user4323

Sales manager

Personal Narrative

Moving from SMB Sales to Commercial — What Do Targets Look Like in Your Role?

Hey folks,

I’m currently in a sales role focused on SMBs in the fintech/payments space (think high volume, lower deal size). I never had issues with performance, so I'm looking to step into a more commercial or mid-market role. However I have been struggling a lot with interviewing. It seems like every company has a different way of measuring success and I'm trying to find a combination of a few simple metrics that I can use in my interviews.

If you're working in commercial sales (SaaS, fintech or similar), I’d love your input on:

Is your target recorded monthly, quarterly or annual

What’s a typical annual revenue or TPV (total processing volume)target?

Are you measured in ARR, MRR, TPV, or something else?

How many new clients/accounts are reps expected to bring in, or does that even matter if your MRR/ARR is on track?

What’s your average deal size?

How’s the pipeline usually sourced — SDR, inbound, or self-sourced?

Trying to get a feel for how different the benchmarks are from SMB roles — any input or ballpark figures are super appreciated 🙏

4

6 comments

Sort by:

Sunbunny31

Arsonist

4

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

All of those are great questions, but when interviewing, keep it simple. You need to be able to talk about things like: the % over quota you were (regardless of the time period measured), how you expanded the revenue generated in your territory (increased by x% y/o/y) and the like. Find metrics that showcase your capabilities, and be prepared to talk about those.
While in SaaS, quota is often set annually, there are quarterly numbers you're working toward. Usually unless you're completely struggling, it's not uncommon to have 1 light quarter and be ok as long as you have 3 good quarters in the year. I'd be asking how they measure, and not be surprised when they tell you they have an annual number and quarterly targets. Smaller companies might have monthly targets; it's going to depend.
Annual target will vary a LOT depending on the company, the average deal size, etc. That's not going to be a one-size-fits-all answer. Companies with bigger quotas will generally have a bigger OTE. Critical interview question.
My company measures ARR. Some add TCV as a measure. Still others have a measure for services, if they have a services team. This is also going to vary. This is a good interview question.
Generally, you're not measured on the number of new logos as a quota measure, but I've also seen spiffs given for acquiring new logos in addition to your quota attainment. Also a good interview question.
Average deal size will also vary, depending on the company. Mine is six figures, but varies widely between low to high, depending. But I'm not MM. As a MM rep, it also varied depending on the solution sold, the vertical, the territory. When interviewing, this is a key question to ask.
Pipeline sourcing is going to vary depending on the company, but being able to contribute to your pipeline and self-source is always going to matter. I'm a strategic rep, and I am still expected to contribute to my own pipeline. Being able and willing to work your territory is a plus as a sales rep.

snacks

Valued Contributor

3

AE

mic drop 🎤

jefe

Arsonist

2

🍁

Wow. I was just going to say it varies wildly depending on what you’re doing and where.

This is so thorough and on point.

👑🏆

Sunbunny31

Arsonist

1

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I got a wild hare.
so to speak.

user4323

Executive

1

Sales manager

@Sunbunny31 wow thank you for the comment, I’ll feed it into ChatGPT together with my metrics to get it adjusted. Could you think of any other metric that may impress the hiring manager?
Having been measured only on TPV and annual revenue like (1-2% margin from the TPV) looks simple and good enough
My revenue target for 2025 is £900k
Currently on track to meet it.
In previous years I have gone up to a million revenue

But if I have to break it down by an average deal size then the number looks less impressive and may position me as a high-volume transactional sales person. Reason is cause only 5-10 deals a year will generate really good revenue but on average I would close about 150-200 deals annually

Sunbunny31

Arsonist

0

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

If asked about average deal size, answer, but as with any metric that isn’t outstanding, just don’t volunteer it.

When you hit 1 mil in revenue, what was your quota? The message there is that you exceeded quota by x% the past 4 years (or whatever interval actually applies). You shouldn’t need to focus on the terminology too much. When tech sales are generally measured in ARR, TPV isn’t in alignment. But every hiring manager appreciates someone who overachieves target and someone who knows how to sell, regardless of metric.

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Tech Sales U

For employers

Hire sales talent Executive search

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

© 2025 Bravado Inc. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy Legal and Privacy Center Trust Center Sales Jobs