If you’re serious about sales, staring at a generic dashboard isn’t going to cut it. You need to see what’s actually moving the needle—without getting lost in a sea of pointless charts. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone tired of canned reports and ready to actually use their CRM data. We’ll talk through customizing Prospeo dashboards so you can track sales performance in a way that’s actually useful, not just pretty.
Why Custom Dashboards Matter (and What to Ignore)
Most CRMs come loaded with default dashboards. Some of them are fine. Most are too generic to be useful and cluttered with “engagement” numbers that don’t mean much.
Here’s what actually matters when you’re tracking sales:
- Pipeline health: Are you building enough pipeline for future deals?
- Conversion rates: Where are deals dropping off?
- Rep performance: Who’s crushing it, and who’s stuck?
- Forecast accuracy: Are you actually hitting the numbers you told your boss?
- Activity quality: Are calls/emails moving deals forward, or just box-checking?
Ignore vanity metrics. Number of calls made? Fine, but only if calls actually turn into meetings or deals. Don’t clutter your dashboard with “likes” or “touches” if they don’t tie to revenue.
Step 1: Decide What You Actually Need to See
Before you even open Prospeo, figure out what you really want to track. Here’s a quick sanity check:
- What questions do you need to answer?
- “How much pipeline do we have for this quarter?”
- “What’s our win rate by stage?”
- “Which reps are lagging behind?”
- Who is this dashboard for?
- Managers? Reps? Executives? Pick one. Don’t try to please everyone.
- How often will you use it?
- Daily, weekly, monthly? Your setup should match your rhythm.
Pro tip: Start small. You can always add more later, but a cluttered dashboard is worse than none at all.
Step 2: Get Familiar With Prospeo’s Dashboard Builder
Prospeo’s dashboard builder is pretty straightforward, but it’s not magic. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Drag-and-drop widgets: Add charts, tables, KPIs, and text blocks.
- Data source selector: Choose which modules (deals, activities, contacts, etc.) the widget pulls from.
- Filters: Set filters for date ranges, owners, deal stages, and more.
- Visualization options: Bar, line, pie, funnel, etc.—just don’t use a pie chart unless you have to.
What works: The drag-and-drop is simple, and most sales data is easy to pull in. The filters are flexible enough for most teams.
What doesn’t: Custom formulas and advanced calculations are limited. If you want something really fancy (like weighted pipeline based on custom scoring), you might have to export to Excel or use an integration.
Step 3: Build Your Core Sales Performance Widgets
Let’s get into the weeds. Here are the widgets most teams actually find useful:
1. Pipeline by Stage
What it shows: A breakdown of all open deals by current stage.
- Why it matters: You can spot bottlenecks—like deals stuck in “Proposal Sent.”
- How to build: Select “Deals” as your data source, group by “Stage,” set filters for open deals only.
- Pro tip: Add a value metric (deal amount), not just count.
2. Win Rate Over Time
What it shows: Percentage of deals won, broken out by month or quarter.
- Why it matters: Helps you see if your team’s actually improving, or just getting lucky.
- How to build: Select “Deals,” filter for closed deals, group by close date and outcome (won/lost).
3. Rep Performance Leaderboard
What it shows: Top reps by revenue/bookings.
- Why it matters: Recognition, plus you can spot who needs help.
- How to build: Select “Deals,” group by owner, sum by deal value. Filter for closed-won deals.
4. Activity to Outcome Correlation
What it shows: Are activities (calls, emails, meetings) leading to actual sales?
- Why it matters: Activity for its own sake is just noise.
- How to build: Create two widgets—one for activity count, one for deals closed. Then compare side by side. If you want a correlation chart, you’ll probably need to export and analyze offline (yeah, this is a weak spot).
5. Forecast vs. Actuals
What it shows: How your current pipeline compares to your forecast.
- Why it matters: Are you about to miss your number? This is your early warning.
- How to build: Select “Deals,” show expected close date vs. forecasted value, and compare to actual closed-won.
Skip these unless you have a specific reason: - Pie charts showing “deal sources” (usually not actionable) - Social media engagement stats (unless you actually sell on LinkedIn) - “Tasks completed” (unless you’re coaching for process, not results)
Step 4: Layer On Filters and Segmentation
Here’s where most people go wrong—they build one huge dashboard for everyone. Instead:
- Create multiple dashboards for different roles.
- Managers get pipeline and rep stats.
- Reps get their own progress and activity feed.
- Executives get high-level numbers (and maybe a pretty chart or two).
- Use filters smartly.
- Want to see just your enterprise pipeline? Filter by deal size or segment.
- Need last quarter’s numbers? Save and re-use those filters.
Pro tip: If you’re always toggling the same filters, save them as dashboard “views” so you don’t waste time.
Step 5: Clean Up, Test, and Share
A dashboard no one looks at is just a waste. Here’s how to make sure yours actually gets used:
- Preview your dashboard on different devices.
- Salespeople check dashboards on their phones, not just laptops.
- Test your filters.
- Make sure numbers add up and nothing weird is showing up (like a deal from 2019).
- Ask for feedback.
- Show your dashboard to a few people who’ll actually use it. What confuses them? What do they ignore?
- Set up sharing and permissions.
- In Prospeo, you can share dashboards by link, or restrict access by team/role.
- Schedule regular reviews.
- Don’t just build it and forget it. Set a monthly calendar reminder to review and tweak.
Step 6: Avoid Dashboard Bloat (and Common Traps)
It’s easy to get dashboard-happy and add every metric under the sun. Here’s what to avoid:
- Too many widgets: If you need to scroll, you’ve probably gone too far.
- Vanity metrics: “Calls made” doesn’t matter if deals aren’t closing.
- Charts nobody understands: If you have to explain the chart every time, replace it.
- Stale data: If the dashboard isn’t updating automatically, people will stop trusting it.
Real talk: Most sales teams only need 5–7 core widgets. Anything more is probably just for show.
Step 7: Iterate Based on What’s Working (and What’s Not)
Your first dashboard won’t be perfect, and that’s fine. Here’s how to actually improve over time:
- Watch what gets used: Prospeo lets you see which dashboards and widgets get the most views.
- Ask for input: If people keep asking you for the same report, maybe that should be a widget.
- Ditch what isn’t useful: Don’t be precious. If a metric isn’t helping you make decisions, delete it.
- Stay focused on outcomes: The only numbers that matter are the ones that help you sell more, faster.
Keep it Simple—Iterate as You Go
Don’t try to build the “perfect” dashboard in one go. Start with what you actually need, make it dead simple, and improve it as your team grows. A good dashboard isn’t about looking impressive—it’s about making better decisions, faster. When in doubt, show less and act more. The rest is just noise.