If you sell complex products B2B, you know that quoting and closing deals can feel like herding cats. There’s a lot of talk about “data-driven sales,” but most analytics dashboards just collect dust. You want to know what’s slowing things down, where reps get stuck, and how to actually use that info so your team isn’t just busy—they’re winning deals.
This guide is for sales ops leaders, product managers, and anyone tired of flying blind. We’ll lay out how to use Tacton analytics to spot bottlenecks, fix quoting headaches, and get real results. No fluff. No generic advice.
Step 1: Actually Look at the Data (Not Just the Dashboard)
Let’s be honest: Most sales teams have access to analytics but rarely do anything with them. Tacton’s analytics can show you:
- Where quotes stall: See how long deals sit in each stage.
- What options/configurations get picked (or ignored): Useful for product and pricing teams, too.
- How long reps spend building quotes: A huge clue for process improvement.
Pro Tip: Don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick one metric to focus on first (e.g., quote cycle time).
What’s worth your time? - Patterns in lost deals (e.g., do you always lose when a certain product is quoted?) - Steps in the process that take way longer than they should - Reps who consistently outperform (or underperform)
What’s not? - Vanity metrics like “total logins” or “number of dashboards viewed”—they don’t translate to sales.
Step 2: Pinpoint Bottlenecks in Your Sales Process
The point of analytics isn’t to make pretty charts. It’s to figure out what’s slowing deals down.
How to spot a bottleneck with Tacton:
- Map your typical quote-to-order process. Write it down. (Seriously, do it.)
- Use Tacton’s stage duration reports. Look for steps where deals pile up or stall.
- Ask “why” at each sticky point. Is it approvals? Product complexity? Missing info?
- Check configuration errors. If deals keep bouncing back for corrections, your rules or product data might need work.
Real-world example: If you see quotes for a certain product line taking twice as long, dig in. Maybe the configuration rules are confusing, or pricing approvals are a mess.
Step 3: Help Reps, Don’t Just Monitor Them
Sales analytics shouldn’t feel like Big Brother. The goal is to make reps’ lives easier, not micromanage them.
How Tacton analytics can help sales teams:
- Highlight common stalling points: Maybe reps get stuck because they don’t know which options to pick. That’s a training issue, not a performance one.
- Show which configurations win: If certain setups close more deals, share those best practices.
- Surface quick wins: If one team member cuts quote time in half, find out how and share it.
What to skip:
Don’t use analytics to chase people about every little delay. Focus on patterns, not one-off mistakes.
Step 4: Clean Up Your Product and Pricing Data
Here’s a truth nobody likes to admit: Most quoting headaches come from messy product data or unclear rules. Tacton’s analytics can help you spot these issues.
What to look for:
- High rates of configuration errors: If reps keep picking impossible combinations, your rules may need fixing.
- Frequent manual overrides: If pricing is always “custom,” your price list probably needs work.
- Quote revision cycles: Lots of back-and-forth with customers? Maybe your options aren’t clear.
Pro Tip: Involve product managers and pricing teams. Analytics aren’t just for sales ops—everyone benefits from cleaner data.
Step 5: Set Up Alerts and Automations (But Don’t Go Overboard)
Tacton lets you set up alerts for things like stuck quotes or repeated errors. This can be helpful—if you use it sensibly.
Good uses for alerts:
- Quotes that haven’t moved in X days
- High error rates in certain product lines
- Approvals pending too long
Bad uses for alerts:
- Every single quote that gets created (hello, notification fatigue)
- Updates on metrics no one cares about
Start simple. Add more only if you actually use them.
Step 6: Review, Adjust, Repeat
Don’t expect miracles overnight. The best sales teams treat analytics as a cycle:
- Review the numbers regularly. Monthly is realistic.
- Pick one thing to fix. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once.
- Talk to the people doing the work. Analytics can point to issues, but reps know the “why.”
- Adjust your process or data. Test the change.
- See if the numbers improve. If not, try something else.
Pro Tip: Document what you try. It’s easier to track what works (and what doesn’t) if you write it down.
What Works, What Doesn’t, And What To Ignore
Works:
- Using analytics to fix specific, real problems (slow quotes, error-prone products)
- Sharing insights across teams (sales, product, pricing)
- Focusing on outcomes, not just activity
Doesn’t:
- Tracking everything “because you can”
- Forcing reps to memorize more dashboards
- Hoping analytics will magically improve sales without any process change
Ignore:
- Shiny new metrics with no clear impact
- Vendor “best practices” that don’t fit your business
Keep It Simple—And Keep Iterating
You don’t need to be a data scientist to get value from Tacton analytics. Start small, focus on clear bottlenecks, and use what you learn to make life easier for your team. Review regularly, fix what matters, and don’t let dashboards pile up untouched.
Sales is messy, but your analytics don’t have to be. Pick one area, get started, and keep it moving. The results will follow.