Every sales leader knows this truth: what gets measured gets improved. Yet many teams lack visibility into the critical metrics that drive revenue. In this article, I'll explain how AutoRFP.ai is using HubSpot reporting to predictably measure our impact on revenue. I'll break down the essential "Math of Sales" - the key performance indicators that connect your daily activities to your revenue targets.
We'll explore how to track each metric in HubSpot, why they matter, and actionable ways to improve them. By the end, you'll have a framework for building a more predictable revenue engine.
In this article, we'll dive into the essential metrics that form the foundation of your sales math and explore how to track each one effectively in HubSpot. We'll uncover:
- What is my Outbound Dial-to-Connect Rate and how can I improve it?
- How should I measure and optimize Email Response Rates?
- What Demo Booked Rate indicates a healthy sales pipeline?
- Why is Demo Show Rate critical and how can I reduce no-shows?
- How does measuring Booked ICP Rate improve forecasting?
- What does my ICP Win Rate tell me about my target customer definition?
- How does Average Value of New Clients impact revenue planning?
- How should I structure my Outbound Revenue Target for predictability?
Let’s dive in.
Outbound Dial-to-Connect Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a custom report in HubSpot comparing the number of calls logged against the number of calls marked as "connected."
Navigate to Reports > Create custom report.
Objects for your data source you will be looking at for your report is Activities. From there, you can filter by Call and meeting type. I recommend you create a cold call and meeting type if you want to specifically track cold calls. Otherwise filter on your relevant call and meeting type. In the below report, we’ve ‘break down by’ by Call Outcome.
Why you should measure it: Your connect rate reveals call efficiency and directly impacts how many conversations your team needs to generate opportunities. If your team is making hundreds of calls with minimal connections, something is broken in your outreach approach.
Tips to improve:
- Test different calling times based on your prospect's industry and role
- Use local area codes when possible to increase answer rates
- Implement call scheduling during peak connection hours
- Segment your lists by industry - some sectors have naturally higher connect rates than others (e.g. sales professionals would typically answer more frequently than software developers)
Outbound Email Response Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: HubSpot's Sequences tool provides great reporting out-of-the-box. Create a dashboard to track response rates across different sequences and templates or go into Sequences and receive this out-of-the-box reporting from your chosen sequences.
Why you should measure it: Email responses drive opportunities and serve as a benchmark for messaging effectiveness. A low response rate signals poor targeting, weak messaging, or delivery issues.
Tips to improve:
- A/B test subject lines aggressively (aim for curiosity or personalization)
- Keep emails concise with a single, clear call-to-action
- Personalize beyond just {firstname} - reference company news or specific challenges
- Monitor domain health of your sending domains
- Test send times and optimize based on engagement patterns
Demo Booked Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a report showing leads by date entered qualified & date entered disqualified.
My recommendation would be for outbound leads to use the Lead Object in HubSpot. If your team is consistently marking leads as qualified/disqualified, and if a qualified lead is those where there is a meeting or demo booked, then the number of qualified leads is simply your demo booked rate from outbound.
Why you should measure it: This metric is crucial for forecasting how many leads you need to generate to hit revenue targets. It serves as the bridge between marketing/SDR activity and closing opportunities.
Tips to improve:
- Implement clear CTAs in all prospect communications
- Reduce friction in your booking process (use HubSpot Meetings links)
- Test different value propositions in your outreach
- Make sure qualification criteria are clear so SDRs target appropriate prospects
- Create urgency through limited availability or timely benefits
Demo Show Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a custom report comparing meetings scheduled versus meetings held.
Why you should measure it: No-shows waste valuable selling time and indicate potential issues with prospect qualification or meeting preparation. A low show rate directly impacts your pipeline efficiency.
