Sales Metrics

Quota Attainment: Percentage of sales target achieved

The percentage of a sales target a rep or team has achieved in a period.

Definition

Quota attainment is the percentage of a sales target (quota) that a rep or team has achieved in a defined period. 100% means hit target; 120% means exceeded by 20%. The distribution of attainment across a team matters more than the team average.

Formula

Quota Attainment = Actual Revenue Closed ÷ Quota × 100

Attainment % = Closed / Quota × 100

Worked example

A rep with a £500k annual quota closing £425k attains 85%. Across a 10-rep team, 60-70% of reps hitting 80%+ of quota is the healthy distribution; if average attainment is propped up by two superstars at 200% while six reps are at 60%, you have a structural problem.

Why it matters

Quota attainment is the simplest measure of sales effectiveness. But the distribution matters more than the average. Healthy: 60-70% of reps at or above 80% attainment. Unhealthy: heavy tail of underperformers masked by a small number of stars. The cost of a healthy distribution is realistic quota setting.

Common mistakes

Setting quota to a number the business needs rather than what reps can credibly hit (results in mass under-attainment)
Reporting team-average attainment without the distribution
Comparing attainment across reps with different territories or ramp stages

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Email Rachel Lunn