How do you use metrics and dashboards to help sales?

1 Define your sales goals

The first step is to define your sales goals and how they relate to your marketing objectives. You need to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the success of your sales efforts, such as revenue, conversion rate, customer acquisition cost, and retention rate. You also need to set realistic and specific targets for each KPI, based on your historical data, market trends, and customer expectations.

2 Choose your metrics

The next step is to choose the metrics that will help you monitor and evaluate your sales KPIs. You need to select metrics that are relevant, actionable, and easy to understand. Some examples of sales metrics are leads generated, leads qualified, opportunities created, opportunities won, average deal size, sales cycle length, and win rate. You also need to decide how often you will measure and report your metrics, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

3 Create your dashboards

The third step is to create your dashboards that will display your metrics in a visual and interactive way. You need to use a dashboard software or tool that allows you to customize your design, layout, and data sources. You also need to follow some best practices for creating effective dashboards, such as using clear and consistent labels, colors, and formats, choosing the right charts and graphs for your data, and avoiding clutter and overload.

4 Share your dashboards

The fourth step is to share your dashboards with your sales teams and stakeholders. You need to make sure that your dashboards are accessible, secure, and updated. You also need to communicate the purpose, benefits, and expectations of your dashboards, and solicit feedback and suggestions for improvement. You can use different methods to share your dashboards, such as email, web, mobile, or presentation.

5 Analyze your dashboards

The fifth step is to analyze your dashboards and interpret the data and insights that they provide. You need to look for patterns, trends, anomalies, and opportunities in your metrics and KPIs. You also need to compare your actual results with your targets, and identify the gaps and root causes of your performance. You can use different techniques to analyze your dashboards, such as filtering, sorting, drilling down, or segmenting.

6 Optimize your sales strategies

The sixth and final step is to optimize your sales strategies based on your dashboard analysis. You need to use the data and insights that you gained to make informed and data-driven decisions that will improve your sales outcomes. You also need to test, measure, and refine your sales tactics and processes, and align them with your marketing goals and customer needs. You can use different tools to optimize your sales strategies, such as CRM, automation, or AI.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?