If you’re responsible for a sales pipeline, you know the questions never stop. Which deals are likely to close? How fast is your team moving? Where are things getting stuck? There’s a lot of noise out there about “data-driven sales,” but most of it is either too vague or too complicated to actually use. This guide is for people who want real, practical ways to use Dealpad analytics to actually forecast deal outcomes and sales velocity—no magic, no hype, just straight answers.
1. Get Your Data House in Order
Before you start, make sure your sales data isn’t a mess. Dealpad can only give you good analytics if your inputs aren’t garbage. Here’s what’s worth your time:
- Clean up your CRM. Duplicate deals, missing close dates, or half-baked fields will throw off your forecasts. Fix these first.
- Standardize deal stages. Make sure everyone’s using the same definitions—“Proposal Sent” should mean the same thing across your team.
- Define your outcomes. Are you measuring closed-won, closed-lost, or something else? Be clear, or your forecasts won’t mean much.
Pro tip: Don’t waste hours perfecting every data point. Focus on the deal stages, owner, value, and expected close date. That’s 80% of what matters.
2. Connect Your Data to Dealpad
Dealpad isn’t magic—it needs to see your pipeline to analyze it. Here’s how to get set up:
- Integrate with your CRM. Dealpad supports connections with most big CRMs. Follow their step-by-step guide (it’s usually a few clicks).
- Import historic deals. You want at least 6-12 months of past deals for decent forecasts. More is better, but don’t let “perfect” stall you.
- Check for sync issues. Sometimes data fields don’t map perfectly. Spot check a few deals in Dealpad and your CRM to catch issues early.
What to ignore: Fancy custom fields that no one actually uses. They just clutter things up.
3. Understand What Dealpad Analytics Can (and Can’t) Do
Dealpad’s analytics are genuinely useful, but don’t expect crystal-ball predictions. Here’s what you’ll get:
What Works
- Deal scoring: Dealpad looks at patterns (like deal value, stage, activity) to score the likelihood of closing.
- Sales velocity metrics: It’ll break down how long deals sit in each stage, your average sales cycle length, and where things stall.
- Forecast snapshots: See pipeline value by stage, expected close date, and rep.
What Doesn’t
- Individual rep psychology: If your top seller is about to quit, Dealpad won’t know.
- Sudden market changes: No tool can predict a client’s budget freeze.
- “AI magic.” The scores are based on your data and patterns—not secret market insights.
Honest take: Dealpad won’t replace your gut, but it’ll help you back up your instincts with real numbers.
4. Forecast Deal Outcomes: Step-by-Step
Here’s how to use Dealpad to get a realistic read on which deals will actually close:
a. Review Deal Scores
- Look at the “deal health” or “win likelihood” scores. These are based on past patterns—like how far a deal has progressed, how recently there was activity, and deal size.
- Sort deals by likelihood. Don’t just focus on the biggest ones—look for high-scoring, smaller deals that might close faster.
Pro tip: If a deal score looks off, check the activity. Sometimes missing emails or notes can skew things, especially if your team isn’t logging everything.
b. Dig into Stuck Deals
- Spot deals lingering in one stage. Anything double the average time in stage is worth a look.
- Compare to past wins and losses. If deals with the same profile go cold at this stage, that’s a red flag.
c. Use Filters for Realism
- Filter by close date, stage, owner, and value. This cuts through the noise and lets you focus on what matters this quarter.
- Build “what if” scenarios. Exclude deals below a certain score to see a more conservative forecast.
What to skip: Don’t obsess over every single deal. Focus 80% of your time on the top-scoring, high-value deals and the ones at risk.
5. Measure and Improve Sales Velocity
Sales velocity is about how fast your deals move through the pipeline. Here’s how to get useful numbers (and not get lost in charts):
a. Check Stage Duration Reports
- See how long deals spend in each stage. Are there bottlenecks? Is negotiation always a slog?
- Compare across reps and segments. Maybe one team is faster, or certain industries move quicker.
b. Calculate Your Velocity
- Use Dealpad’s sales velocity widget: Usually, this gives you a simple formula:
(Number of deals x Average deal size x Win rate) / Average sales cycle length - Look at historical trends. Is your team speeding up or slowing down? That’s often more important than the raw number.
c. Set Realistic Benchmarks
- Don’t chase “industry averages.” Your pipeline is unique. Compare against your own past numbers instead.
- Flag outliers. If one deal is taking 10x longer, dig in. It could be a lost cause or a big opportunity.
Honest take: Sales velocity numbers are easy to misread. One huge stuck deal can skew things. Focus on trends, not one-off blips.
6. Make Forecasting Part of the Routine (Not a One-Off)
If you only check analytics at the end of the quarter, you’re missing the point. Here’s how to bake forecasting into your workflow:
- Weekly reviews: Set aside 30 minutes to look at deal scores and velocity. Spot issues before they become disasters.
- Team huddles: Use Dealpad dashboards in meetings. Keep it simple—three slides, tops.
- Adjust as you go: If a forecast looks wrong, fix the underlying data or talk to the rep. Don’t just shrug and move on.
What to ignore: Overly complex dashboards. If you need a PhD to understand it, your team won’t use it.
7. Avoid Common Pitfalls
A few traps to watch out for:
- Believing the numbers blindly. Use Dealpad as a tool, not a crystal ball.
- Letting data go stale. If your team isn’t updating deals, your forecasts are worthless.
- Obsessing over outliers. Step back and spot the big trends.
8. Pro Tips for Power Users
If you want to get fancy, try these:
- Set up alerts for deal changes. Get notified if a high-value deal drops in score or goes inactive.
- Track custom fields sparingly. Only add extra metrics if you actually use them in decision-making.
- Export to CSV for deeper analysis. Sometimes, a quick Excel pivot tells you more than any dashboard.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need to wrangle every metric or chase every trend. Start with clean data, use Dealpad to spot the obvious patterns, and keep your process simple. Review your forecasts regularly, tweak your approach, and trust your experience as much as the numbers. Forecasting isn’t magic—but with a clear-eyed approach and the right tools, you’ll get a lot closer to the truth.