The presentation aims to give an explanation on why measuring Key Performance Indicators is important for growing businesses.

1. Passionate about your business
Using KPIs to Manage
Business Growth

3. • KPI stands for ‘Key Performance Indicator’
• ’A Key Performance Indicator is a business metric used to evaluate
factors that are crucial to the success of the organisation’
• ‘A Key Performance Indicator is a type of performance measurement’
• ‘A Key Performance Indicator is a measurable value that demonstrates
how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives’
• Note the words ‘business objectives’, ‘measurable’, ‘success of
organisation’
Background - What are KPIs?

4. • KPIs are both financial and non financial measures
• No accounting rules or regulations specifically defining KPIs
• KPIs are measured and reviewed frequently
• Action should follow !
• What the KEY KPIs are for a business will depend on the individual
business
Background - What are KPIs?

5. • Provides a structured platform to drive improvements in turnover, margin
or profitability for your business
• Provides a simple and speedy ‘snapshot’ of business performance
• Highlights the importance of ‘hidden’ activities to business performance
e.g. marketing, customer service/retention, existing client base
• Opportunity for better and faster decision making on the business
Why Would SMEs Use KPIs?

6. The suite of KPIs used by an SME will be determined by business sector e.g. goods,
services, ecommerce and the business stage i.e. earlier stage business may have less
data readily available:
SALES
• Number of sales of different products/service
• Average value of each product/service
• Gross margin % per product/service
• Growth in recurring or non recurring revenues
NEW BUSINESS
• New clients per month/per annum
• Meetings to client conversion %
So What Do Typical KPIs Look Like ?

7. MARKETING
• Number of new leads per month
• Leads to meeting conversion %
• Cost of acquisition of a new client
CUSTOMER SERVICE
• ‘Churn rates’ i.e. lost subscribers
• Number of customer complaints
FINANCIAL/OTHER
• Number of clients
• Average value of client per annum
• ‘Client lifetime value’,
• Overheads to turnover %
• Number of services taken by client
• Headcount
So What Do Typical KPIs Look Like?

8. • SMEs experiencing significant periods of growth
• When the business owner steps back from the ‘day to day’ running
of the business
• Expectation of a future investment or potential exit
When Are KPIs Most Suitable for SMEs ?

9. 6 Benefits of Including KPIs as Part of Your Reporting include :
• Understanding the Profitability of Products and/or Services
• Simpler Annual Budgets
• Goal Setting throughout the Whole Business
• Better and Quicker Management Decision Making
• Encouraging and Supporting Delegation (by Business owner/Founder)
• Adding Credibility or Supporting Business Valuations on Exit
Benefits of Using KPIs

10. • Entrepreneur led business which, over a period of 3 years, grew from 2 businesses in the UK
with a combined turnover of £5m, to 18 businesses across 4 countries and a turnover of
£70m +.
• Significant growth month on month, increase in staff numbers, additional offices etc.
• Over a period of 12 months, identified & clarified KPIs, amended processes and captured
information
MARKETING
SPEND
EVENT
BOOKINGS
EVENT
ATTENDANCE MEMBERSHIP
PROPERTY SALESMORTGAGES
PROPERTY
LETTINGS
Case Study – Property & Financial Services

11. The suite of business KPIs included:
• Weekly & Monthly - number of Event Attendees, New Member subscriptions, number of
Property sales by jurisdiction, Mortgages completed, Properties Let
• Monthly reports - Marketing spend, Bookings for (upcoming) events,
Cancellations/dropouts from events and property sales, Mortgages written
• Other (Averages) – Event attendee fees, Membership fees, Property sale fees,
Mortgage/Letting fees,
- Cost of events, Property sale commissions , Overheads (by country)
• Other – ‘life cycle’ of a typical client and the average value of that client to the business
Case Study – Property & Financial Services

12. The outcomes for the business of KPIs :
• Every department clearly understood it’s weekly/monthly targets
• Confirmation of turnover and profitability for the month circa 24/48 hours after month end
• Performance could be ascertained immediately in comparison against the budget
• Mid morning on a Monday each week, the KPIs provided management with performance of the
business
• By Wednesday’s Board meeting, actions had been decided upon based on the week’s KPIs
• Understanding the lifetime value of clients, ensured an investment in Customer service function to
improve retention
• Response to increasing property cancellations and reducing attendee conversion rates (into
members), resulted in use of Customer service team and changing events/event speakers
Case Study – Property & Financial Services

13. KPIs are an unstructured activity for both businesses and their accountants, so a
lack of balance can remove the benefits of using KPIs
• Mistake 1 – Forgetting about the Key in KPIs
• Mistake 2 – Providing too much detail on each KPI i.e. keep it simple
• Mistake 3 – No balance in your suite of KPIs i.e. financial and non financial
• Mistake 4 – Obtaining the data takes too long
Words of Warning

14. Step 1 – Clarify your business goals for the next 12 months
Step 2 – Consider the factors that will ensure the business meets the targets for the
next 12 months
Step 3 – Can these individual factors be measured now, or can these measurements
be put into place in the near future ?
Step 4 – Communicate the purpose and pass responsibility to the appropriate
individuals to capture and provide the data each week/month/quarter
Step 5 – Start measuring and reviewing the KPIs and know that you may amend the
measurements or add/change them as you go along
How to Identify KPIs for your business?

16. Passionate about your business
T: 0207 952 1230
E: damian@sakurabusiness.co.uk