If you’re in B2B sales, you don’t need more “insights”—you need clarity. Dashboards that actually help your team spot opportunities, track pipeline, and know what’s working. Most analytics tools promise the moon but deliver another layer of confusion. This guide shows you, step by step, how to get real value out of custom dashboards in Sharefable, without wasting hours poking around.
This is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone sick of staring at generic charts. No fluff, just the stuff that works. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Know What You Actually Need to Track
Before you even log in to Sharefable, pause. What do you really want to see every morning? If you’re not clear on this, you’ll end up with a dashboard graveyard—full of charts nobody looks at.
Start with these questions: - What numbers do you need to run your weekly sales meeting? - Where do deals get stuck? - What do reps waste time on? - What does your boss always ask about?
Popular metrics for B2B sales teams: - Pipeline by stage (new, qualified, proposal, etc.) - Win/loss rates by rep or segment - Average deal size and sales cycle - Lead sources and conversion rates - Activities: calls, emails, meetings set - Forecast vs. actual
Pro tip: Don’t try to track everything. Pick 3-5 metrics that actually drive your team’s behavior. You can always add more later.
Step 2: Get Your Data Ready
Even the best dashboard can’t fix messy data. If your CRM is full of missing fields or duplicate accounts, pause here and get that sorted. Sharefable can only show what you feed it.
What you need: - Access to your sales data, ideally from a CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - API keys or export permissions (if your IT team is strict) - A basic understanding of your sales process and CRM fields - A list of must-have fields (deal stage, amount, owner, dates, etc.)
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over making every single field perfect. Focus on the core data that actually matters to your dashboards.
Step 3: Connect Your Data Sources in Sharefable
Now, log in to Sharefable and find the “Data Sources” section. This is where you hook up your CRM or spreadsheets.
Common ways to connect data: - CRM integrations: Sharefable has built-in connectors for major CRMs. You’ll need admin access and probably an API key. - CSV/Excel uploads: If your CRM is locked down, you can upload exports. Not as seamless, but it works. - Other sources: Some teams track activities in tools like Outreach or Slack. Sharefable supports a handful, but don’t expect magic.
Tips: - Test your connection with a small dataset first. - Map your fields carefully—don’t let “Deal Value” end up in “Notes.” - Don’t connect everything. Only bring in what you’ll actually use.
If you hit a wall: Sometimes, IT will slow you down or connectors will break. Don’t spend days troubleshooting—fall back to CSVs if you need to.
Step 4: Build Your First Custom Dashboard
Here’s where most tools get overcomplicated. Keep it simple.
1. Create a New Dashboard
- In Sharefable, go to “Dashboards” and hit “Create New.”
- Name it something clear (“Sales Pipeline Overview,” not “Q3 Synergy Metrics”).
2. Add Your Key Widgets
For each widget: - Choose the data source (your CRM, spreadsheet, etc.). - Pick the chart type (bar, line, funnel, table). Don’t get cute—use the simplest view that tells the story. - Select your fields (e.g., pipeline by stage, owner, value). - Add filters (e.g., only show deals from this quarter).
Widget ideas: - Pipeline Funnel: Deals by stage, so you see where drop-off happens. - Leaderboard: Top reps by closed deals or activities. - Forecast: Expected revenue vs. target. - Lead Sources: Where your best deals actually come from.
Pro tip: Don’t cram 10 charts onto one screen. If you can’t glance at it and get the point, it’s too much.
3. Arrange and Customize
- Drag widgets to set the order—put the most important at the top left.
- Use clear labels. “Hot Deals This Month” beats “Report_4B.”
- Set colors if you want, but don’t overthink it.
Step 5: Set Up Sharing and Access
No point in a dashboard if nobody sees it.
- Share with your team: You can invite users (email or SSO). Set permissions: viewer, editor, admin.
- Export options: Sharefable lets you export to PDF, PNG, or email snapshots. Handy for execs who never log in.
- Schedule updates: Set dashboards to refresh daily or weekly, so you’re not looking at old numbers.
Honest take: Don’t share dashboards with everyone by default. People tune out if it’s not relevant. Start with your core team, then expand.
Step 6: Automate Alerts (But Only the Important Ones)
Sharefable lets you set up alerts—emails or notifications when certain thresholds are hit.
Useful alerts: - Pipeline drops below a set amount - Deal stuck in a stage for X days - Win rate falls below target
What to skip: Don’t set up alerts for every little change. You’ll just train people to ignore them.
Step 7: Review, Rethink, and Adjust
Your first dashboard won’t be perfect. That’s fine.
- Check in after a week: What’s useful? What’s ignored?
- Ask your team: Is anything confusing or missing?
- Kill off charts nobody uses. Add new ones if the team asks for them.
- Don’t let it get bloated—clarity beats completeness.
Pro tip: Once a quarter, do a “dashboard cleanup.” It takes 10 minutes and keeps things sane.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Dashboards focused on real sales questions, not vanity metrics - Simple, well-labeled widgets - Limiting your dashboard to what people actually use
What doesn’t: - Overly fancy visualizations (3D pie charts are for PowerPoint, not real work) - Tracking every metric “just in case” - Letting dashboards grow out of control until nobody knows what’s what
What to ignore: - Features you “might use someday.” If you haven’t used it in a month, ditch it. - Hype around “AI insights”—if it feels like magic, it probably isn’t. - Endless customization. Good enough beats perfect here.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
The best dashboards aren’t built in a day—they’re built in small steps, based on what your team actually needs. Start simple. Don’t chase shiny features. Ask your team what really helps them close deals, and adjust from there.
Remember: a dashboard isn’t a wall of numbers—it’s a tool to help your team win more business, with less confusion. If it’s not doing that, tweak it until it does.