Attainment
uh-TAYN-ment
The percentage of quota a salesperson or team actually achieved. The scorecard for sales performance.
Attainment is the percentage of quota achieved. A rep with a $1M annual quota who closes $850k has 85% attainment. A team with $20M in combined quota that closes $16M has 80% attainment.
Individual attainment tells you about the rep. Team attainment tells you about the business. If your best reps hit 150% and your worst hit 30%, you have a talent distribution problem. If the entire team clusters around 60%, you have a systemic problem: bad quotas, weak product, insufficient pipeline, or poor enablement.
Healthy organizations target 60-70% of reps hitting or exceeding quota. If 90% hit quota, quotas are too low and you are overpaying. If 30% hit quota, quotas are too high or the go-to-market is broken.
Examples
A CRO reviews team attainment after Q4.
15 AEs on the team. 10 hit quota (67%). Average attainment: 94%. Two top performers hit 180%. Two underperformers hit 40%. The distribution is healthy with clear top and bottom to address.
A board asks about quota attainment trends.
Q1 team attainment: 85%. Q2: 72%. Q3: 61%. Q4: 55%. The downward trend signals a problem. The CRO discovers that pipeline generation has not kept pace with rising quotas.
A rep negotiates their quota for next year.
The rep hit 120% this year on a $900k quota. The company proposes $1.3M for next year (a 44% increase). The rep pushes back, arguing that the territory has not grown enough to support that jump. They settle on $1.1M.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of reps should hit quota?
Between 60% and 70% is healthy. Below 50% means quotas are unrealistic or the GTM is broken. Above 80% means quotas are too easy and you are leaving revenue and sales efficiency on the table.
How is attainment different from quota?
Quota is the target. Attainment is the result. Quota is set before the period. Attainment is measured after. A rep with $1M quota and $750k in closed revenue has 75% attainment.
Related terms
The revenue target assigned to a salesperson for a specific period. The number they must hit to earn full commission.
The ratio of total pipeline value to quota. Tells you whether you have enough opportunities to hit your number.
A prediction of how much revenue the sales team will close in a given period. The number the CEO gives to the board.
The total compensation a salesperson earns if they hit 100% of quota. Base salary plus full variable commission.
The percentage of revenue a salesperson earns for closing a deal. The variable component of their compensation.
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