Sales teams live and die by their numbers, but most default CRM reports are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. If you’re stuck with dashboards that don’t tell you what’s really working—or worse, ones no one even looks at—this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through how to actually make Frontspin reports useful for your real sales workflow, not some generic pipeline fantasy.
Let’s get into how you can ditch the noise, focus on what matters, and build reporting that helps your team sell more (and makes your job easier).
1. Know What You Actually Need to Track
Before you even open Frontspin, get brutally honest about what matters in your sales process. Too many teams track vanity metrics or “because it’s there” stats.
Ask yourself (and your team): - What are the 2-3 core activities that drive deals forward? (e.g., calls, meetings set, demos held) - What’s the single conversion point that matters most? (e.g., calls to meetings, meetings to closed deals) - Are there steps where deals get stuck, and do you have data to spot it?
Pro Tip:
Don’t track everything just because you can. More data isn’t better if it’s irrelevant or ignored.
2. Audit What Frontspin Tracks by Default
Frontspin comes with some out-of-the-box reports—but default doesn’t mean useful. Log in and look at: - Activity reports (calls, emails, tasks) - Pipeline or opportunity reports - User/team performance dashboards
Reality check:
Most default reports are too broad. They’ll show you overall calls made, but not whether those calls were to the right people, or if they moved the needle.
What to ignore:
If a report isn’t tied to a real decision (e.g., “should we double down here or change direction?”), it’s just noise. Don’t feel bad about hiding or skipping it.
3. Map Your Sales Workflow to Frontspin Fields
Your workflow probably has some quirks (everyone’s does). To get useful reports, you need Frontspin to reflect how you actually sell.
Steps: - List your key sales stages (e.g., New Lead → Discovery Call → Demo → Proposal → Closed). - Check if Frontspin’s pipeline stages and fields match your real process. If not, customize them. - Make sure reps are using fields the same way (e.g., “Qualified” means the same thing to everyone).
Don’t skip:
If your team is inconsistent with data entry, your reports will be garbage. Agree on definitions now.
4. Customize Report Templates for What Matters
Frontspin lets you build custom reports, but the menus aren’t always intuitive. Here’s how to get what you want:
- Go to Reports/Analytics in the main menu.
- Click “Create Report” or “Customize” on an existing report.
- Pick your main metric (e.g., calls, meetings booked, deals closed).
- Use filters to zero in—by user, date range, deal type, or custom field.
- Choose your display: table, chart, or summary.
Useful custom reports: - Calls-to-meetings conversion, by rep - Deals in each stage, with average time per stage - “Stuck” deals (in the same stage > X days) - No-contact leads (leads added but never called or emailed)
What not to bother with:
Pie charts of lead sources nobody cares about, or reports that just show “activity” with no tie to results.
5. Set Up Automated Report Delivery (But Don’t Spam People)
It sounds nice to have daily or weekly reports sent to your inbox. In reality, most people ignore them after the first week. Use this sparingly.
Best practice: - Set up one or two key reports to go out weekly (not daily). - Send only to people who will actually use them. - Include a short note or context so it doesn’t become background noise.
Skip:
Auto-sending every stat under the sun. If a report isn’t being opened, turn it off.
6. Iterate: Check If Your Reports Are Actually Useful
After a couple weeks, ask your team: - Did anyone check the reports? - Did it help them do something differently? - Is there something missing or confusing?
If reports aren’t helping, don’t be afraid to scrap them and try again. Reporting isn’t “set it and forget it”—it’s about helping your team get better.
Red flags: - Nobody can remember the last time they looked at a report. - You keep getting questions like “Where do I find X?” or “What does Y mean?” - Data looks off because people aren’t updating fields.
7. Troubleshooting: Common Pitfalls and How to Fix Them
You’ll run into a few classic headaches. Here’s how to handle them:
Problem: Reps aren’t updating Frontspin, so reports are wrong. - Fix: Keep fields simple. Make updating unavoidable in the workflow.
Problem: Too many custom fields, nobody knows what matters. - Fix: Pare down. Stick to fields tied to actionable steps or real outcomes.
Problem: Reports are slow or buggy. - Fix: Limit date ranges, filter for active deals only, or check with Frontspin support—sometimes it’s not you, it’s them.
Problem: Managers want “everything,” but don’t use it. - Fix: Push back. Focus on what’s actually reviewed and acted on.
8. Pro Tips for Getting More Out of Frontspin Reporting
- Use tags or custom fields to track experiments, like new messaging or verticals. Report on these to see what works—don’t just guess.
- Benchmark over time—compare this month to last, not just “all-time totals.”
- Keep it visual—charts are easier to scan than tables, but don’t get fancy if nobody cares.
- Document what each report is for—add a note or a one-liner in the report description.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Worship the Dashboard
Here’s the honest truth: No sales tool (including Frontspin) will magically fix your workflow. The best reports get looked at, talked about, and used to make decisions. Start simple, ask your team what’s actually useful, and don’t be afraid to change things up if the data isn’t helping.
You’ll know you’ve got it right when your team actually checks the numbers—and uses them to sell smarter, not just fill in boxes. Good luck, and remember: simple beats fancy, every time.