtain approval by sales management & board by XX date

Sales OKR example 2

• Objective: Improve our sales analytics process
• Key result 1: Implement a sales analytics and business intelligence platform successfully delivered by XX Date
• Key result 2: Deliver new sales management alert triggers based on triggers in sales cycle (i.e. size, stage change, etc.)
• Key result 3: Deliver weekly summary of sales activity metrics to sales management team by XX Date
• Key result 4: Deliver Weekly Sales Pipeline metrics summary report to sales management team by xx date

OKRs for channel partner sales 

Sales OKR example 1

• Objective: Grow sales through our channel partner
• Key result 1: Recruit & Sign 30 new channel partners in Eastern, Central and Western geographies
• Key result 2: Deliver proposal and obtain approval for the Q2 channel incentive program
• Key result 3: Successfully launch the new channel partner portal as measured by 50% logins from partners
• Key result 4: Deliver improved channel partner onboarding process as measured by a 20% improvement in certification test passing scores

Consider implementing your sales OKRs using OKR software for streamlined goal-setting and monitoring.

OKR software allows you to precisely define and communicate sales objectives, track these in real-time, and align them with evolving strategies. It can empower your sales team to set ambitious yet achievable targets, fostering accountability and growth.

For a glimpse into how your OKRs would look like in OKR software, here's a preview of a sales OKR example in Quantive's OKR software, Quantive Results: 

Quantive empowers modern organizations to turn their ambitions into reality through strategic agility. It's where strategy, teams, and data come together to drive effective decision-making, streamline execution, and maximize performance.  

As your company navigates today’s competitive landscape, you need an Always-On Strategy to continuously bridge the gap between current and desired business outcomes. Quantive brings together the technology, expertise, and passion to transform your strategy from a static plan to a feedback-driven engine for growth.  

Whether you’re a visionary start-up, a mid-market business looking to conquer, or a large enterprise facing disruption, Quantive keeps you ahead — every step of the way. For more information, visit www.quantive.com.