If you manage a go-to-market (GTM) team and need a clear way to see who's actually moving the needle, sales scorecards can help—if you build them right. This guide is for busy sales and RevOps folks who want to set up Ambition ([ambition.html]) scorecards that actually track what matters, without drowning the team in admin work. I'll walk you through setting up, automating, and (just as important) not overcomplicating your approach.
Let’s get into it.
Why Sales Scorecards Matter—But Aren’t Magic
A good scorecard makes it obvious who’s doing the right things—not just who’s luckiest this quarter. Used right, scorecards:
- Show reps and managers what “good” looks like (in numbers, not slogans)
- Give you an early warning when activity or results are slipping
- Cut through the noise of CRM dashboards most people ignore
But here’s the truth: scorecards only help if they track the right stuff, and don’t turn into a spreadsheet nightmare. If you ask reps to log every coffee chat, you’ll get garbage data and annoyed people. Less is more.
Step 1: Decide What Actually Matters
Before you even log into Ambition, sketch out what you want to measure. This is the part most people skip—and regret later.
Questions to ask:
- What activities actually drive results for your team? (E.g., cold calls, meetings booked, demos run, proposals sent)
- Do you want to track activity (inputs), results (outputs), or both?
- What doesn’t matter? (Be ruthless. If it’s not actionable, skip it.)
Pro tip: Limit yourself to 3-5 metrics per scorecard. If everything’s important, nothing is.
Step 2: Map Your Metrics to Data Sources
Ambition pulls in data from your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), spreadsheets, and sometimes other tools. Getting this right saves countless headaches.
- For each metric, ask: Where does this data live? (And is it reliable?)
- If your CRM data’s a mess, fix the basics first. No software can save you from bad inputs.
- Decide which objects/fields in your CRM are the “source of truth” for each metric.
Common gotcha: Don’t try to track things you can’t automate. If reps have to enter extra data just for your scorecard, it won’t last.
Step 3: Set Up Metrics in Ambition
Now, hop over to Ambition and set up your building blocks.
To create a metric:
- Go to Admin > Metrics.
- Create a new metric. Choose your data source and field (e.g., “Calls completed” from Salesforce Tasks).
- Define filters. Want only calls to new prospects? Add filters so you’re not counting everything.
- Test it. Pull a report—do the numbers match what you see in your CRM?
Tips: - Name metrics clearly (“Meetings Booked - Outbound SDRs” beats “Activity 1”). - Test with a small group before rolling out to everyone.
Step 4: Build Your Scorecard
Scorecards in Ambition are just collections of metrics with targets and weights. Don’t get bogged down with fancy math—simple wins.
To create a scorecard:
- Go to Admin > Scorecards.
- Create a new scorecard. Name it clearly (e.g., “SDR Activity Scorecard”).
- Add your metrics. Pick from the ones you set up earlier.
- Set weights and targets. Example:
- 50% Calls Made (target: 50/day)
- 30% Meetings Booked (target: 5/week)
- 20% Opportunities Created (target: 3/week)
- Set timeframes. Daily, weekly, or monthly—depends on your sales cycle.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink the math. The main goal is clarity, not statistical perfection.
Step 5: Assign Scorecards to Teams or Roles
Ambition lets you assign scorecards by role, team, or even individual. Don’t just slap the same scorecard on everyone—your AEs and SDRs probably need different metrics.
- Assign SDR scorecards to SDRs, AE scorecards to AEs, etc.
- If you’ve got split territories or specialties, consider tailored scorecards.
- Start simple. You can always add nuance later.
Step 6: Automate Data Syncs and Notifications
Here’s where Ambition shines if you set it up right:
Automate data feeds:
- CRM integrations: Make sure your Salesforce/HubSpot sync is running without errors.
- Schedules: Set data to sync multiple times per day so scorecards are up-to-date.
- Spot-check: At first, compare Ambition’s numbers to your CRM to make sure nothing’s off.
Automate reminders and alerts:
- Use Ambition’s notifications to nudge reps if they’re off-track (but don’t overdo it—alert fatigue is real).
- Set up weekly summaries for managers. Short, specific, no fluff.
What not to automate: Don’t send daily “shame” emails to the whole team. Nobody likes them, and they don’t help.
Step 7: Launch and Train—But Keep It Simple
Rolling out a scorecard is half communication, half tech.
- Tell the team why you picked these metrics (and what you’re not measuring).
- Show them where to see their scorecard, how it updates, and who sees what.
- Run a Q&A session—expect some skepticism, and be honest about what’s still being tweaked.
- Make it clear that you’ll adjust the scorecard based on feedback and results.
Pro tip: Don’t promise “no more manual work” unless you’re 100% sure. Underpromise, overdeliver.
Step 8: Iterate—Don’t “Set and Forget”
No scorecard is perfect on day one. Expect to adjust:
- If people are gaming the numbers, tweak the metrics or weights.
- If a metric isn’t moving the needle, drop it.
- Review scorecard performance monthly. Is it helping you coach better, or just adding noise?
What to ignore: Requests to add every possible metric. Keep it focused on what actually drives results.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
- Works: Simple, clear scorecards with automated data and a few high-impact metrics.
- Doesn’t: Micromanaging, overloading reps with too many metrics, or tracking things just because you can.
- Skip: Manual entry fields, “vanity” metrics (number of emails sent, unless it truly matters), and anything you wouldn’t use to coach someone.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Flexible
The best Ambition scorecards are the ones people actually use—and that means keeping them lean and tied to reality. Don’t fall for dashboards with a hundred widgets or try to automate every edge case. Start simple, make sure the numbers are right, and get feedback from your team. You can always add complexity later, but you’ll rarely wish you started with more.
Got your basics running? Great. Now, get back to helping your team sell—scorecards are just there to make that easier.