If you’re in sales ops, a revenue leader, or just someone tired of wrestling with spreadsheets, custom dashboards are a lifesaver. But most tools make it harder than it should be—either they’re too basic, or so complex you need a PhD just to get a chart up. This guide is for anyone who wants to build and actually use sales dashboards in Ctd without losing a week (or their mind).
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you touch any software, figure out: - What sales questions are you really trying to answer? (e.g., “Where are deals stalling?” “Who’s crushing quota?”) - Who’s this dashboard for? Execs, reps, managers—all need different views. - What’s the minimum data you need? More isn’t always better.
Pro tip: The best dashboards answer one or two questions really well. If you try to make a dashboard that does everything, it’ll do nothing.
What to skip: Don’t start by copying a dashboard template. Most canned templates are full of vanity metrics you’ll ignore after a week.
Step 2: Prep Your Sales Data (Seriously, Don’t Skip)
Ctd can only show you what you feed it. If your CRM or spreadsheets are a mess, your dashboard will be too. Here’s what to check:
- Are fields standardized? “Closed Won” should mean the same thing everywhere.
- Is your pipeline data up to date? Outdated or missing stages will throw off your numbers.
- Duplicates: Clean them up—or you’ll double-count deals.
Pro tip: Run a quick export from your CRM and spot-check for weirdness. If “Deal Size” is sometimes $1 and sometimes “One Dollar,” fix it now.
What doesn’t matter: Don’t worry about making your data “perfect.” Just make it usable. You can always iterate.
Step 3: Connect Ctd to Your Data Sources
Here’s where you actually get Ctd talking to your sales data.
Options:
- Direct CRM integration: If you use a mainstream CRM, Ctd likely has a connector. Use it. Manual CSV uploads get old fast.
- Custom API feeds: If your setup is weird or you need live data, Ctd supports API connections. But only go this route if you have dev help.
- CSV/Excel upload: Works for small teams or one-off dashboards, but it’s a pain to keep updated.
How to connect: 1. Go to Ctd’s “Data Sources” section. 2. Pick your source (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, CSV). 3. Authenticate and map the fields—pay attention here. If “Deal Owner” in Ctd doesn’t map to “Sales Rep” in your CRM, your charts will be wrong. 4. Test the connection. Pull in a small batch first to catch issues early.
Heads up: If you’re not sure about permissions, check with your CRM admin. You don’t want to give Ctd the keys to your entire account by accident.
Step 4: Design Your Dashboard (Keep It Simple)
This is where most people get distracted by shiny chart types. Focus on clarity, not “wow” factor.
Choose your visualizations: - Bar/column charts: Best for comparing reps, regions, or products. - Line charts: Good for tracking trends, like pipeline growth. - Tables: Sometimes boring is best—let people sort and filter. - Funnels: Show stage-by-stage conversion, but only if your pipeline data is clean.
Tips: - Limit yourself to 5-7 widgets per dashboard. More than that, and nobody will use it. - Put the most important chart at the top-left. It’s where eyes go first. - Skip pie charts. They’re almost always more confusing than helpful.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time on “gauge” or “donut” charts unless you have a single, binary metric (like “quota attainment”). Otherwise, it’s just eye candy.
Step 5: Build Your Dashboard in Ctd
Here’s the nitty-gritty:
- Create a new dashboard: In Ctd, hit “New Dashboard.” Title it something specific like “West Coast Pipeline Health”—not “Q2 Sales.”
- Add widgets: For each chart or table, pick your data source, select fields, and choose the visualization type.
- Set filters: Let users filter by date range, sales rep, or region. But don’t go overboard—too many filters confuse people.
- Arrange layout: Drag and drop widgets until it feels clean. Bigger widgets for key metrics; smaller ones for details.
- Preview with real data: Always check with live numbers before sharing. Dummy data hides problems.
Pro tip: Add a description or note to each widget—just a sentence about what it shows. Saves you from answering the same questions every week.
Step 6: Test and Get Feedback
Don’t just ship it and hope for the best. Even if you think it’s perfect, someone else will see it differently.
- Share with a small group first. Sales managers and reps will spot what’s missing (or confusing).
- Ask:
- Is anything unclear?
- Are there metrics you never look at?
- What’s missing for your day-to-day?
- Iterate: Remove what’s not useful. Add what’s genuinely needed. Don’t be precious about your layout.
What doesn’t work: Group feedback sessions with 10 people. You’ll get vague, conflicting advice. One-on-ones work better.
Step 7: Deploy and Share the Dashboard
- Permissions: In Ctd, set who can view or edit the dashboard. Be ruthless—more people with edit access means more chances for someone to break it.
- Schedule reports: If Ctd lets you email dashboards or set up auto-refresh, use it. But don’t spam people daily—weekly or monthly is usually plenty.
- Add to team bookmarks or pin in Slack/Teams. If people can’t find it, they won’t use it.
Pro tip: Track usage for the first month. If nobody’s looking at it, ask why. Maybe it’s not answering the right questions—or it’s just too much.
Step 8: Maintain and Improve
Dashboards aren’t “set and forget.” Sales processes and quotas change—so should your dashboards.
- Schedule a quarterly review: Kill off stale widgets, update targets, and check if the data is still clean.
- Watch for “dashboard creep”: Resist the urge to add every new request. Keep it focused.
- Document changes: Even a simple changelog helps when someone asks, “Why did the win rate drop last week?”
What to ignore: Fancy features like “AI insights” or auto-generated recommendations. Nine times out of ten, they’re just restating what you already know. Focus on what’s actionable.
Building useful sales dashboards in Ctd isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Start small, focus on real questions, and get actual feedback from the people using them. You can always add more later—but a dashboard nobody understands or uses is just a fancier spreadsheet. Keep it simple, keep it honest, and iterate as you go.