Skip to content
GullySales

A revenue target your team can explain, not a number they were handed.

Gully Sales derives your revenue target from the bottom up and the top down, reconciles the two, cascades it to channels, teams and quarters, and shows the pipeline and capacity it needs before anyone commits to it.

  • A target derived from baseline and pipeline, not from ambition alone.
  • Quotas cascaded to channels, teams and quarters that add up to the number.
  • Commit, stretch and floor versions so the board and the team share one view.
Book a free auditTalk to us

Gully Sales Private Limited derives revenue targets for Indian SMBs and then carries the marketing and sales work those targets depend on.

In one paragraph

What is Revenue Target Planning?

Revenue target planning is the work of deriving the number your business commits to and making it real for the people who deliver it. Gully Sales builds the target upward from your baseline and pipeline and downward from your growth ambition, reconciles them, cascades the result to channels, teams and quarters, and tests it against capacity and budget. Every seller can explain the number; every owner can defend it.

The problem

The target is announced, and the sales team quietly plans for a different number.

Most growing businesses in India set the revenue target the same way: take last year, add a percentage that feels right, and share it in the first sales meeting of the year. It is not carelessness. There is no planning team, the owner is closest to the numbers, and a decision has to be made. But a target set this way carries no explanation of where the growth comes from, so the people who must deliver it treat it as a wish rather than a plan.

You will recognise it as

  • The target was set by adding a percentage to last year, and nobody can say which customers, products or channels will supply the increase.
  • Individual quotas do not add up to the company number, or add up only because everyone was given the same stretch.
  • Nobody knows how much pipeline the target needs, so coverage is discovered, not planned, in the last quarter.
  • Marketing has a lead target and sales has a revenue target, and the two were never derived from each other.
  • New hires are counted at full productivity from the month they join, and territory changes are not reflected in the quotas.
  • The board sees one number, the team works to a smaller one in private, and the gap is explained in the year-end review.

What it costs the business

  • Forecasts are unreliable from the first month, because they are built on quotas nobody believed.
  • Hiring and spend decisions are made against a number that was never tested, so money goes out before the pipeline exists to justify it.
  • Good salespeople carry unrealistic quotas and lose motivation; weak ones hide behind a target everyone knows was arbitrary.
  • Mid-year corrections arrive too late, because there was no agreed floor and no trigger that said when to act.

Why it persists. The problem persists because setting a target properly needs three things a founder-led business rarely has together: clean historical data by channel and product, a view of pipeline conversion by stage, and the time to sit with both before the year begins. Without them, a percentage on last year is the only method available, and everyone learns to work around the result.

If it stays unresolved. Left as it is, every year repeats the same pattern: an optimistic number in April, a quiet private number by July, and a year-end conversation about why the two never met. The business keeps growing at the rate it would have grown anyway, with more stress and no learning.

What changes

What changes once the target is derived rather than declared.

In the first weeks

  • You know the difference between what the business will earn on its current run-rate and what the target asks it to add.
  • Every quota is traceable to a channel, a team and a quarter, and they add up to the company number without hidden stretch.
  • The pipeline the target needs is written down by stage and by month, so coverage is a plan rather than a surprise.

In how the work runs

  • Sales and marketing work to one derived number, with the lead and opportunity volumes that connect them.
  • Hiring, ramp and territory decisions are made against the target, not after it.
  • Monthly reviews compare attainment to a floor and a commit, so corrections start early.

In sales and marketing

  • Forecasts become more believable because they rest on quotas people accepted, not resisted.
  • Spend is committed in step with pipeline evidence, not in advance of it.

In what management can see

  • Owners, investors and lenders see one target with the assumptions behind it, which is easier to defend and easier to revise.
  • The team sees how their number was built, which is the first step to owning it.

Over the longer term

  • Target setting becomes a repeatable annual method rather than a negotiation.
  • Each year's variance between target and actual becomes data that improves next year's assumptions.

Gully Sales controls the derivation, the cascade, the pipeline and capacity tests and the scenario set. Whether the target is reached depends on market conditions, execution and decisions taken through the year, which we can support but cannot promise.

