How To Make a Hockey Stick Chart

The hockey stick is a growth chart that shows some inflection point at which revenue goes up at an extremely high angle and continues in that direction forever.

I’ve seen sales plans and projections that show a hockey stick for the future sales, even though there is no plan or data to support that kind of growth can be achieved, other than some data that points to the size of the market.

When a company buys another company, they often buy a hockey stick chart that shows them how much revenue and profitability is going to grow, providing them with belief that their investment is going to grow, and showing them how they can very easily profit from their investment in a short period.

But, the hockey stick eludes those who don’t understand what it takes to make revenue and profit grow. Reality intervenes, mocking them and their hockey stick chart. The chart in no way reflects what it really takes to produce those results.

It is incredibly difficult to build a high-performing sales organization. Most people underestimate the amount of time, money, and energy required. Especially how much energy is required from leadership.

Lots of companies lose focus because they get tied down in the day-to-day operational problems that plague every company. Their attention shifts away from client acquisition, order acquisition, and creating new revenue. Their energy is consumed by compliance, regulatory issues, and a list of other problems that have nothing to do with client acquisition and growth.

The hockey stick chart comes only when you are firing on all cylinders, winning new clients, while retaining your existing clients and growing your wallet share. You have to get a lot of things right.

Wanting growth isn’t the same as being motivated and driven to do what it takes to grow. You bring to life only what you focus on.

If you bought the hockey stick chart, frame it and hang it on your wall. A picture is what you really bought. If you want results that look like a hockey stick, you are going to have to dig in and build a high-performing sales organization.