Picture this. It is three days into the month, and a sales rep has landed a decent deal. They say “I’m on track to beat my target by 50%, and get double commission”.

Fast forward to week four. Performance has been slightly below normal, and the early gains have been lost. The sales rep is probably just about to hit target, as with any other normal month.

What happened?

Early Worm Gets Eaten

Remember this, be the early bird – not the early worm.

When an early deal comes in, be wary. Is it an out of period pipeline deal which should have been won in the previous month or quarter? If so, reset your mental picture to think you're currently still on zero. Poor performance in the prior period will result in early deals the next period.

The early bird pulls deals forward to flatten their curve.

The early worm confuses a pushed deal with great performance the next period.

How to Be the Bird, Not the Worm

Pulled a deal forward? Great work. Take a long lunch and peacock around the office for a few minutes before getting back to work.

Landed a deal which pushed from last month? Better late than never. But don’t peacock around or fool yourself into thinking this is indicative for the rest of the month. Reset the clock to zero and start again.