If you’re in charge of sales reporting, you know the drill: management wants answers, not excuses. They want to see where the deals are, what’s working, and what’s stalling—preferably in a format that doesn’t make their eyes glaze over. If your team uses Closershq, you’ve got the tools to pull these reports—assuming you know where to look and what to avoid.
This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, and anyone else stuck in the “just one more report” cycle. We’ll skip the fluff and get right to how you can create detailed, useful sales reports in Closershq, even if you’re not a data nerd.
1. Know What Management Actually Wants
Before you open Closershq, get clear on what your managers care about. (Hint: it’s probably not the number of cold calls made on Tuesdays.)
Common asks:
- Pipeline health: Deal stages, close dates, expected revenue
- Sales rep performance: Who’s killing it, who needs help
- Conversion rates: Leads to deals, deals to cash
- Forecasts: Next month, next quarter
- Custom stuff: Region, industry, product line breakdowns
Pro tip:
Ask for a screenshot of their favorite report. Saves time guessing.
2. Get Your Data House in Order
Closershq can only report on what’s actually in the system. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Check your fields: Make sure deals, contacts, and activities are all being logged and nothing critical is missing.
- Standardize entries: If one rep calls it “Enterprise” and another calls it “Ent.,” your reports will be a mess.
- Close old junk: Dead deals and ancient leads? Archive or close them out, or your numbers will look fake.
Don’t ignore this step. It’s a pain, but it’ll save you from embarrassing questions later.
3. Dive Into Closershq’s Reporting Tools
Log in and head to the “Reports” or “Analytics” section (naming can change, but it’s usually top navigation).
The Two Main Options
-
Pre-Built Reports:
Fast, but generic. Good for a quick snapshot, but rarely give you the deep dive management wants. -
Custom Reports:
This is where you’ll spend most of your time. Build exactly what you need, but expect a bit of a learning curve.
What works:
- The drag-and-drop interface is decent for filtering and grouping data.
- Filters for date ranges, owners, stages, etc. are easy to set up.
What doesn’t:
- Visualizations can be basic. Don’t expect Tableau-level charts.
- Some calculated fields (like custom win rates) might need workarounds.
4. Build a Custom Sales Report (Step-by-Step)
Let’s walk through making something management will actually use.
Step 1: Start a New Custom Report
- Click “Create Report” or “New Custom Report.”
- Pick your source (usually “Deals” or “Opportunities”).
Step 2: Choose Your Fields
Pick only what matters—less is more. Typical fields: - Deal Name / ID - Stage - Owner (rep name) - Expected Close Date - Deal Value - Lead Source - Region or Custom Fields (if management cares)
Ignore:
- Fields you never use (e.g., “Fax Number”)
Step 3: Filter Ruthlessly
Set up filters so your report isn’t full of noise: - Date range: This quarter, last quarter, custom—whatever’s relevant. - Deal stage: Only show active, won, or lost deals as needed. - Owner: Filter for specific teams or reps. - Other filters: Region, product, industry if needed.
Step 4: Add Groupings and Summaries
Group by: - Stage (see where deals are stuck) - Owner (compare rep performance) - Source (see which campaigns are working)
Sum up: - Total value per group - Average deal size - Conversion rates (if Closershq supports calculated fields)
Step 5: Pick Your Visualization
- Tables: Best for detail.
- Bar charts: Good for comparing reps or regions.
- Funnel: Great for pipeline snapshots, but only if the stages are set up right.
If the default visuals are weak, export to Excel or Google Sheets and chart there.
Step 6: Save and Schedule
- Name your report something obvious (“Q2 Pipeline by Rep” beats “Report 7”).
- Set up scheduling (if available) so it emails out weekly/monthly.
5. Share It (Without Causing Confusion)
Nobody loves getting a 12-tab spreadsheet with no context.
- Use built-in sharing: Closershq lets you share reports by link or PDF.
- Add a summary: Write a one-liner at the top (“Pipeline up 10% this month, biggest gaps in SMB segment”).
- Control access: Don’t give editing rights unless you want chaos.
Pro tip:
If management always asks for “just one more tweak,” keep a master version for yourself and clone it for their wild requests.
6. Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too much data: Reports with 40 fields get ignored. Stick to what drives action.
- Dirty data: If reps aren’t keeping things up to date, your numbers will always look off. Fix the process, not just the report.
- Overcomplicating: Fancy dashboards are fun for five minutes. Simple, reliable reports win in the long run.
- Ignoring feedback: If management never reads your reports, find out why. (Are they too detailed? Not detailed enough? Wrong format?)
7. Advanced Tips (If You Need More)
- Calculated fields: If Closershq allows it, create fields for win rates or average sales cycle. If not, export and crunch numbers in Excel.
- Automated alerts: Some versions let you trigger alerts for big deals or pipeline drops.
- Integrations: If Closershq feels limited, see if you can connect it to third-party BI tools (but don’t go down this rabbit hole unless you really need to).
8. What to Ignore
- Vanity metrics: Nobody cares about how many calls were logged unless it ties to revenue.
- Overly pretty charts: If it looks like a weather map, it’s probably too much.
- “AI insights” that don’t make sense: Trust your gut and your data, not a black box.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a PhD in analytics to build useful sales reports in Closershq. Start with what management actually wants to see. Keep things simple, check your data, and don’t be afraid to tweak your reports as needs change. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s clarity.
If you find yourself fighting the tool, step back and ask: “Is this report helping us make better decisions, or just filling time?” Stick to what works, and you’ll spend less time in reporting hell—and more time actually moving the sales needle.