Who it is for

Who revenue target planning is for.

The businesses it suits

  • Founder-led businesses whose revenue target has so far been the owner's judgement, and who now have a team that needs a number it can work to.
  • Mid-market companies with several sales teams, channels or regions whose quotas must add up to one company commitment.
  • Businesses raising funds or reporting to a board that must show how the target was built, not only what it is.
  • Companies that have missed the target two years running and want to know whether the number or the execution was wrong.
  • Businesses adding a new channel, territory or product line and unsure how much of the target it should carry in year one.
  • Sales heads who inherited a target from the top and need a defensible cascade before the team stops listening.

What usually prompts the call

  • A new financial year is approaching and the target is about to be set by the same method as last year.
  • A new sales head, channel or territory has been added and the quotas no longer reflect the structure.
  • An investor, lender or board has asked for the assumptions behind the revenue number.
  • Attainment is under plan by mid-year and nobody can say whether to reset the target or fix execution.

What Gully Sales does

The work, component by component.

Baseline and run-rate

We reconstruct what the business actually earned by channel, product, customer segment and month, separate recurring from one-off revenue, and project what it would earn next year with no change at all.

Why it matters:
A target without a baseline has no denominator; the run-rate is the only honest starting point for the growth conversation.
You receive:
Baseline workbook with run-rate projection and the revenue anatomy behind it
Business value:
You see how much of next year is already earned and how much the target really asks the team to add.

Two-way target derivation

The target is built upward from pipeline, conversion rates, retention and capacity, and downward from the growth the owners and investors expect. The two rarely meet at first; we show the gap and the assumptions that would have to be true to close it.

Why it matters:
A top-down number is an ambition and a bottom-up number is a prediction. The target is the negotiated meeting point, made explicit.
You receive:
Derivation memo showing the top-down case, the bottom-up case and the reconciled target
Business value:
The number becomes a decision with reasons, which is what makes it defensible.

Cascade by channel, team and quarter

The company target is split into channel targets, then team and individual quotas, then quarters and months, with new business, expansion and renewal shown separately and seasonality reflected.

Why it matters:
A target that does not add up from the bottom is not a target; it is a hope with a spreadsheet attached.
You receive:
Quota cascade with roll-up checks and a one-page view per team
Business value:
Every salesperson can trace their number to the company commitment and back.

Pipeline coverage requirement

From your stage conversion rates and cycle length we calculate the pipeline each team needs, by stage and by month, and the leads and opportunities marketing must supply for it.

Why it matters:
Coverage is the earliest warning the target has; without it, the miss is only visible after it has happened.
You receive:
Pipeline requirement by team and month, with the marketing contribution it implies
Business value:
Sales and marketing now share one number derived from the same arithmetic.

Capacity and ramp check

We test the quota cascade against the people who will carry it: current headcount, productive capacity, planned hires, ramp time, territory changes and attrition risk.

Why it matters:
Most missed targets were impossible on the day they were set because they assumed capacity the business did not have.
You receive:
Capacity model showing quota per productive head, ramp assumptions and the hiring the target depends on
Business value:
You learn whether the target is a hiring plan in disguise before you commit to it.

Budget the target requires

We state the sales and marketing spend the cascade and pipeline requirement imply, and the months in which it must be committed, so the target and the budget are built from the same assumptions. Detailed allocation belongs to the budgeting service.

Why it matters:
A target agreed without its cost is renegotiated the moment the budget is set.
You receive:
Budget envelope by quarter, linked to the pipeline and capacity assumptions
Business value:
The target arrives with its price tag, so finance is part of the decision rather than its critic.

Commit, stretch and floor scenarios

We write three versions of the target: the commit that the team owns, the stretch that the board hopes for, and the floor below which decisions change. Each carries triggers that say when to move between them.

Why it matters:
One number cannot serve the board, the team and the finance function at once; three labelled numbers can.
You receive:
Scenario set with triggers, decision owners and the actions each trigger releases
Business value:
Mid-year, nobody argues about whether to act; the trigger was agreed in advance.

What you will have at the end.

