If you’re tired of slogging through marketing dashboards that never actually help you make better decisions, you’re in the right place. This guide is for folks who need to build go-to-market reports that aren’t just “pretty” but actually drive action—whether you’re running growth at a startup, wrangling sales ops, or just trying to keep everyone in sync. We’ll use Matchkraft, which does a decent job of pulling together data that usually lives in 17 different tabs.
Here’s how to get real value out of your GTM reporting, without wasting time on fluff.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “Actionable” Actually Means
Before you open Matchkraft or any other tool, stop and ask: What answers do you really need? Too many teams build reports that look slick but answer nothing.
Skip the “vanity metrics.” Focus on questions like: - Where are we actually getting leads that convert? - Which campaigns are wasting budget? - Are sales cycles getting shorter or longer? - Which segments are moving fastest through the funnel?
If you can’t act on it, don’t report on it. Write down the 2–3 key decisions you want your report to drive before you touch a single widget.
Pro tip: If the data won’t change what you do this month, it probably doesn’t belong in your report.
Step 2: Connect the Right Data Sources
Matchkraft can connect with most major CRM, marketing, and ad platforms. But just because it can, doesn’t mean you should dump everything in. More data isn’t better—relevant data is.
Connect only what matters: - CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) for pipeline and deal data - Marketing automation (Marketo, Mailchimp) for campaign performance - Ad platforms (Google, LinkedIn) for spend and lead sources
What not to bother with (usually): - Social media “engagement” stats—unless you can link them to revenue - Website “hits” or “sessions” with no context - Data you know is messy or out of date (garbage in, garbage out)
Set up your integrations: - In Matchkraft, use the Integrations panel to connect each system. - Test sample data before pulling in everything. - Mark any data source you don’t trust as “exclude from report” to avoid clutter.
Heads up: If your CRM data is a mess, this is going to hurt. Clean up naming conventions and make sure owners and stages are where they should be. No tool can fix bad data for you.
Step 3: Build Report Templates that Map to Real Decisions
Now, let’s actually build the report. Matchkraft gives you drag-and-drop widgets, but resist the urge to make a “kitchen sink” dashboard. Every section should tie back to those key questions from Step 1.
Three must-have report sections:
- Lead Source Quality
- Show where leads are coming from—AND how they convert later.
- Use Matchkraft’s funnel widget to break out each channel (not just total leads).
- Pipeline Velocity
- Track how long deals spend in each stage.
- Highlight any stuck deals or bottlenecks.
- Campaign ROI
- Pull in cost per lead, cost per opportunity, and actual revenue from each campaign.
- Skip “impressions” and focus on dollars in vs. dollars out.
How to keep it actionable: - Add filters for date ranges, deal size, or segment. - Use color coding sparingly—red for “fix this now,” green for “it’s working.” - Drop KPIs that don’t connect to your decisions.
Don’t waste time on: - Pie charts of “lead source” unless you actually act on that info. - Fancy graphs that look cool but don’t spark any change.
Step 4: Automate Delivery—but Don’t Set and Forget
Automatic report delivery sounds great, but a report no one reads is just noise. Set up Matchkraft to send your report to the right people at the right time.
Best practices: - Weekly or biweekly is usually plenty for GTM reports (daily is overkill). - Only send to people who need to act—don’t CC the whole company. - Add a short summary or “what needs action” section at the top.
Pro tip: Build in a 5-minute review session after delivery. If no one has feedback or questions, your report isn’t helping.
What to avoid: - Don’t rely solely on automated emails—check in with your team. - Don’t turn on every notification. People tune out noise.
Step 5: Use Annotations and Comments to Drive Real Conversations
A report by itself rarely changes behavior. Use Matchkraft’s annotation and comment features to flag what matters.
How to do it: - Add notes explaining any major swings in data (“Campaign X paused, so leads dropped”). - Tag teammates with questions or next steps. - Use comments to capture decisions (“Let’s pause ads to Segment Y until further notice”).
Why bother? Because it’s not the numbers that matter, it’s what you decide to do about them.
Step 6: Review and Iterate—Don’t Let Your Report Go Stale
The first version of your report won’t be perfect—and that’s fine. The biggest failure is letting a dashboard go stale and irrelevant.
Every month, ask: - Are we still using all of this? - What’s missing? - What’s being ignored?
Cut ruthlessly. Add only what actually helps the team make decisions. If something’s always “TBD” or “coming soon,” drop it until it matters.
Pro tip: Get feedback from the people who use (or ignore) the report. They’ll tell you what’s useful and what’s just noise.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
After helping teams build these reports for years, here’s the honest truth:
Works: - Keeping reports focused on 2–3 critical metrics - Clear, simple visuals (tables > fancy graphs) - Regular review with the people who matter
Doesn’t work: - Massive dashboards with every possible metric - Reporting for the sake of reporting - Automation without follow-up or feedback
Ignore the pressure to make things look impressive. What matters is whether your team knows what to do next.
Keep It Simple, Adjust Often
You don’t need a 20-page report or a dashboard full of blinking lights. Start small, focus on what drives action, and iterate as you go. If you’re not sure whether to include something, leave it out until someone misses it. The best GTM reports are the ones people actually use—everything else is just noise.