In Sales Only One Metric Matters

I am not sure why they have performance reviews for sales people. As I am learning, there is only one metric sales is judged on, which is something of a change for me since I have been more on the marketing side for most of my career.

For, example, here is an example of an account where I think I am doing very well:

• Our company had absolutely no contacts at the account. Got foot in the door, learned the organization, and found an internal advocate for our company & products
• Using the internal advocate, figured out key decision makers in the area we work in. Set up multiple meetings to establish personal rapport and showcase our product line at the senior level
• Moving the ball forward, got the company to sign a bilateral non-disclosure agreement (NDA), allowing deeper technical and business discussions on how our two companies may engage
• Customer agreed to take samples of our product for analysis and quality assurance
• Overall, things have gone forward very well, taking the typical amount of time required for a design-cycle in our segment. The customer will be completing their internal engineering analysis soon, allowing us to enter into negotiations.

My company's response: Where's the purchase order?!? Any account where there is no PO must be a problem. Or YOU might be the problem.
But, hey, this is why salespeople are paid the big bucks. I just need a close a few of these.