So you’re part of a go-to-market team, and you’re tired of staring at generic dashboards that don’t actually help you hit your targets. You want to see the stuff that matters—real-time, in one place, without bugging your ops team or fighting through another “intuitive” BI tool. This guide is for you.
We’ll walk through the nuts and bolts of building a custom dashboard in Propensity that gets out of your way and just works. No BS, no shiny features you’ll never use—just what you need to get your job done.
Why bother with custom dashboards?
Let’s be honest: Most out-of-the-box dashboards are built for “stakeholders,” not for people actually working the deals. Here’s why rolling your own dashboard in Propensity is worth the time:
- You see what you need. Skip the vanity metrics. Focus on pipeline, conversion, velocity—whatever actually moves the needle.
- Fewer spreadsheets, fewer meetings. No more chasing down reports or duplicating data entry.
- Answers on demand. You don’t have to wait for Ops or BI to “prioritize your request.”
If your dashboard isn’t making you faster or smarter, it’s not working. So let’s fix that.
Step 1: Get clear on what you actually want to see
Don’t start building yet. First, grab a sticky note or open a blank doc. Ask yourself:
- What questions do I answer every week (or every day)?
- What gets me in trouble if I miss it?
- What do I spend too much time hunting for?
Jot down the 3–5 metrics or views you really care about. For go-to-market teams, common ones are:
- Pipeline by stage, owner, or deal size
- Lead conversion rates
- Sales velocity (how fast deals move)
- Campaign performance (if you’re in marketing)
- Churn or upsell tracking (for customer success)
Pro tip: Ignore anything you “might” need. You can always add more later. Start lean, or your dashboard will turn into a junk drawer.
Step 2: Get familiar with Propensity’s dashboard builder
Before you dive in, poke around the dashboard builder in Propensity for a few minutes. Here’s what actually matters:
- Data sources: Can you pull in the data you want? (CRM, spreadsheets, Propensity’s own attribution, etc.)
- Visualization types: Stick to bar charts, tables, and line graphs—don’t get distracted by donut charts.
- Filters: Can you filter by time period, team, region, or owner?
- Sharing and permissions: Who’ll see this dashboard? Can you keep some views private?
What to ignore: Fancy animations and “AI insights.” If you don’t trust the data, no amount of sparkle will help.
Step 3: Connect your data (without making a mess)
Propensity tries to make this painless, but here’s what to watch for:
- Pick your main data source. Usually this is your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.). Connect it following Propensity’s prompts.
- Check field mappings. Make sure fields like “Owner,” “Stage,” and “Amount” actually match your CRM—otherwise you’ll get junk results.
- Bring in secondary sources only if you must. If you need marketing campaign data or CS data, connect those as a second step. Don’t try to boil the ocean on day one.
Heads-up: Sometimes integrations get weird—fields don’t sync, or data lags by a few hours. If something looks off, check the sync history before you panic.
Step 4: Start building—one widget at a time
Here’s how to avoid dashboard bloat:
- Create a blank dashboard.
- Add your must-have widget first. For most, this means pipeline by stage or “deals closing this month.”
- Pick the simplest chart that works. Tables are underrated—sometimes you just need a list.
- Add filters so you can slice by rep, date, or product. Don’t go crazy with filters or you’ll confuse yourself later.
- Write clear labels. “Q3 Pipeline by Stage” is better than “Chart 1.”
Repeat this for your 3–5 must-haves. Don’t add more until you’ve used the dashboard for a week and wish you had something else.
Pro tip: Drag things around so the most important widget is always top left. That’s what you’ll see first on Monday morning.
Step 5: Make it useful for the team (not just you)
Before you share it, sanity-check your dashboard:
- Are the numbers obvious at a glance? If not, simplify.
- Would someone new know what each widget means? Add a one-line note if you must.
- Are you showing sensitive info (like quota attainment) to the whole team? Double-check permissions.
If you want feedback, send it to one or two teammates first. Give them edit access if you trust them not to break it.
What not to do: Don’t send your dashboard to the whole exec team on day one. Get it right, then share broadly.
Step 6: Set up alerts and schedules (only if you need them)
Propensity lets you set up alerts (“Alert me if pipeline drops below $X”) and scheduled reports (“Email this dashboard every Monday”). These are nice, but don’t set them up just because you can.
Use alerts if:
- You’re tracking a live KPI that shouldn’t drop (like pipeline coverage)
- You want to be notified, not just check periodically
Use scheduled reports if:
- Your manager wants a regular update
- You want to review the dashboard with your team in a standing meeting
Otherwise? Don’t clutter your inbox.
Step 7: Iterate and prune (seriously)
The best dashboards change over time. After a few weeks, ask:
- Which widgets do I never look at?
- What’s missing that I check elsewhere?
- Are definitions clear, or are people confused?
Delete anything you never use. Don’t be sentimental—clutter kills dashboards. If a metric matters, it’ll earn its spot.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip
What works: - Keeping it simple. More widgets = more confusion. - Using filters to answer new questions on the fly. - Sharing dashboards with the right people—not everyone.
What doesn’t: - Trying to please everyone with one dashboard. - Loading up on charts to make it look “important.” - Relying on “AI insights” instead of your own judgment.
What to skip: - Fluffy metrics no one acts on (“Engagement Score” if you don’t use it). - Widgets you added “just in case.” - Overly complex charts. If you can’t explain it in a sentence, it’s too much.
Wrap-up: Keep it simple, tweak as you go
Dashboards aren’t set-it-and-forget-it. Start lean, use your Propensity dashboard in real life, and add or cut as your team’s needs change. Most importantly—don’t let perfect be the enemy of useful. If it helps you make decisions faster, you’re on the right track.
Now, get back to selling (or marketing, or onboarding) and let your dashboard do the heavy lifting.