Revenue attribution gets talked about a lot, but most teams still struggle to do it well—especially when you want to know what actually drives revenue, not just what looks good in a dashboard. This guide is for go-to-market (GTM) folks who need to wrangle their data and build custom reports in Akountify that actually tell you something useful. If you’re tired of generic reports and want to cut through the noise, keep reading.
Why Custom Reports Matter for GTM Teams
Most out-of-the-box reports are too broad, too rigid, or just not built for the way your team works. GTM teams need to answer very specific questions: - Which campaigns actually lead to closed deals? - Are SDR handoffs working, or are leads leaking out of the funnel? - What channels are driving pipeline, not just MQLs?
You won’t get those answers from a generic dashboard. Akountify has decent built-in reports, but if you want real insight, you’ll need to get your hands dirty and build something tailored.
Let’s walk through how to do it—without getting lost in the weeds.
Step 1: Know What You’re Tracking (and Why)
Before you build any report, get clear on what you actually care about. Don’t just track everything “because you can”—that’s a great way to end up with spaghetti data and no insight.
Start with questions, not metrics. Examples: - Where are we actually winning/losing revenue in the funnel? - Which GTM motion (inbound, outbound, partner, etc.) brings in real deals? - Is our attribution model even close to reality?
Pro tip: Pick 1-2 core questions to start. You can always get fancy later.
Step 2: Audit Your Data Sources in Akountify
Akountify can pull in data from CRM, marketing automation, ad platforms, and more. But messy data = garbage reports.
- Check your integrations: Make sure your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever) and your marketing tools are connected.
- Map your fields: Revenue, lead source, campaign, opportunity stage—do these fields exist, and are they populated consistently?
- Look for gaps: Are there missing values? Do you have leads with “unknown source” or opportunities with $0 value?
- Standardize now or pay later: If your team logs data differently, reports will be a mess. Set rules for naming and required fields.
What to skip: Don’t try to sync every single data point. Focus on the stuff that actually impacts revenue attribution.
Step 3: Define Your Attribution Model
Here’s where things can get heated. Everyone has an opinion on “the right” attribution model—but the best one is the one you can actually trust and explain.
- Single-touch: Simple, but usually wrong. Good for small teams or simple funnels.
- Multi-touch: More fair, but more complex. Decide if you want first-touch, last-touch, linear, or custom weighting.
- Custom: Some GTM teams use custom logic (e.g., give more credit to SDR-sourced meetings).
In Akountify, you can configure your model by mapping how credit should be split across different stages and sources. Don’t overthink it—start with linear or first/last touch and tweak as you go.
Watch out: If your source data is sketchy, no attribution model will save you. Fix your inputs first.
Step 4: Build Your Custom Report in Akountify
Now for the actual build. Akountify’s custom report builder is flexible, but it’s easy to get lost if you try to do everything at once.
4.1. Choose Your Core Metrics
Pick the revenue metrics that matter: - Closed-won revenue - Pipeline created - Number of deals (not just leads)
Add filters for: - Date range (last quarter, last 6 months, etc.) - Deal stage - GTM channel (inbound, outbound, events, etc.)
4.2. Set Your Dimensions
Dimensions are how you break down the metrics. Useful ones include: - Lead source or campaign - Account owner or team - Product line (if you sell more than one thing) - Geography
4.3. Apply Attribution Logic
This is where you tell Akountify how to distribute credit. Use the attribution model you set up earlier: - Assign credit to the right touchpoints (e.g., campaign, SDR, AE) - Exclude junk data (internal test deals, duplicates, etc.) - Set up custom fields if your funnel is unique
4.4. Preview and Adjust
- Run the report on a small slice of data first. Look for anything weird—big spikes, zeros, or “unknown” values.
- Tweak filters and field mappings until the numbers look realistic.
- Save your report with a clear, boring name (“Q2 Revenue Attribution by Channel,” not “Super Awesome New Dashboard”).
Pro tip: Don’t chase perfection. Better to have a clear, imperfect report than a fancy one nobody trusts.
Step 5: Validate and Share (Without Causing Panic)
Before you roll out the report to the whole GTM team, double-check your work: - Spot-check a few deals. Does the attribution match what actually happened? - Ask a sales or marketing lead to review. If they say “that’s not how we work,” dig into why. - Document any quirks—“Events before June aren’t tracked,” “Partner deals are flagged manually,” etc.
When sharing, keep it simple. People care about what’s changed and what actions to take, not every filter you used. Add a one-line summary at the top: “This report shows closed-won revenue attributed to each GTM channel using a linear model.”
Step 6: Ignore the Shiny Stuff (at Least at First)
Akountify has plenty of bells and whistles—AI insights, predictive scoring, fancy visualizations. Most of it is just noise until you have a solid, trusted report.
- Don’t automate distribution until you’re sure the numbers are right.
- Skip the “insights” tab unless you know what it’s actually looking at.
- Avoid building 15 variations of the same report. Get feedback on the first one, then iterate.
Remember: The goal is to drive action, not just create another dashboard graveyard.
Troubleshooting: Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
- Missing or inconsistent data: Go back to your source systems. Fix the data, not just the report.
- Too much detail: If nobody uses the report, it’s probably too complex. Cut dimensions.
- Attribution wars: Sales and marketing will argue about credit. Use the report as a starting point for discussion, not a final verdict.
- Stale reports: Set a reminder to review your report logic every quarter—or when your funnel/process changes.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a PhD in data science to build a useful revenue attribution report in Akountify. Focus on clear questions, clean data, and simple, honest reporting. Once your team trusts the numbers, you can always get fancier down the line.
The best reports are the ones people actually use—so start small, fix what’s broken, and keep iterating. The rest is just noise.