If you’re on a sales team and tired of digging through endless spreadsheets or fiddly reports, you’re not alone. Dashboards promise clarity, but most tools make you jump through hoops to actually get something useful. This guide is for sales managers and reps who want to create custom dashboards in Gan that actually help you close deals and track what matters. We’ll skip the fluff, show you what works, and call out what’s not worth your time.
Why use custom dashboards in Gan?
Let’s be honest: out-of-the-box dashboards rarely show what your team truly cares about. Maybe you need to see this quarter’s pipeline, or track individual rep performance—or maybe you just want a clean view of who’s slacking on follow-ups.
Custom dashboards in Gan let you:
- Focus on the metrics that matter to your team
- Cut out clutter and distractions
- Spot problems before they turn into missed targets
- Give reps and managers the info they need, fast
But don’t expect magic. Dashboards are only as good as the data you put in and the questions you ask. So, before you dive into building, get clear on what you actually need to see.
Step 1: Decide What You Want to Track
Don’t just copy another team’s dashboard. Take five minutes and sketch (on paper is fine) what you really want to see. Here’s what actually works:
- Pipeline health: New leads, deals in progress, stuck deals
- Rep activity: Calls, emails, meetings, notes
- Revenue: Closed deals, forecast vs. actual
- Funnel metrics: Conversion rates, average deal size, time to close
Pro tip: If you have to explain to your team what a widget means, it’s probably too complicated.
What to ignore
- Vanity metrics (number of logins, page views, etc.)
- Widgets nobody checks after week one
- Anything that takes longer to explain than to act on
Step 2: Set Up Your Data Sources
Gan is only as useful as the data you feed it. If your CRM is a mess, your dashboard will be too.
Connect Gan to your sales data
- CRM integration: Connect Gan to Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever CRM you use. Most of the time, this is a point-and-click setup from Gan’s integrations menu.
- Manual data: If you’re stuck with spreadsheets, you can upload CSVs. Just know that manual uploads mean your dashboards won’t update automatically.
- Other sources: Some teams pull in data from marketing, customer support, or even Google Sheets. Only do this if it adds clear value—otherwise, you’re just making things messy.
Heads up: Garbage in, garbage out. Make sure your CRM fields are clean and reps are actually logging their activity.
Step 3: Create a New Dashboard
Now, let’s build. Gan’s dashboard builder isn’t rocket science, but a little planning goes a long way.
How to do it:
- Go to Dashboards: In Gan’s left sidebar, click “Dashboards.”
- Create new: Hit the “+ New Dashboard” button.
- Name your dashboard: Be clear—“Q2 Sales Pipeline” is better than “Dashboard 7.”
- Set visibility: Choose who can see this dashboard (yourself, your team, or the whole org). Don’t overshare by default—irrelevant dashboards just clutter everyone’s view.
Pro tip: Start small. You can always add more widgets later.
Step 4: Add and Customize Widgets
This is where the magic happens—or the mess, if you go overboard.
Adding widgets
- Click “Add Widget” inside your new dashboard.
- Choose a widget type: table, chart, funnel, leaderboard, etc.
- Pick your data source (e.g., Opportunities, Activities, Deals).
Customizing widgets
- Filters: Use filters to zero in on what matters—by date, deal stage, rep, etc.
- Visualization: Choose bar, line, pie, or just a simple number. Don’t get fancy unless there’s a reason.
- Sorting: Show the most important stuff up top. No one scrolls to the bottom for insights.
What works
- Simple bar charts for pipeline by stage
- Leaderboards for rep performance (but only if you use them for coaching, not shaming)
- Tables with overdue tasks or deals at risk
What to ignore
- Overly complicated graphs (3D, radial, whatever)
- Widgets that replicate info you already have elsewhere
- “Cool” visualizations that don’t drive action
Step 5: Arrange and Tweak Your Layout
Don’t just add widgets and call it a day. How you lay out your dashboard matters.
- Prioritize: Put the most important widgets top-left (where people’s eyes go first).
- Group by theme: Pipeline widgets together, activity stats together, etc.
- Keep it clean: If you have to scroll more than a screen, it’s probably too busy.
Pro tip: Ask a teammate to look at your draft dashboard. If they can’t make sense of it in 30 seconds, simplify.
Step 6: Share and Collaborate
A dashboard isn’t useful if no one sees it—or if too many people see the wrong thing.
- Share with intent: Only share with people who’ll actually use it. Avoid sending to “All Users” unless you know everyone needs it.
- Set permissions: In Gan, you can let others view, edit, or just comment. Lock down editing unless you trust everyone not to break things.
- Ask for feedback: What’s missing? What’s confusing? People are more likely to use dashboards they helped shape.
Step 7: Keep Dashboards Up to Date
Dashboards can get stale fast. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Broken widgets: Sometimes, data sources change or fields get renamed. Check for errors at least once a month.
- Zombie dashboards: If no one’s opened a dashboard in 60 days, archive or delete it.
- Changing priorities: Sales goals shift. Update your dashboards when your targets do.
Pro tip: Schedule a quick quarterly review of all team dashboards. Cull the dead weight.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
- Too many dashboards: More isn’t better. One good team dashboard beats five mediocre ones.
- Overengineered layouts: Simple wins. If you need a legend, it’s probably too complex.
- Ignoring your audience: Dashboards for VPs look different from dashboards for SDRs. Build for the user, not your ego.
- Relying on dashboards for everything: Sometimes, a quick team meeting or a spreadsheet gets the job done faster.
Advanced Tips (If You Really Want to Tinker)
If you’ve nailed the basics and want to go further:
- Custom formulas: Gan lets you build widgets with custom calculations (e.g., weighted pipeline, average deal size per rep).
- Drill-down links: Make your widgets clickable so users can jump right into the underlying data.
- Alerts: Some widgets can trigger notifications if numbers hit a threshold—handy, but don’t overdo it or you’ll train people to ignore alerts.
Wrapping Up
Custom dashboards in Gan are powerful, but only if you keep things simple and focused. Start with what your team really needs to see, build slowly, and don’t be afraid to cut what isn’t working. Dashboards should make your day easier—not give you a new headache. Keep iterating, listen to your team, and remember: less is almost always more.