Have you ever tracked the KPIs in your business? In the beginning, I never tracked my KPIs. But then I learned which KPIs are most important for my business. The most important KPIs for your business might not be the same as mine, but I want to show you how to decide which ones you should be tracking. When you take the time to track your KPIs, you can learn so much about your business. You can see the areas where you may be struggling, as well as the areas where you are succeeding.
Key KPIs to Track
There are a few key KPIs you can track for your business. Each one will give you updated information, so you can make informed decisions in the future.
1. Revenue Goals and Client Acquisitions
2. Financial
3. Team Production
4. Individual Performance
An In-Depth Overview of the Key KPIs
Revenues
If you are always struggling with cash flow, you must get a handle on your invoicing. Many business owners hate the invoicing side of their business, so they keep putting it off. This is an excellent time to set a KPI because it almost acts like a reminder. With this KPI in place, you will always have your invoices sent out and paid before the bill payments and paycheques need to be sent.
Revenue Goals
As a business owner, you are not going to just say you want to make $50K every year. Well, you can, but unless you have a plan in place, you might not reach your goal. And who is to say you aren’t shortchanging yourself with that number too! I recommend creating a plan to reach the revenue you want to make. This will include the number of clients you need. You can easily create a KPI that will help you reach the number of referrals, meetings with potential clients, and even networking events you must attend each week or month. If you didn’t reach the numbers in your KPI, you will know that you must make changes in that area of your business.
Financial Goals
As you are tackling your revenue goals, I suggest keeping track of your close rate. Knowing this rate will allow you to know how many people you must talk to if you are looking to increase your revenue. For example, if you want to add ten more clients, you will need to talk to twenty people if you have a 50% close rate.
Operating Expenses
It is so easy to let operating expenses get out of control when you have a business. There are so many subscription services, software programs, and millions of other shiny new objects we simply must try! I always recommend that your operating expenses never exceed the % recommended by Profit First for your level of business.
Production
KPIs are perfect for tracking production. You can use a KPI to determine if any client work is consistently late. You can also track how many corrections you need to make to see if a team member needs a little extra training.
You can even set up a KPI for your own production. This will ensure you are consistently hitting the mark when it comes to the value you are providing to your clients. If you see the percentage is low on your KPIs, you know you need to make some changes to fulfill your promises.
You may not want or need, to track all of these KPIs. But you can choose to track the ones that are pertinent to your business right now. If you have any areas of your business that are lacking, or if you are stressing out over certain tasks, tracking KPIs is the way to go. Each KPI you track will ensure your business continues to move forward successfully.