So you need real insight from your B2B sales data, not another dashboard that just sits there looking pretty. If you’re using Ralph and want to slice, dice, and actually understand your sales numbers, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through creating and managing custom reports—no fluff, no jargon, just what actually works (and what doesn’t).
Why bother with custom reports in Ralph?
Let’s be honest: the “default” reports in most tools barely scratch the surface. They never match your business questions. Custom reports in Ralph let you:
- Track what matters (not what someone in marketing thinks you should track)
- Spot trends before your competitors do
- Actually answer “why did this happen?” instead of just “what happened?”
Of course, custom reporting isn’t magic. You’ll still need good data, clear goals, and a willingness to tweak things as you go. But Ralph gives you a decent toolkit—if you know how to use it.
Step 1: Get your data house in order
Before you even touch the reporting features, check your data:
- Is your sales data accurate and up to date?
- Are fields standardized? (e.g., “Company Name” spelled the same way, dates formatted correctly)
- Are key events being tracked? (e.g., lead created, deal closed, lost reasons)
Pro tip: Custom reports are only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out. If you see weird gaps or duplicate records, fix those first. Don’t waste time building reports on shaky foundations.
Step 2: Decide what you actually want to know
Custom reporting is about answering your questions, not just filling in a template. Get specific. For B2B sales, some common questions are:
- Which sales reps are closing the most deals, and how?
- Where are deals getting stuck in the pipeline?
- What’s our sales cycle length by industry or deal size?
- Which marketing sources send us leads that actually close?
- How much revenue are we forecasting vs. actually closing?
Write down your top 2-3 questions to start. Don’t try to build a monster report that covers everything—the best custom reports are focused and actionable.
Step 3: Build your first custom report in Ralph
Assuming you’ve got access to Ralph’s reporting features (not always included in the cheapest plans), here’s the hands-on process:
3.1: Find the custom reports section
- In Ralph, go to the main menu.
- Look for a section called “Reports,” “Analytics,” or something similar. (If it’s not there, you may need admin access or an upgraded plan.)
- Click “Create Custom Report” or “New Report.”
3.2: Pick your data source
Ralph usually splits data into objects like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Activities. Choose the one that matches your question.
- Sales pipeline questions? Start with Deals.
- Rep performance? Might be under Activities or Deals.
- Lead sources? Often under Contacts or Companies.
3.3: Choose fields and filters
This is where most people get overwhelmed. Take it slow:
- Pick only the fields you need. (Deal size, stage, owner, industry, etc.)
- Add filters to narrow things down. (e.g., “Closed Won” deals from the last 6 months, deals over $20K)
- Don’t overcomplicate it. You can always add more fields later.
3.4: Set up grouping and calculations
Want to see totals by month? Averages by sales rep? Use “Group by” and aggregation options.
- Group by: date, deal owner, region, etc.
- Aggregate: sum (total revenue), average (deal size), count (# of deals), etc.
If you’re not sure, start with a simple table. Fancy charts look nice, but they rarely tell you more than a well-structured table does.
3.5: Preview and tweak
- Hit “Preview” or “Run” to see what you get.
- Check for weird numbers, missing data, or columns that don’t make sense.
- Tweak fields, filters, or groupings as needed.
What to ignore: Don’t waste hours formatting colors or fiddling with chart types. Focus on the numbers—make sure they’re right, then make them look pretty later if you must.
Step 4: Save, share, and schedule your report
Once you’ve got something useful:
- Save the report with a clear, specific name (e.g., “Quarterly Win Rates by Industry”—not “Q2 Report”).
- Set permissions: Who needs to see this? Ralph usually lets you share with individuals, teams, or everyone.
- Schedule delivery if you want it emailed out regularly. But don’t spam people—send it only to those who’ll actually use it.
Honest take: Most reports aren’t read if they get auto-emailed every week. Better to send it on demand, or when someone actually asks.
Step 5: Keep reports relevant (and prune ruthlessly)
Custom reports have a way of multiplying until no one knows what’s what. Every quarter (or at least twice a year):
- Review which reports people are using.
- Delete or archive old, unused reports.
- Update filters or fields as your business changes.
If a report isn’t driving action, it’s just noise. Don’t be afraid to kill it.
Pro tips for B2B sales analytics in Ralph
- Start with simple tables, add complexity only as needed.
- Save “template” reports for common questions, so you’re not reinventing the wheel.
- Use tags or folders (if Ralph supports them) to organize reports by team or purpose.
- Export to CSV if you need to do more complex analysis in Excel or another tool. Ralph’s built-in charts are… fine, but not magical.
- Watch out for time zone issues on date fields—can cause reporting headaches.
- Document what each report is for. Even a short note helps when you come back months later.
What doesn’t work (and what to skip)
- Don’t try to build a “master report” with 20 filters and 50 columns. It’ll be slow, confusing, and no one will use it.
- Ignore vanity metrics. If a number doesn’t drive action (e.g., “number of clicks”), drop it.
- Avoid custom calculated fields unless you really need them. They’re easy to mess up and hard to debug.
- Don’t expect Ralph’s “AI” summaries or recommendations to replace your judgment. Use them if they help, but trust your gut.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, iterate fast
Custom reporting in Ralph isn’t rocket science, but it does take some trial and error. Start small, answer real business questions, and don’t be afraid to prune reports that don’t help. The goal isn’t a pretty dashboard—it’s insight you can act on. Build, review, tweak, and repeat. That’s how you turn sales data into something that actually moves the needle.
And remember: If a report isn’t helping you make a decision, it’s just background noise. Keep it simple.