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Commercial Analytics, aimed at improving Gross Profits and Sales Productivity, doesn’t have to be complex to drive the proper outcomes with Pricing and Sales teams.
Sales & Discounting Stack Ranking is another simple yet effective Revenue Analytics technique to steer Sales behavior in the right direction and drive incremental Net Sales (and Gross Profits).
We can build it at various levels, including the Product, Customer, or Sales Team (Sales Reps and Managers). For ease of consumption, root cause analysis, and action, it typically focuses on 4-5 key metrics and dynamically ranks the performance (hence the name), allowing for sorting, filtering, drill-downs, or applying performance thresholds.
To be most impactful, any Stack Ranking should include a “𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞” component. In other words, what are the incremental Net Sales, Gross Profit, or Operating Profit impacts if we close the performance gaps for the bottom performing Reps, Customers, Products, etc.
See the example below for a simple Sales & Discounting Rep Stack Ranking.
If I’m a Sales Executive, there are a few things that stand out to me immediately:
🔥 Over half of my Business Development Managers (BDMs) give Price Discounts to Customers well above our 20% threshold.
🔥 Some of my team members are growing their Discounts from Last Year while decreasing Net Sales. We need to dig deeper at the Account level to see which Customers and Products are driving these trends and why (and most importantly, what can we do about it).
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🎯 Some of my BDMs are doing quite well: they are Discounting well below our 20% threshold, have reduced their Price Discounts from Last Year, and are driving positive Net Sales Growth. It is the perfect opportunity to discover how they did it and share those best practices with the rest of my Sales Team.
🛠️The BDMs who are Discounting above the 20% threshold have an opportunity to close the gap over the next six months. If my Top 5 Discounting BDMs were to reduce their Discounts down to the threshold, it would be worth an extra $30MM in Net Sales for the team.
Translating this in a way that will better resonate with my team: even if we close the gap by 50%, that extra $15MM in Net Sales will be the difference between a 90% or a 105% bonus payout!
Analyses like the Sales & Discounting Stack Ranking are lightning-fast and easy but powerful.
As a next step, we could easily include the Account and transaction details (with dynamic drill-downs), so when the Sales Director clicks on a Sales Rep Name, the key Customer and Product level performance drivers show up.
More importantly, this is an excellent tool to recognize Sales Team members and coach them for better performance.
Combining effective visual analytics with positive Sales Rep stories and learning opportunities is highly effective in driving organizational change in the right direction.
Frequently asked questions about sales stack ranking
What is sales and discounting stack ranking?
It is a simple, effective revenue analytics technique that steers sales behavior and drives incremental net sales and gross profit. It can be built at the product, customer, or sales team level. It typically focuses on four or five key metrics and ranks performance dynamically, with sorting, filtering, drill-downs, and performance thresholds that support root cause analysis and action.
What should every stack ranking include?
To be most impactful, every stack ranking should include a size of the prize component: the incremental net sales, gross profit, or operating profit the business would gain by closing the performance gaps of its bottom-performing reps, customers, or products.
What does a sales rep stack ranking reveal?
In the example, over half of the business development managers discount well above the 20% threshold, and some grow discounts while their net sales fall, which calls for an account-level look at the customers and products behind the trend. Others discount well below the threshold, have cut discounts since last year, and grow net sales, so their practices are worth sharing with the team.
How much can closing discount gaps be worth?
In the example, if the top five discounting reps brought their discounts down to the 20% threshold, the team would gain an extra $30MM in net sales. Even closing half the gap adds $15MM, which is the difference between a 90% and a 105% bonus payout, a framing that resonates with sales teams.
How can sales leaders use stack rankings to coach reps?
Stack rankings are an excellent tool to recognize sales team members and coach them toward better performance. Adding account and transaction details with dynamic drill-downs lets a sales director click a rep’s name and see the key customer and product drivers. Pairing visual analytics with positive rep stories and learning opportunities is highly effective in moving the organization in the right direction.
Does commercial analytics have to be complex to work?
No. Commercial analytics aimed at improving gross profit and sales productivity does not have to be complex to drive the right outcomes with pricing and sales teams. Analyses like sales and discounting stack ranking are lightning fast and easy to build, yet powerful.
Related Reading
- RA Quick Insights: Break-Even Price Elasticities – a Simple, but Powerful Sanity Check
- How US Mobility has Eroded and Accelerated Retail Sales from 2020-22
For broader industry perspective on pricing analytics and revenue growth management, see McKinsey’s Growth, Marketing & Sales insights.
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