Dan offers the following suggestions for the data Glen should have in his control book.
- YTD revenue and expense positions sliced by team, territory and person
- Forecast and outlook for at least 2 Quarters
- Historic results, trends, etc. that effect revenue seasonality
- A list of key transactions in the forecast and what steps are necessary to close
- A list of top stretch transactions not in the forecast and what could be done to bring them into the forecast
- Opportunity analyses by industry and geography
- Marketing events and campaign calendar
- Information about each employee – compensation, history, development plan, etc.
That night I started putting my control book together. It took some time but I didn’t want to disappoint Dan. He gave me one reprieve and I don’t want to ask for another. My understanding of my job grew tremendously that night and the unsupported confidence I had earlier was replaced by confident knowledge of my data. With time I knew I would master my Control Book and make more decisions using data instead of feelings.
OK, now there is just a little more snap in my step and oh boy did I need that. The following day I ran into the President of the company in the hallway. He asked me how my team was doing and specifically how Curt, my Washington DC rep was doing. I didn’t know he had personal history with Curt. Anyway, without hesitation and with a big smile, I told him my team was on track with last year’s numbers mainly because Curt was ahead of his. Curt was 125% YTD and would most probably earn the Q1 fast start bonus. Curt missed that bonus last year and would be very pleased to make it this year. The President smiled, thanked me and said, “Keep up the good work.”
Wow, did I feel good after that conversation!! That evening on the way home, I wondered if that hallway conversation was an accident of if Dan had set it up to reinforce my lesson. I laughed, it really didn’t matter. With that conclusion, I found new energy and confidence.
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We hope this story encourages you to build a dashboard or control book you can use to drive good decisions. If you need some help or guidance, Group 19 can help. Contact us.
