Many sales managers go from quarter to quarter with only a vague idea of how they'll "make the number." They think of sales as more an art than a science, rarely focusing on data collection or process improvement. At higher levels of most companies, the goal of creating a world-class sales function is barely understood, let alone pursued. Yet the technique necessary for twenty-first-century sales success lies in full view: sales benchmarking. Comparing a sales force to those of relevant peers leads to many opportunities to improve performance, Making the Number will show you and your sales team how to crush the competition. It explains how sales benchmarking leads to data-driven decision making, driving out reliance on gut instinct. Greg Alexander, Aaron Bartels, and Mike Drapeau take readers through their five-step methodology, showing how to select metrics; gather, compute, and compare internal and external data; and then actually use the data. The authors have helped organizations implement benchmarking for years through their advisory firm, Sales Benchmark Index Making the Number connects the dots. It brings the breakthrough discipline of benchmarking, a longtime feature in other business functions, to the doorstep of sales. Whether you're a sales rep, a manager, or a CEO, this book will show you a better way to make your number.