If you run monthly sales reviews and your team uses Swagiq, you know the drill: half the meeting is spent pulling up half-baked data, patching together screenshots, or explaining why numbers don’t match up. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone who needs to walk into those meetings with clean, detailed pipeline reports—and a lot less stress. If you want less spreadsheet-wrangling and more useful conversations, read on.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you even open Swagiq, slow down for a minute. Not every report is worth your time. Most teams need:
- A full list of open deals, grouped by stage
- Pipeline value by stage (and maybe by owner or territory)
- Slipped deals (what didn’t close last month)
- New deals added this month
- Win/loss breakdown for the month
Skip the “nice to have” charts if nobody talks about them. If your sales review always gets stuck on one question (“Why did this deal slip?”), make sure your report answers it clearly.
Pro tip: Ask your team what they actually use in the review, and cut the rest. You’ll save hours.
Step 2: Find or Build the Right Pipeline View in Swagiq
Swagiq has a bunch of default reports, but they’re not always detailed (or relevant) enough. Here’s how to get what you need:
Use the Standard Pipeline Report (if it works)
- Go to the Reports tab.
- Look for “Pipeline Overview” or “Deals by Stage.”
- Check if you can filter by date range, owner, or stage. If it gives you what you want, great—skip to exporting.
Where it falls short: The built-in reports are often too high-level. You might get totals, but not deal-level details or historical changes.
Build a Custom Report
If the standard ones don’t cut it, you’ll need to build your own:
- From the Reports section, click “Create Custom Report” (sometimes you’ll find this under “Advanced”).
- Choose “Deals” or “Opportunities” as your data source.
- Add filters:
- Close date in current month (or last month, depending on review)
- Stage (open, closed-won, closed-lost)
- Owner or team (if you want to break it down)
- Pick your fields:
- Deal name
- Amount/value
- Stage
- Owner
- Close date
- Any custom fields your team actually uses
Don’t bother: Unless someone’s actually using lead source or “last activity date” in the review, skip it. More fields = more clutter.
Save the View
- Give it a clear name: “Monthly Pipeline – [Month/Year]” or “Open Deals by Stage.”
- Save it as a shared view so your whole team can use it.
Honest take: Swagiq’s custom report builder is fine, but not magical. It can be slow with big data sets, and the UI’s a bit clunky. Just keep it simple, and you’ll avoid most headaches.
Step 3: Export or Schedule the Report
Data’s only useful if you can actually use it in the meeting. Here’s how to get your pipeline report out of Swagiq:
Manual Export
- Most reports have an “Export” button (top right, usually).
- Choose CSV or Excel—don’t bother with PDF unless your execs demand it.
- Open it, check for weird columns or formatting issues.
- Clean up anything messy before sharing. Nobody wants to see “NULL” in a meeting.
Scheduled Reports (if you want automation)
- Swagiq lets you schedule reports to email out on a set cadence.
- Set it to send the Friday before your monthly review.
- Double-check it actually sends—Swagiq’s scheduling can be buggy if filters change or users leave.
Heads up: Scheduled reports are only as good as your saved filters. If your team changes stages or deal owners mid-month, you might miss stuff. Always check the report before the meeting.
Step 4: Add Context (Don’t Just Dump Data)
The report is just numbers. Your job is to make it useful. Before you send it out:
- Add a summary tab or a few bullet points: Top deals, big changes, risks.
- Highlight deals that slipped or grew since last month.
- Flag anything weird—like deals that have been “about to close” for three months.
If your team uses Slack, consider dropping a quick summary with the report link. Saves everyone time.
Pro tip: If nobody reads your summary, make it shorter. One or two sentences is often enough.
Step 5: Use the Report in Your Review (and Iterate)
Bring the report up on screen, not just on paper. Walk through:
- Total pipeline vs. last month
- Stuck deals—ask the owners directly
- Wins and losses, and what you learned
If the report’s too long or confusing, trim it next month. If people keep asking for the same missing number, add it. Don’t be afraid to tweak your saved views as your team’s questions change.
What doesn’t work: Don’t spend 20 minutes explaining the report’s formatting. If folks are confused, it’s time to simplify.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Data is out of date: Swagiq only shows what’s entered. If reps don’t update deals, the report’s useless. Make pipeline updates part of your prep.
- Everyone has their own version: Use shared views and scheduled exports so you’re all on the same page.
- Too much detail: Nobody cares about every field. Focus on what drives action in the meeting.
- Ignoring lost deals: Don’t just focus on open/won. Closed-lost tells you what to fix.
- Overcomplicating things: If you need a manual to explain your report, it’s too complex.
Quick Checklist
Before you send out your monthly pipeline report, double-check:
- [ ] Is it filtered for the right date range and team?
- [ ] Are all fields actually used in the meeting?
- [ ] Did you add a summary or call out big changes?
- [ ] Is the data up to date?
- [ ] Can everyone open and understand it?
Summary: Keep It Simple, Keep It Useful
You don’t win sales reviews by having the fanciest report—you win by having a report that’s clear, current, and sparks the right conversations. Swagiq is decent at reporting, but it won’t do your thinking for you. Start simple, fix what’s broken, and don’t be afraid to change your approach each month. The best pipeline reports are the ones your team actually uses.