If you’re a sales leader, you know the pain: reports everywhere, dashboards that look fancy but tell you nothing, and data that somehow says everything and nothing. This guide is for people who actually need to see what’s going on, spot problems, and make decisions—without getting lost in a maze of charts.
We’ll walk through how to build customized reporting dashboards in Referin that cut through the noise. No fluff, no “transformative insights” you can’t act on. Just practical steps and honest advice.
Why Custom Dashboards Matter (and What to Ignore)
Let’s face it: most out-of-the-box dashboards are stuffed with metrics that look impressive but don’t move the needle. If you’re in sales leadership, you care about a handful of things:
- What’s in the pipeline?
- Who’s closing, and who’s struggling?
- Are we on track to hit our targets?
Custom dashboards let you focus on what actually matters to your team, your style, and your business. But don’t get sucked into tracking everything for the sake of it. More often than not, less is more.
Pro tip: If a metric doesn’t change your actions, it doesn’t belong on your dashboard.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Need to Track
Before you even log in, grab a notebook or open a doc. Ask yourself:
- What do I actually need to see every week?
- What do my team and boss ask about most?
- What’s a pain to pull together manually?
Typical must-haves for sales leaders:
- Pipeline status: New deals, deals by stage, close dates slipping.
- Rep performance: Who’s ahead, who’s behind, conversion rates.
- Forecast vs. actuals: Are you likely to hit quota?
- Activity metrics: Calls, emails, demos—if you care about leading indicators.
- Stuck deals: Deals sitting too long in one stage.
Skip: Vanity metrics (impressions, generic “engagement”), anything that takes more time to explain than to act on.
Step 2: Map Out Your Dashboard Structure
You don’t need a dashboard that looks like a cockpit. Start with one or two pages:
- Overview: Big-picture KPIs, forecast, pipeline health.
- Rep or Team Detail: Drill-down on individual/team performance.
If your org is complex, consider dashboards for specific segments (by territory, product line, etc.), but don’t start there. You can always add more later.
Pro tip: Sketch your dashboard on paper first. It’ll save you time fighting the UI later.
Step 3: Set Up Data Sources in Referin
Referin has a decent connector system, but it’s only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Connect your CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use. Make sure you’re pulling live data, not stale exports.
- Check data quality: Are close dates accurate? Are reps updating deal stages? If not, your dashboard will lie to you.
- Add other sources: If you want to track marketing leads or customer success handoffs, connect those tools. But don’t get too fancy at first.
Heads up: If your CRM fields are a mess, fix that before you build dashboards. Otherwise, you’ll be chasing errors forever.
Step 4: Build Your Core Dashboards
Now, finally, you’re ready to build.
4.1 Create a New Dashboard
- In Referin, hit “New Dashboard.”
- Give it a clear, boring name (e.g., “Sales Overview Q2 2024”).
- Set permissions—don’t let just anyone edit.
4.2 Add Key Widgets
Start with a handful of widgets that answer your main questions. Here are a few types that actually help:
- Pipeline Funnel: Visualize deals by stage. Look for bottlenecks, not just pretty colors.
- Forecast Gauge: Show current forecast vs. target. Simple, direct.
- Rep Leaderboard: Stack reps by closed deals or pipeline value.
- Deal Aging Table: List deals stuck in a stage for too long.
Avoid the temptation to add every widget at once. Too much info = decision paralysis.
4.3 Use Filters (But Don’t Go Wild)
Set up filters for time periods (this month, quarter), rep/team, or product line. But don’t overcomplicate it—if your dashboard needs a training manual, you’ve missed the point.
Pro tip: Set a default view that gives you what you need at a glance.
Step 5: Customize Visuals (Keep It Simple)
Referin offers a range of charts and visuals. Honestly, most of them are overkill.
- Stick to bar charts, tables, and line graphs. They’re familiar and easy to read.
- Use color sparingly. Red for warnings, green for on track—skip the rainbow.
- Avoid pie charts for anything important. They look nice but are tough to interpret.
If a widget looks busy, it probably is. Rework it until it’s boringly clear.
Step 6: Share and Automate
No one wants to dig for reports. Make your dashboard easy to find and update.
- Share links: Use Referin’s sharing features. Set appropriate access controls—view vs. edit.
- Schedule emails/slack alerts: Referin can send dashboards on a schedule. Don’t spam people, but a Monday morning summary can work wonders.
- Mobile access: Check that your key dashboards look good on your phone, not just your big desktop monitor.
Pro tip: Set up a recurring calendar reminder to review dashboards with your team. Don’t let them become background noise.
Step 7: Iterate—Don’t Overthink It
Your first dashboard won’t be perfect. That’s fine. Use it for a week or two, then ask:
- What do I ignore every time I look?
- What’s missing that you always have to dig up elsewhere?
- Did anything surprise you, or did the dashboard just confirm what you already knew?
Trim the fat, add what’s useful, and keep evolving. Don’t fall in love with a layout—fall in love with getting answers fast.
What Works, What Doesn’t
What works:
- Fewer, clearer metrics.
- Simple visuals.
- Dashboards that answer the same questions you’d ask in your 1:1s or forecast meetings.
- Data you trust.
What doesn’t:
- Tracking everything “just in case.”
- Eye-candy charts nobody understands.
- Dashboards no one looks at except for quarterly reviews.
- Metrics that don’t drive action.
Ignore:
- Widget galleries full of nonsense.
- “Gamification” features that turn real performance tracking into a competition for likes.
- Any integration that takes longer to set up than it’ll save you in a year.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Useful, Not Impressive
The best sales dashboards aren’t the flashiest—they’re the ones you check every morning and actually use to make decisions. In Referin, resist the urge to build for every possible scenario. Start small, keep it honest, and tweak it as you go.
Most importantly: if your dashboard isn’t helping your team focus and win, strip it down until it does. Simple beats fancy, every time.