So you want to wrangle your sales data into something actually useful—maybe spot patterns, track team performance, or just make your next meeting less painful. If you’re using Topo, you can build custom dashboards that do exactly that. This guide is for sales ops folks, managers, and the people who always get asked to “just pull the numbers.”
You don’t need to be a data scientist. You do need a bit of curiosity, some time to experiment, and a willingness to ignore a few bells and whistles you probably don’t need. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goals (Skip This and You’ll Regret It)
Before you even open Topo, ask yourself: What do I actually need to see? Here’s where most dashboards go wrong—too many charts, not enough answers.
- Start with questions. What do you want this dashboard to tell you? (e.g., “Which reps are ahead on quota?” or “Where in the pipeline do deals keep dying?”)
- Pick a handful of metrics. Don’t try to track everything. Three to five key numbers is enough for most people.
- Decide on your audience. Who’s this for—just you, your whole team, your boss?
Pro tip: If you’re making a dashboard for someone else, ask them what they really want to know. You’ll save everyone a lot of pain.
Step 2: Connect Your Data (The Less Mess, the Better)
Topo can pull data from a bunch of sources—CRM, spreadsheets, maybe your billing system. Here’s what you need to know:
- Stick to what’s reliable. If your CRM data is a mess, fix that first. Dashboards are only as good as the data behind them.
- Connect your sources. In Topo, this usually means plugging in your CRM (like Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) and following the prompts. If you’re using spreadsheets, make sure they’re clean and up to date.
- Check for sync issues. Sometimes integrations break or lag behind. Always verify that what you see matches reality.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by “nice to have” integrations. If you’re not using the data, don’t bother connecting it.
Step 3: Build Your First Dashboard (Start Simple)
Let’s make something that works. In Topo, dashboards are made up of “widgets” or “tiles”—each one shows a chart, table, or stat.
1. Create a New Dashboard
- Click “Dashboards” in the sidebar, then “New Dashboard.”
- Give it a name that’s obvious. (“Q2 Sales Pipeline,” not “Dashboard 7.”)
2. Add Your First Widget
- Hit “Add Widget” or “Add Tile.”
- Pick something simple. A bar chart of “Deals Closed by Rep” is a classic starting point.
- Set your filters (e.g., time period, team, region).
3. Add a Few More (But Not Too Many)
- Limit yourself to 3–5 widgets at first. For advanced sales analytics, you might include:
- Pipeline by stage
- Win/loss rates by product
- Average deal size over time
- Activity metrics (calls, emails, demos)
- Use tables for details, charts for trends.
4. Arrange and Resize
- Drag and drop widgets so the most important stuff is at the top.
- Don’t cram; white space is your friend.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure whether a chart is useful, leave it out. You can always add more later.
Step 4: Customize Filters and Drilldowns (Make It Interactive)
Raw numbers are fine, but the real power in Topo is letting your team slice and dice the data.
- Add filters: Most widgets let you add filters for things like date range, sales rep, product line, or region.
- Global filters: Set up filters that apply to the whole dashboard—handy for switching between teams or time periods.
- Drilldowns: Some widgets let you click into the data for more detail. Set these up if you want quick answers to “what’s behind that number?”
- Save views: If you find a combo of filters that’s especially useful, save it as a preset.
Things that don’t work well: Overly complex filters tend to confuse people. If it takes more than two clicks to get what you need, it’s probably too much.
Step 5: Share and Automate (But Don’t Overdo It)
A dashboard isn’t much use if no one sees it—or if it turns into just another report people ignore.
- Share with your team: Use Topo’s sharing tools to send dashboards to individuals, groups, or execs.
- Set up email digests: You can schedule dashboards to send out daily, weekly, or monthly. Be careful—nobody wants more email unless it’s genuinely helpful.
- Embed in other tools: If you use Slack, MS Teams, or an intranet, embed dashboards where people actually work.
- Control permissions: Don’t give editing rights to everyone. Limit who can change what.
What to ignore: Don’t stress about making it “pretty” for sharing. Clear and accurate beats fancy every time.
Step 6: Iterate Based on Feedback (Actual Use > Best Laid Plans)
The first version of your dashboard won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The key is to adjust based on real-world use.
- Ask for feedback: What’s missing? What’s confusing? How often do people actually look at it?
- Watch usage: If a widget never gets viewed, it’s probably not needed.
- Update regularly: Sales goals change, products launch, teams shift—your dashboard should adapt.
Don’t: Fall into the “set it and forget it” trap. A stale dashboard is worse than none at all.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Focusing on a handful of key metrics - Letting users filter and explore instead of dumping everything in one place - Keeping things as simple as possible
Doesn’t Work: - Trying to answer every possible question in a single dashboard - Overly complex charts that require a PhD to read - Relying on data sources you don’t trust
Ignore: - Fancy visualizations you don’t understand - “Gamification” features (badges, points, etc.) unless your team actually likes them - Any metric you can’t act on
Keep It Simple. Iterate Often.
Building custom dashboards in Topo isn’t rocket science—but it’s easy to make it harder than it needs to be. Start with what matters, use data you trust, and don’t be afraid to throw out anything that isn’t helping. The best dashboards don’t just show numbers—they help you make decisions faster. Keep things simple, check in with your team, and tweak as you go. That’s how you actually get value out of your analytics.