Worksheet for Reviewing the Month’s Sales Results

How to Use This Worksheet

The monthly sales review helps you understand what results were achieved, what factors explain them, and what makes sense to do next. You do not need to measure everything: choose a few relevant indicators, define what each one means, and use the meeting to make decisions, not just to read out figures.

Complete the worksheet using data from the same period and, where possible, compare it with the target, the previous month, and the same period last year. If your sales cycle lasts several months, interpret monthly closed deals alongside the status of open opportunities: a sale that has not yet closed is not the same as realized revenue.

1. Targets and Revenue: What Results Did We Achieve?

• What was the sales target for the month, and what result was achieved?
• How much revenue did the business generate during the period? Does the figure reflect closed sales, invoices issued, or payments received? Use a consistent definition.
• What is the difference between the result and the target, in value and percentage terms?
• How does the result compare with the previous period and with a comparable benchmark, if available?
• Which products, services, segments, channels, or customer types contributed most to the result?
• Did the average deal value or the number of closed deals change?
• Are there returns, cancellations, discounts, or other factors we should consider when interpreting revenue?

Record the figure and its explanation separately. For example: “Revenue below target” is a result; “two deals were postponed” is a possible explanation that should be checked.

2. Conversion and the Sales Journey: Where Is the Customer Progressing?

Review the stages your sales process actually uses. For each stage, ask:

• How many contacts, opportunities, or proposals entered the stage during the month?
• How many moved to the next stage, and how many stalled, were lost, or were disqualified?
• What proportion moved from one stage to another? How was it calculated, and for which group of opportunities?
• At which stage is the greatest bottleneck or drop-off occurring?
• What documented reasons explain won and lost opportunities?
• Did the sales cycle length change, or did the time opportunities spend at a stage change?

Compare conversion rates only when the stages, entry criteria, and period are comparable. If a rate changes, investigate what may be behind the change before attributing it to an individual’s performance or to a specific action.

3. Pipeline: Which Opportunities Could Become Revenue?

The pipeline helps you monitor sales work in progress, but it is not the same as a forecast or confirmed revenue. To assess its status, ask:

• How many open opportunities are there, and what is their total value?
• Which have a specific next step, an owner, and an agreed date?
• Which opportunities have been sitting longer than usual without progressing? Is the information about their stage and closing date still current?
• Which deals present risks, such as lack of access to the decision-maker, an unconfirmed budget, or an unanswered proposal?
• Are there duplicate or outdated opportunities, or any that no longer meet the qualification criteria?
• Does the pipeline seem sufficient for future targets based on your track record and sales cycle, or is there not yet enough data to say?
• Which expected closings have been delayed, and what is known about the reason?

Do not treat an opportunity as certain just because it appears in the system. Review the available evidence and separate confirmed closings from estimates.

4. Sales Activity: What Signals Could Point to the Outcome?

Calls, meetings, follow-ups, and proposals sent can help explain what happened and anticipate future work. However, activity does not replace results: more contacts do not guarantee more sales.

• What relevant sales actions were taken during the month?
• What types of customers or accounts were they aimed at, and for what purpose?
• Which actions helped create opportunities or move existing ones forward?
• Is there sufficient follow-up on proposals and open conversations?
• Was activity distributed evenly across prospecting, progressing, and closing opportunities?
• Which activity signals should you monitor next month because they are related to later results in your business?

Choose activity measures that help you decide on an action. If a figure does not lead to a useful question or decision, it may not need a prominent place in the review.

5. Reviewing the Month: What Did We Learn?

Before agreeing on changes, summarize the findings without confusing observations with verified explanations:

• Which result differed from what was expected?
• Which factors are supported by the data, and which are hypotheses to verify?
• What worked well and is worth repeating or understanding better?
• Which problem seems isolated, and which has recurred across several periods?
• What information is missing to make a decision with greater confidence?

A metric is more useful when it comes with a possible response: what would change, who would do it, and when you would check whether it worked. You do not need to turn every indicator into a KPI; prioritize those linked to a target and able to guide decisions.

6. Next Period: What Will We Do, and Who Will Take Responsibility?

End the review with a few concrete actions. For each one, record:

When deciding on actions, ask:

• Which opportunities need priority follow-up, and what is the next step for each one?
• Which adjustment to the process, message, offer, or allocation of time is worth testing?
• Which target or indicator will we review at the next meeting?
• Are there decisions that depend on information, budget, or support from another department?
• Which task will we stop doing or postpone so we can focus on what matters most?

Quick Wrap-Up Template

• Monthly target:
• Result achieved and definition used:
• Main difference compared with the target:
• Process stage that needs attention:
• Priority opportunities and next steps:
• Activity signal worth monitoring:
• Hypothesis still to be verified:
• Actions, owners, and deadlines:

Adapt the questions and indicators to your business model, sales cycle, and the quality of the available data. A small business with numerous quick sales may need a different review from one with few opportunities and lengthy purchasing decisions. What matters is maintaining consistent criteria and turning the review into a working agreement for the next period.