If you’re stuck cobbling together sales updates in Excel or drowning in dashboards that don’t tell you anything useful, you’re not alone. Sales reporting should be clear, actionable, and—ideally—take less time than making your morning coffee. If you’re using Membrain, you’ve got a flexible toolkit for building custom reports, but only if you know where to look and what to ignore.
This guide is for sales managers, team leads, and anyone who wants to get actual answers out of Membrain—without wasting hours building “impressive” charts nobody reads.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need To Report
Before you even open Membrain’s reports tab, figure out what questions you want your report to answer. Don’t make reports just because you can.
Ask yourself: - What do I wish I could see about our sales right now? - What am I (or my boss) really trying to understand or improve? - Who’s going to read this, and what do they care about?
Common use cases: - Tracking team pipeline progress - Spotting which deals are stuck - Comparing sales activity between reps - Seeing win rates by product or industry
Pro tip: Skip vanity metrics. If nobody acts on it, don’t bother reporting it.
Step 2: Find Your Way Around Membrain’s Reporting Tools
Membrain gives you a few ways to see your data:
- Dashboards: High-level visuals. Good for glancing, not for digging deep.
- Built-in Reports: Pre-made, cover basic metrics. Fast, but not always customizable.
- Custom Reports: Where the magic—and the time sink—happens.
For anything beyond the basics, you’ll spend most of your time in the Custom Reports tool. That’s where you can pick exactly which fields, filters, and groupings you want.
Don’t waste time: Ignore dashboards you don’t use. Focus on reports you’ll actually update.
Step 3: Build Your First Custom Report
Here’s how to create a custom sales report in Membrain from scratch:
1. Go to the Reports Section
- Log in to Membrain.
- Navigate to “Reports” in the left sidebar.
- Click on “Custom Reports.”
2. Pick the Right Data Source
You’ll have to choose what kind of data you want: - Opportunities (Deals): For pipeline, win/loss, forecasts - Activities: For tracking calls, meetings, emails - Accounts/Contacts: For customer segmentation
Pick the one that matches your main question.
3. Add and Arrange Columns
- Click “Add Column” or “Fields.”
- Choose only what matters. Example: Opportunity Name, Stage, Value, Close Date, Owner.
- Rearrange columns by dragging. Keep it simple.
4. Filter Your Data
Use filters to avoid a giant, useless list: - Date ranges (e.g., deals closing this quarter) - Deal stage (e.g., only deals in “Proposal Sent”) - Owner or team (if you want to compare reps)
Don’t over-filter: If you add too many filters, you’ll miss the bigger picture.
5. Group and Summarize
- Group by fields like Owner, Stage, Product, or Source.
- Add summaries: sum up deal values, count deals, average sales cycle.
Grouping is where you find patterns. Example: “Show me average deal value by rep.”
6. Visualize (If You Must)
Membrain offers basic charts: bar, pie, line. Use them if they clarify, not just decorate. Sometimes a table is clearer than a busy chart.
7. Save and Name Your Report
- Hit “Save.”
- Give it a clear, boring name: “Open Pipeline by Rep Q2” beats “Sales Rocket Dashboard 2024.”
8. Share or Schedule
- Share with your team if they need access.
- Schedule email exports if you want the report delivered regularly.
Pro tip: Don’t schedule reports nobody reads. Quarterly is usually enough for most teams.
Step 4: Analyze—Don’t Just Admire—Your Report
A custom report is only as good as the action it drives. Here’s how to actually use what you’ve built:
1. Look for Outliers, Not Averages
- Which rep is closing way more (or fewer) deals?
- Are there deals stuck in the same stage for weeks?
- Is one product line dragging down your win rate?
2. Ask “So What?”
Every number should make you want to dig deeper or change something. If you can’t explain why a metric matters, drop it.
3. Drill Down
Most reports let you click into a row or number to see details. Use this to spot: - Which deals are at risk? - Which activities actually move deals forward?
4. Compare Over Time
Membrain lets you run the same report for different periods. Look for: - Is our pipeline growing, or just recycling old deals? - Are we improving conversion rates, or just staying busy?
5. Watch for Data Quality Issues
Garbage in, garbage out. If your report looks weird, check: - Are fields (like “Expected Close Date”) actually filled in by reps? - Are duplicate deals or contacts skewing your numbers?
Pro tip: Build a “data hygiene” report to spot missing or bad data.
Step 5: Iterate and Improve (Don’t Overcomplicate)
Nobody gets their report perfect on the first try. Here’s how to keep it useful:
- Ask the team: “Is this helping? What’s missing?”
- Cut anything you don’t use—less is more.
- Update filters and columns as your process changes.
- Don’t be afraid to scrap a report that’s not working.
What to ignore: - “Advanced” chart types that look cool but confuse everyone. - Reports with so many columns you have to scroll sideways. - Metrics nobody can explain at your next sales meeting.
Troubleshooting: When Reports Don’t Match Reality
Sometimes your shiny new report spits out numbers that don’t make sense. Here’s what to check:
- Are filters set up correctly? A missing filter can swamp you with junk data.
- Is your sales process mapped right in Membrain? If stages or fields are misaligned, your report will be off.
- Is the data up to date? If reps aren’t updating their deals, your report is old news.
- Are you measuring the right thing? Don’t try to force a custom report to answer a question it can’t.
If you keep hitting dead ends, go back to your original question. Sometimes you’re better off with two simple reports than one monster report.
Real Talk: What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works Well
- Keeping reports focused on one or two questions
- Simple groupings (by rep, stage, or product)
- Scheduling reports for key meetings (not every day)
- Using filters to cut out noise
What Usually Fails
- Overly complex charts nobody can interpret
- Reports that try to track everything at once
- Ignoring data quality—fix the inputs first
- Sending reports nobody reads
Ignore the Hype
- “AI-powered insights” or “predictive” features are only as smart as your data. Focus on clean, accurate info first.
- Don’t get distracted by integrations unless they genuinely solve a pain point.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Review Often
Sales reports in Membrain are powerful, but only if you treat them as living tools—not museum pieces. Start with a clear question, build a simple report, and review it with your team. If it’s not helping you take action, change it or cut it. Less dashboard, more doing.
And remember: No report can replace conversations with your sales team. Use reports to start better discussions, not avoid them. Simple, clear, and actionable beats flashy every time.