  • Baseline workbook: revenue by channel, product, segment and month, with run-rate projection for the coming year.
  • Target derivation memo: top-down case, bottom-up case, the gap, and the assumptions the reconciled target rests on.
  • Quota cascade: company to channel to team to individual to quarter, with roll-up checks.
  • Pipeline requirement by team and month, with stage-by-stage volumes and the marketing contribution implied.
  • Capacity model: productive headcount, ramp assumptions, planned hires and quota per head.
  • Budget envelope by quarter, linked to the same assumptions as the target.
  • Commit, stretch and floor scenario set with triggers, owners and pre-agreed actions.
  • Target calendar: when the target is set, cascaded, communicated and reviewed through the year.
  • One-page target brief per team, written so a salesperson can explain their number in two minutes.
  • Anonymised sample extracts of the cascade and pipeline requirement, shared on request before you engage.

How it runs

The engagement, step by step.

  1. 1

    Baseline

    We collect two to three years of revenue by channel, product, customer and month, along with pipeline history, and rebuild it into one clean revenue anatomy. Gaps in the data are recorded, not guessed.

    You provide:
    Invoicing or accounting exports, CRM or pipeline records, headcount and territory list.
    We produce:
    Baseline workbook with run-rate projection and a data-quality note.
    Done when:
    The owner and the sales head agree the baseline is a fair picture of the business.
  2. 2

    Assumptions and ambition

    In working sessions with the owner, sales and marketing heads we surface the growth expectations, the market view and the constraints, and turn them into explicit assumptions about conversion, retention, price and volume.

    You provide:
    Two half-day sessions, honest views on last year, any board or investor expectations.
    We produce:
    Assumptions register with the evidence or judgement behind each.
    Done when:
    Every assumption has an owner and a stated confidence.
  3. 3

    Two-way derivation

    We build the bottom-up target from pipeline, conversion and capacity, the top-down target from ambition and market, and lay the two side by side. The reconciliation session decides the number and records why.

    You provide:
    Decision-makers in the room for one reconciliation session.
    We produce:
    Derivation memo with the reconciled target.
    Done when:
    The owner signs off a single company target with its reasoning attached.
  4. 4

    Cascade

    The company target is split by channel, team, individual and quarter, with new, expansion and renewal revenue separated and seasonality applied. Roll-up checks confirm the parts equal the whole.

    You provide:
    Sales structure, territory definitions, planned changes to the team.
    We produce:
    Quota cascade and one-page brief per team.
    Done when:
    Team leads accept their numbers and can explain how they were built.
  5. 5

    Pipeline and capacity test

    We calculate the pipeline each quota needs and test the cascade against productive capacity, ramp and hiring. Where a quota fails the test, it is revised or the hiring plan is changed, and the record shows which.

    You provide:
    Stage conversion history, hiring plan, ramp experience with previous hires.
    We produce:
    Pipeline requirement and capacity model, with revisions to the cascade.
    Done when:
    No quota in the cascade depends on capacity that does not exist or is not planned.
  6. 6

    Budget envelope and scenarios

    We state the spend the target implies by quarter, then write the commit, stretch and floor versions with triggers and the actions each releases.

    You provide:
    Finance input on spend limits and cash timing.
    We produce:
    Budget envelope and scenario set with decision rules.
    Done when:
    Finance, sales and marketing agree the three numbers and what changes at each trigger.
  7. 7

    Communication and handover

    We help the leadership present the target to the team, hand over the workbooks with instructions, and set the review calendar. If you want us to stay for the reviews, that is a separate arrangement.

    You provide:
    A slot in the sales kick-off or leadership meeting.
    We produce:
    Target calendar, handover pack and presentation material.
    Done when:
    The team has heard the target explained, and the owner can rerun the model without us.

Ways to work with us

Ways to work with Gully Sales on the target.

Annual target build

The full method, from baseline to handover, run before the financial year begins so the target is cascaded and communicated at the sales kick-off.

Cascade and pipeline test only

For businesses that have already decided the company number and need it split properly, tested against capacity and tied to a pipeline requirement.

Mid-year reset

When attainment is off plan and the question is whether the target or the execution is wrong. We rebuild the cascade from the current run-rate and reset the floor and commit.

