B2B Sales Game w/ Leon Matschke · 2026-04-13 · 5 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
40 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Leon Matschke breaks down the metric-tracking framework essential for managing sales teams effectively. He distinguishes between primary KPIs - appointment booking rate (ABR), show-up rate, and sales conversion rate - and secondary metrics like qualified lead rate (QLR), arguing that if primary metrics are in acceptable range, secondary ones shouldn't drive changes. For appointment setters specifically, the two primary metrics are ABR (meetings booked divided by inputs like dials, emails, or DMs) and total daily inputs. Matschke emphasizes that reps can only control their activity level (dials, emails sent), not conversion outcomes, so managers should set input-based targets - for example, "do 100 dials per day" - rather than expecting reps to hit meeting numbers they can't directly influence. This framework reduces troubleshooting to simple process comparison when one rep underperforms. He also covers show-up rate (meetings shown divided by meetings booked) and qualified lead rate (qualified meetings divided by meetings held), with the latter requiring objective yes-or-no checklist criteria rather than subjective assessments. This approach works only if every rep follows the same process and language consistently.
Appointment booking rate (ABR) - meetings booked divided by inputs like dials, emails, or DMs - and total daily inputs (the number of dials, emails, or DMs sent per day).
Set targets on activity (dials, emails) that reps control, not meeting numbers; if an SDR has a 10% ABR, telling them to do 100 dials per day naturally produces 10 meetings without them worrying about conversion.
Use a yes-or-no checklist based on ICP criteria or specific qualification framework items, not vague assessments like 'they have a pain point,' which different reps interpret differently.
The SDR remains responsible for no-shows and must rebook them; the closer takes over only once the prospect shows up.
Don't change anything in the system; if primary KPIs are acceptable, secondary metrics don't matter and adjusting processes will only create problems.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode provides concrete tactical guidance on sales metric tracking with specific formulas and frameworks (ABR, show-up rate, QLR). However, it rehashes well-established sales operations doctrine and doesn't deliver surprising or non-obvious insights - the core message (track primary KPIs, ignore secondary ones if primaries are healthy) is standard best practice rather than novel thinking.
metrics tell you how well the sales system is performing fundamentally
If the primary metrics are in KPI, meaning they're in a range that's acceptable, the secondary ones don't matter at all and you shouldn't touch anything in the entire system
The framework is methodical but not original. The distinction between primary and secondary KPIs, the appointment booking rate formula, and the emphasis on controlling inputs over outputs are all standard playbook material circulating widely in B2B sales leadership. No contrarian thesis or first-principles rethinking is present.
key performance indicators
If you know your conversion rates, so this, right? If you know they have a 10 % ABR, you can give them a target to aim for every day, which is now in their control
This is a solo host episode with no guest. Leon Matschke delivers the content alone, so guest caliber cannot be evaluated.
Leon Matschke: How do you actually do metric tracking?
Strong use of concrete examples and numbers throughout: 10% ABR from 100 dials, 70% show-up rate from 7 shows out of 10, qualification frameworks as checklists. The examples are illustrative and actionable, though none are drawn from named real-world companies or proprietary data.
if you book 10 meetings from a hundred dials, right, then you have a 10 % appointment booking rate
if you have seven shows and 10 meetings, you have a 70 % show up rate
This is a solo monologue with no conversation, follow-ups, or dialectical engagement. There are no questions asked, no pushback explored, and no dynamic exchange that would demonstrate host craft.
How do you actually do metric tracking? metrics tell you how well the sales system is performing fundamentally.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Leon Matschke: How do you actually do metric tracking? metrics tell you how well the sales system is performing fundamentally. We also call these KPIs, so key performance indicators. And there are two types of metrics that we have.
We have primary KPIs, which is your appointment booking rate, your show up rate, your sales conversion rate, right? And then you have secondary KPIs, which is everything but these three things. Okay. Important, very important, extremely important.
If the primary metrics are in KPI, meaning they're in a range that's acceptable, the secondary ones don't matter at all and you shouldn't touch anything in the entire system. Don't change a word. And the cool thing is if everyone says the same thing the same way, then you will get similar KPIs for each individual salesperson. Which means, if one of them isn't performing, you can just troubleshoot the issue very easily by just comparing the processes.
It becomes so easy. But for this to work, because this sounds extremely easy, and it is, but for this to work, you need to have done every single step I just explained. And every single step that I'm about to explain. Okay, so what should you track per rep to measure their performance, because there's a bunch of things.
Well, let's... I'm going to break it down by each function. So appointment setters and closers, and I'll try to keep it simple, even though there's going to be a lot of numbers. So first of all, we have appointment setters, right?
They have two primary metrics. You have your ABR, which is your appointment booking rate, which equals meetings booked divided by the inputs they made. And with inputs, mean stuff like dials made, emailed sent, DM sent, know, stuff you can actually do. So for example, if you book 10 meetings from a hundred dials, right, then you have a 10 % appointment booking rate.
If you book 10 meetings from 200 DMs, then you have a 5 % appointment booking rate on that system. Okay. So that's the primary metric that you should track because it tells you basically how well they're doing their job. And then the second one is the total inputs they do.
Now, this is not really a percentage metric. It's just a number and it's the number of dials, emails, DMs they send per day or per week or per month. Right. I track it per day.
And the thing is, and why combine these two? If you know your conversion rates, so this, right? If you know they have a 10 % ABR, you can give them a target to aim for every day, which is now in their control. So you know that if you gave them a target...
10 meetings per day. and you know their conversion rate is 10 % for every one, then you can just tell them all you need to do today, your main metric that you should track as an individual, not for you, the manager, but for them, because they don't understand metrics a lot of times, is just do a hundred dials. It's all you need to do. Do a hundred dials with the script I gave you and say it the right way.
Done. Suddenly everyone reaches their target. It's amazing. Because no one can control how many conversations they will have, but they can control how many dials they do.
Right? That's fundamentally the only thing you can really control is how many inputs you do. Everything else is just based on math, but you can control it and a sales rep probably won't get it. And so for secondary metrics, have two, which is first of all, your show up rate.
So that's just meeting show divided by meetings booked. So if you have seven shows and 10 meetings, you have a 70 % show up rate. Yes, this is still the SDR's responsibility. Once they show up, the closer can take over, but before they show up, then it's still in the SDR's name and they should work on it.
All right. Which means if you have a no show, that's SDR's responsibility to rebook. And you have a secondary metric, which is qualified lead rate. So QLR, which is meetings qualified divided by meetings held or meetings showed, right?
So if you have seven qualified calls divided by 10 showed, have a 70 % qualified lead rate. Qualified just means, you know, they fit your ICP or you use a qualification framework, whatever you do, whatever your deem as qualified, that's how you can track it. Just make sure it's a checklist and not like really, uh, an objective thing. So you can't just say they have a pain point because everyone might see that differently.
And then you'll have discussions. It needs to be actual stuff you can either say yes or no to. And you can also give bonuses on this because that helps keep the quality high. But again, I'll give you a way better model in the commission structures at the end of the video.
So that's it for SDRs. Again, if the ABR is in KPI, then all you need to tell them to do is do their dials and that's it. Even if this is not as good, don't touch anything.
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