Tips to improve:
- Send reminder emails, 3 days, 24 hours and 1 hour before the meeting
- Implement SMS reminders for critical meetings
- Use your prospect's preferred meeting platform (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
- Have SDRs send warm handoff emails introducing the AE before demos
- Provide clear calendar invites with agenda, value proposition, and prep materials
- Use HubSpot Sequences to follow up immediately with no-shows to reschedule
Booked ICP Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a custom report showing the number of deals by "ICP Fit" (create this custom property if you don't have it). Use HubSpot's reporting tools to break down deal creation by this property.
My recommendation would be to build out firmographic and other data points on the company record, and then have a deal associated with a primary company, which in turn sets the ICP Fit property on the deal.
You can customise this to your heart’s content with different ICP Fit criteria or Target Account Tiers, but ultimately what you are wanting to report on is the number of ICP Fit Deals that enter your sales pipeline. If you’re using Marketing Hub Professional or Enterprise, you will have access to HubSpot’s Lead Scoring which is a great fit, for company fit scores.
Why you should measure it: Not all demos are created equal. Tracking what percentage of your booked meetings align with your Ideal Customer Profile helps forecast true pipeline value and avoid wasting resources on poor-fit prospects.
Tips to improve:
- Use HubSpot Breeze for enrichment to identify ICP fit before outreach
- Create clear ICP criteria on company records using lead scoring
- Implement target account lists for outbound prospecting
- Train SDRs on qualification questions that identify ICP alignment
- Build automated workflows that prioritize high-fit prospects for follow-up
ICP Win Rate
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a pipeline report filtering deals by "ICP Fit" and track conversion rates from opportunity to closed-won. Use HubSpot's Sankey graph visualization to analyze drop-off points.
Why you should measure it: Your win rate with ideal customers should be significantly higher than with non-ICP prospects. This metric validates your ICP definition and helps predict revenue from qualified opportunities.
Tips to improve:
- Analyze lost deals for common objections and address them earlier in the sales process
- Create ICP-specific sales playbooks and battlecards
- Match sales reps to deal types based on their strengths (enterprise vs. SMB)
- Implement rigorous discovery to qualify opportunities fully
- Review pricing and packaging alignment with your ICP's needs and budget
Average Value of New Clients
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a custom report for closed-won deals showing average deal amount. Filter for a specific time period to track trends in deal size.
Why you should measure it: Your average deal size directly impacts how many customers you need to hit revenue targets. It also helps identify upsell opportunities and pricing strategy effectiveness.
Tips to improve:
- Train sales teams on value-based selling to reduce discounting
- Analyze which segments naturally produce higher deal values
- Create clear pricing tiers with value-based differentiation
- Implement upsell and cross-sell strategies during the sales process
- Test premium packaging or enterprise offerings for suitable prospects
Outbound Revenue Target
How to measure in HubSpot: Create a revenue dashboard showing progress against targets. Set up forecasting tools and pipeline visibility by source to track outbound contribution.
Why you should measure it: Breaking down your annual target into monthly goals creates accountability and enables you to spot issues early. It connects all your metrics into one cohesive framework.
How to build a realistic target:
- Work backward from your annual goal to monthly targets
- Use your average deal size, win rate, and sales cycle length to determine how many opportunities you need each month
- Apply your demo-to-opportunity and lead-to-demo conversion rates to calculate required lead volume
- Adjust for seasonality and team capacity
- Build in buffer for inevitable variability
Bringing It All Together
The math of sales isn't complex, but it requires discipline and accurate tracking. By understanding these interconnected metrics, you create a framework for predictable revenue:
- Number of leads →
- Connect/response rate →
- Demo booking rate →
- Show rate →
- Opportunity creation →
- Win rate →
- Average deal size →
- Revenue
A 10% improvement in any metric compounds throughout your funnel. By continuously measuring and optimizing these KPIs in HubSpot, you'll build a sales engine that delivers predictable results.
Most importantly, this framework lets you identify specifically where to focus your improvement efforts instead of making random changes to your sales approach.
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