Target planning with quarterly reviews

The annual build plus a Gully Sales presence at each quarterly review, updating the scenarios and pipeline requirement as the year moves.

Why Gully Sales

What you are actually choosing when you choose us.

We derive the number; we do not pick it.

A consultant who tells you the target should be twenty percent higher has told you nothing. We show the bottom-up case, the top-down case and the assumptions that connect them, so the number you choose has reasons you can repeat.

The cascade is tested before it is announced.

Capacity, ramp and pipeline are checked against every quota before the team hears it. A target that fails the test is changed, or the hiring plan is, and the record shows which.

Sales and marketing get one arithmetic.

Because the pipeline requirement is derived from the same target, marketing's lead number and sales' revenue number stop being separate promises made to the same owner.

We have run revenue functions, not only advised them.

Gully Sales works across marketing, sales, channels and revenue operations for Indian businesses. We know what a quota feels like from the inside, which is why our cascades are built to be accepted, not only to add up.

The model stays with you.

Workbooks, assumptions and decision rules are handed over with instructions. Next year's target can be built by your own team using the same method, with or without us.

Where it applies

The same service, in different businesses.

Engineering and components manufacturing

The situation:
Revenue depends on a handful of large OEM accounts plus a long tail of distributors, and the target was always the owner's estimate of what the big accounts would order.
How it applies:
Baseline by account and channel, separate targets for key accounts, distributors and new business, and a pipeline requirement for the new-business share.
Likely benefit:
The target stops being a guess about three customers and becomes a plan with a visible new-business component.

IT services and software

The situation:
New logos, expansion and renewals are mixed into one number, and the quota for a new hire assumes they close in month two.
How it applies:
Cascade with new, expansion and renewal separated, ramp assumptions applied per hire, and coverage stated by stage for each.
Likely benefit:
Quotas reflect how the revenue actually arrives, and new hires carry numbers they can reach.

FMCG and consumer distribution

The situation:
Targets are set by region from head office, and regional managers redistribute them among distributors informally.
How it applies:
Region and distributor cascade built on last year's throughput and planned outlet expansion, with seasonality by month.
Likely benefit:
Distributor targets are consistent, explainable and add up to the region and the company number.

Healthcare groups and clinics

The situation:
Revenue comes from several service lines and locations, and the group target is set without a view of which line or site is expected to grow.
How it applies:
Baseline by service line and location, growth assumptions per line, and a target cascade that names where the increase comes from.
Likely benefit:
Site and department heads own a number they helped derive rather than a share they were allocated.

Education and training providers

The situation:
Enrolment targets are set by intake, but marketing's enquiry target and the counselling team's conversion capacity were never connected to them.
How it applies:
Target by programme and intake, enquiry requirement derived from conversion history, counselling capacity tested against it.
Likely benefit:
Marketing and admissions work to one derived number and the intake plan stops depending on a last-month push.

Professional and business services

The situation:
Partners set their own revenue expectations and the firm target is the sum of individual ambitions, which rarely matches capacity.
How it applies:
Firm target derived two ways, partner and practice cascade tested against billable capacity and pipeline, floor and commit agreed.
Likely benefit:
The firm has one commitment it can plan hiring and spend around, not a collection of personal hopes.

Proof

Work we can point to.

Kambar Group

The problem:
Kambar Group struggled to optimise its sales processes and set clear objectives, and needed better insight into its customer base along with practical lead qualification and closing strategies.
What we did:
Gully Sales defined the group's mission, vision and core values, ran SWOT and TOWS analyses, and set precise business, sales, marketing, operational, financial and HR goals, with customer research and value propositions beneath them.
The result:
The case study records increased sales efficiency from streamlined processes and clear objectives, and higher closure rates. It describes objective setting inside a sales consulting engagement, not a full target build.
Read the case study

Questions buyers ask

Before you enquire, the answers you will want.

How will the target connect to pipeline and team capacity?

Every quota in the cascade is converted into a pipeline requirement using your stage conversion rates and cycle length, so each team knows the opportunities it must have open by month. The same quota is then tested against productive capacity, including ramp time for planned hires. If a quota cannot be covered or carried, it is revised or the hiring plan is changed, and the record shows which decision was taken.

