If you’re in B2B sales, you know the “default” dashboards rarely cut it. You get a sea of charts nobody asked for, or data that’s just not aligned with how your team actually sells. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone who needs to slice through the noise and build custom reports that actually help you understand and improve your team’s performance in Mantiks.
We’ll walk through building custom reports in Mantiks, what to focus on, what to skip, and how to avoid the usual data dead ends. If you want to spend less time fiddling and more time actually acting on what you see, you’re in the right place.
Step 1: Know What You Actually Need to Measure
Before clicking a single button in Mantiks, stop and ask: What are you actually trying to find out? A lot of people jump straight into building reports and end up with a Frankenstein dashboard that answers nothing.
Start here:
- What questions do you want answered? (e.g., Who are my top reps by closed deals? Where are deals getting stuck?)
- What’s the sales process really like on your team? (Ignore the “official” process if nobody follows it.)
- Who will actually use this report—and what do they need to see at a glance?
Pro tip: If you can’t write your main question on a sticky note, it’s probably too complicated.
Step 2: Get Your Data House in Order
Mantiks is only as useful as the data you put into it. Garbage in, garbage out. If your CRM is a mess, you’ll just be building “bad” reports faster.
Quick checklist:
- Are opportunities, stages, and owners updated in your CRM?
- Is your pipeline accurate—no zombie deals from last quarter?
- Are your custom fields in Mantiks up to date and mapped correctly?
Sure, you can clean this up as you go, but you’ll save headaches by checking now. Don’t trust the numbers until you trust the source.
Step 3: Building Your First Custom Report in Mantiks
Now the fun part. Mantiks is pretty flexible, but don’t let that trick you into tracking everything under the sun. Let’s make something useful.
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Navigate to Reports:
In Mantiks, head to the “Reports” tab. Don’t see it? You might need admin permissions. -
Choose ‘Custom Report’:
Skip the canned dashboards (you’ve probably seen them already). Hit “Create Custom Report.” -
Pick a Data Source:
You’ll be prompted to select where your data comes from—usually “Opportunities,” “Accounts,” or “Activities.” For sales performance, “Opportunities” is the bread and butter. -
Define Your Filters:
Here’s where things get real. Filter by: - Date range (e.g., last quarter, this month)
- Team, territory, or individual rep
- Deal stage or type
Don’t: Add every filter “just in case.” You’ll choke the report and confuse yourself later.
- Choose Metrics and Fields:
Think about what actually matters. Common picks: - Total closed revenue
- Win rates by rep or stage
- Average deal size
- Sales cycle length
Ignore: Vanity metrics (e.g., number of calls if you don’t care about calls), or data points nobody will act on.
- Select Visualization:
Mantiks gives you a buffet of charts: bar, line, funnel, table, etc. Don’t pick “coolest”—pick what’s clearest. - Use tables for details
- Use bar or column charts for comparisons
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Use funnels for stage progression
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Name and Save:
Name your report something anyone will understand (“Q2 Pipeline by Rep,” not “Report 17”). Save it to a shared folder if the team needs access.
Step 4: Analyze (Don’t Just Look At) Your Report
It’s easy to stare at a dashboard and nod, but if you’re not digging out actual insights, what’s the point? Here’s how to make analysis useful:
- Look for Outliers:
Who’s crushing it? Who’s struggling? Where are deals getting stuck? - Trends Over Time:
Is your win rate going up or down? Are deals taking longer to close? - Compare Apples to Apples:
Don’t compare a new hire’s pipeline to a veteran’s without context. - Ask “So What?”
For every metric, ask: “What will I do if this number changes?” If you don’t have an answer, drop it.
Common traps:
- Analysis paralysis: If you have 15 charts, you’ll never act on any.
- Confirmation bias: Are you only looking for good news? Bad news is where the action is.
Step 5: Share and Automate the Right Reports
If a report sits in Mantiks and nobody ever looks at it, does it matter? Schedule reports that actually help your team make decisions.
- Automate Delivery:
Use Mantiks’ scheduling to email reports weekly or monthly to the right people. - Tailor Views:
Not everyone needs the same data. Sales leaders want the big picture; reps want their own numbers. - Encourage Discussion:
Don’t just send data—ask for feedback. “What stands out? What should we do differently?”
Skip: Auto-sending every report you make. Most people will just ignore it. Be selective.
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Set It and Forget It
The first version of your report won’t be perfect. That’s normal. Sales processes change, priorities shift, and what mattered last quarter might be noise this quarter.
Tips:
- Review your reports every month—what’s working, what’s ignored?
- If nobody’s using a field or chart, kill it.
- Keep reports lightweight. Less is usually more.
What Works—and What Doesn’t
What works: - Focusing on a few clear metrics tied to actual sales outcomes. - Building reports with the team, not just for them. - Keeping things simple—one page, not a maze of tabs.
What doesn’t: - Tracking everything “just in case.” - Ignoring source data quality. - Making reports that only the data nerds understand.
What to ignore: - Fancy visualizations nobody asks for. - Widgets that look good in demos but don’t tell you anything. - Overly granular breakdowns (“closed-won deals by shoe size” level of detail).
Keep It Simple, Keep It Useful
Custom reporting in Mantiks isn’t about showing off, it’s about making real decisions with real numbers. Start simple. Focus on questions you actually care about. Iterate as you learn. Most teams do better with a handful of clear, useful reports than a graveyard of dashboards nobody opens.
If you’re not sure whether to add a new metric or filter, ask: “Will this help me or my team make a better decision?” If not, skip it. You’ll get more value from less noise, and you’ll actually use what you build.