If you’re managing sales, you already know the game: one good conversation doesn’t mean a deal’s in the bag. What matters is seeing the whole story—who’s engaged, who’s ghosting, and where things get stuck. If your pipeline in Gan is just a list of names and wishful thinking, you’re flying blind. This guide is for you if you want a no-nonsense way to track every real interaction with your prospects and actually trust your sales data.
Let’s cut through the noise and set up Gan so it works for you, not the other way around.
1. Get Clear on What “Interaction” Actually Means
Before you touch a keyboard, get specific about what you want to track. "Prospect interaction" is vague—and that’s where most teams trip up.
Common interaction types: - Emails sent/received (not just blasts—real replies count) - Calls made or scheduled - Meetings held (not just booked) - Notes from in-person visits, demos, or events - LinkedIn or social touches (if that’s part of your motion)
What not to track: - Every automated email or sequence (noise) - Unopened newsletters - Internal notes that don’t reflect real prospect engagement
Pro tip: If you can’t act on the data, don’t bother tracking it. The goal isn’t a pretty dashboard—it’s knowing where to focus.
2. Set Up Gan for Tracking—The Right Way
Gan is flexible, but out of the box, it won’t know what you care about. Here’s how to avoid the common mistakes and set it up to actually help you.
a. Customize Your Pipeline Stages
Most CRMs—including Gan—come with generic stages like “Prospecting,” “Qualified,” “Proposal,” etc. Don’t just accept them.
- Rename or add stages to match your real process.
- Consider adding an “Engaged” stage for prospects you’ve actually heard from.
- Keep the number of stages manageable. If you need a cheat sheet to remember what each one means, you’ve gone too far.
b. Use Custom Fields Wisely
You’ll want to track key details—like last interaction date, next action, or interaction type.
- Add a custom “Last Interaction” field if it doesn’t already exist.
- Create a dropdown or tags for “Interaction Type” (call, email, meeting, etc.).
- Avoid the temptation to create a field for everything; more fields = more friction.
Real talk: If reps see a wall of fields, they’ll start making stuff up just to get to the next screen.
c. Enable (or Integrate) Email and Calendar Sync
Gan can usually connect to your work email and calendar. Do this. Manual logging is the first thing reps stop doing.
- Sync your calendar so meetings auto-log as interactions.
- Connect your email—at least for sent/received tracking.
- Check privacy settings. No one wants their personal dentist appointment showing up in the pipeline.
3. Logging Prospect Interactions (Without Losing Your Mind)
Now, the day-to-day. Here’s what works, and what to avoid.
a. Use Gan’s Built-in Logging Features
- Log calls and meetings as soon as they happen. Don’t trust your memory.
- Use notes for details that matter (“Asked about pricing—hesitant,” not “Nice chat”).
- If you’re using email/calendar sync, double-check that logged interactions are accurate. These integrations can glitch.
b. Don’t Overcomplicate It
You don’t need to log every “Hope you’re well!” email. Focus on meaningful touchpoints that move the deal forward.
What to log: - Replies to your emails (not just opens) - Actual meetings held (not just scheduled) - Calls where you talked to a human, not a voicemail
Skip logging: - Automated drip emails - Marketing blasts - Generic LinkedIn likes
c. Make It a Habit, Not a Chore
- Schedule five minutes at the end of each day to log any missed interactions.
- If you’re a manager, don’t weaponize the data—use it to coach, not just to police.
Pro tip: The more reps feel the system helps them (reminders, accurate follow-ups), the more likely they’ll use it.
4. Use Filters and Views to Actually See What’s Happening
A CRM filled with data you can’t find is almost as bad as no CRM at all.
a. Build Saved Views for Key Scenarios
- “Stale Prospects”: Filter for deals with no interaction in X days.
- “Engaged Prospects”: Filter for the last interaction within the past week.
- “No Next Step”: Prospects with recent interaction but no scheduled follow-up.
Save these views so you aren’t reinventing the wheel every week.
b. Don’t Get Distracted by Vanity Metrics
Gan (like every CRM) will tempt you with charts: total emails sent, average call length, pie charts galore. Most of these don’t move the needle.
Stick to metrics that matter: - Number of meaningful interactions per deal before a close/win - Time between interactions (if deals are stalling) - Deals with no recent activity
c. Set Up Reminders (But Don’t Go Overboard)
- Use Gan’s follow-up reminders to nudge you on stale deals.
- If you get too many notifications, you’ll start ignoring all of them. Tune them to what you actually need.
5. Train Your Team (or Yourself) on the Process
Even the best setup falls apart if people don’t use it (or use it differently).
- Run a quick training—show what to log, what to skip, and why it matters.
- Share examples of “good” and “bad” interactions.
- Make it clear how accurate tracking helps everyone (better forecasting, less nagging, fewer surprises).
Pro tip: If people are gaming the system or skipping steps, your setup is probably too complicated.
6. Review, Adjust, Repeat
No process is perfect out of the gate. Check what’s working and what isn’t.
- Ask the team: Are there fields no one uses? Cut them.
- Are you missing key touchpoints? Add a simple way to log them.
- If you find yourself ignoring the data, ask why—maybe it’s not telling you anything useful.
Don’t be afraid to keep it simple. A few reliable data points are better than a graveyard of half-filled forms.
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Go.
There’s no magic CRM setup. The goal is to actually see what’s happening in your pipeline, so you can spend less time guessing and more time closing. Start small, cut what doesn’t work, and don’t let “tracking everything” become a second job.
If Gan helps you spot where deals go dark, or prompts you to reach out at the right moment, you’re already ahead of most teams. Stick with what’s useful—and don’t let the tools run the show.