How is this different from annual revenue planning?

Annual revenue planning builds the whole year's plan: assumptions, targets, capacity, budget, scenarios and the roadmap to execute it. Revenue target planning goes deeper on one part of that: how the number itself is derived, reconciled, cascaded to quotas and tested against pipeline and capacity. If you already have a plan but the target inside it was never derived or cascaded properly, this is the service. If you have neither, start with annual revenue planning.

How long does the engagement take?

It depends on how many channels and teams you have and how clean your revenue and pipeline data is. A single-channel business with good records moves faster than a multi-region distributor whose numbers live in several spreadsheets. We agree the schedule after the free audit, and we recommend starting well before the financial year so the target is cascaded and communicated at the kick-off rather than in the second month.

What inputs are required from us?

Two to three years of revenue by customer, product and month from your accounting or invoicing system; pipeline history from your CRM or sales tracker; the current sales structure with territories; the hiring plan; and the owner's and investors' growth expectations. You also need decision-makers available for the assumptions and reconciliation sessions. Where data is missing, we record the gap and work with what exists rather than delay the work.

What if our data is incomplete or lives in spreadsheets?

That is the normal condition for a growing Indian business, not an obstacle. We rebuild the baseline from whatever exists, including invoices, bank statements and sales registers, and note where estimates were used. The assumptions register records the confidence behind each number. The first quarter of the new plan then becomes the measurement baseline, and the data discipline the model needs is set up as part of the handover.

Who decides the final number?

You do. Gully Sales lays out the bottom-up case, the top-down case, the gap between them and the assumptions that would have to hold to close it. The reconciliation session is where the owner, sales head and finance decide the target with that evidence in front of them. Our role is to make the decision explicit and defensible, not to make it for you.

How do commit, stretch and floor targets work in practice?

The commit is the number the team owns and quotas are built from. The stretch is what the board hopes for and what incentives above quota reward. The floor is the level below which pre-agreed decisions change, such as pausing a hire or reallocating spend. Each carries triggers, an owner and the action it releases, so when attainment crosses a line mid-year the response was decided in advance.

Can quotas be changed after the year starts?

Yes, but by rule rather than by mood. The scenario set names the triggers that reopen the cascade, such as a large account loss, a territory change or attainment below the floor for two consecutive months. When a trigger fires, the quota is rebuilt from the current run-rate using the same model, and the change is recorded. That keeps the target credible while allowing it to respond to the year.

3 more questions

How is success measured?

Against revenue attainment to commit and floor, pipeline coverage against the stated requirement, forecast accuracy month by month, marketing's sourced pipeline against the derived requirement, revenue per productive head against the capacity model, and how quickly decisions follow triggers. The baseline is the reconstructed run-rate and last year's records where they exist. We report what the cascade and tests changed; the attainment itself depends on execution and market.

What is excluded from scope?

Detailed sales and marketing budget allocation by channel and role, which belongs to the budgeting service; the multi-year growth roadmap; sales compensation and incentive design beyond how quotas are set; CRM implementation; and running the monthly reviews unless you choose the option with quarterly reviews. We state the budget envelope the target implies and stop there, and we hand over the model rather than keep it.

Will Gully Sales present the target to our sales team?

If you want us to, yes. The handover step includes a slot at the sales kick-off or leadership meeting where the derivation and cascade are explained, and a one-page brief per team written so that any salesperson can describe how their number was built. Many owners prefer to present it themselves with us in the room for questions, which works just as well.

Talk to us

Derive next year's number before you ask anyone to carry it.

The free audit looks at how your current target was set, whether the quotas add up and what pipeline they need. You leave with a view of the gap even if you go no further.

  • No obligation and no sales script
  • A reply from someone who does the work
  • Your details are never sold or shared

Your revenue and pipeline data are used only to prepare the audit and are not shared outside Gully Sales.

Protected by reCAPTCHA — Google’s privacy policy and terms apply.

Get a free audit of how you sell, and a scored report of where the work is.

Book a free audit
Book a free audit