What Is a Quota in Tech Sales? And Do I Have to Hit It?

Quotas. Chances are, you’ve heard that word before, whether it was in sales, school, or even your personal life.

A quota is a defined amount of something that we want to achieve within a certain timeframe – whether it’s course enrollments over a year, tickets issued in a month, or sales made in a quarter.

But what does that mean for tech sales? Because on the sales floor, quotas are more than a number. It’s an integral part of how job performance is measured. They can influence how much you earn and how high you rise in your career.

In this blog post, we will go over what a quota is in tech sales – and if you really have to hit it.

Quotas in Tech Sales Defined

A quota often refers to the minimum amount of revenue or profit that your company expects you to generate each month.

This number is set by your company and acts as a benchmark that measures how effective the sales team is and how well the company is doing overall!

Quotas in tech sales will vary based on factors such as the size of the company, the product you’re selling, etc. They may also differ depending on your level of experience and position (e.g. an Account Executive will have different quotas than a BDR).

That said, you may have other kinds of quotas to meet. Two common ones are:

• Activity quotas measure how often you hit targets for sales-related activities such as giving demos, setting up meetings, making cold calls, sending follow-up emails, etc.
• Volume quotas look at how many units of a product or service you sell within a time period.

Sometimes you may be expected to meet a combination quota – a mix of different types of quotas!

So Do I Need To Hit My Numbers in Tech Sales?

The answer is yes… and no. You are expected to hit your quotas in tech sales, but there is some wiggle room if you’re falling behind.

By one estimate, about 57% of salespeople missed their quotas over the course of one year. So a small quota SNAFU isn’t necessarily the end of the world.

If you notice you’re about to fall dramatically short within a quota period, or if you’re consistently missing your targets, you can take action to turn things around:

• Take a step back and evaluate what happened. Is there a skill that you’re missing? Are you targeting the right prospects? Did you follow up with customers enough?
• Ask for help. Reach out to other reps on your team, and even your leader, to see if they have any helpful feedback you can implement.
• Make an action plan. If you’re missing a key skill, is there training you can take to level up? If your emails are falling into the void, how can you punch them up?
• Give yourself a break. Don’t burn yourself out trying to make up the difference all at once. Take time to recharge so you can rebound stronger than before!

Hit Your Tech Sales Learning Quota

A quota doesn’t need to be a scary thing! Even though you’re generally expected to meet your quotas in tech sales – whether it’s a monetary quota, a volume quota, an activity quota, or a combination. You’ll find you have some leeway if you’re willing to learn and improve.

And the best way to learn and improve? Check out Uvaro’s Career Success Catalog and Career Coaching! (Yes, we might be a little biased there…)

Whatever Career Success looks like for you, we’re dedicated to providing the support, challenge, and encouragement you need on your career journey!