If you’re in sales ops, a founder wearing too many hats, or just tired of squinting at endless spreadsheets, you know the pain: getting a real handle on your pipeline shouldn’t be this hard. You want answers, not a mess of half-baked charts or “insights” that don’t actually help you close deals. This guide is for anyone who wants to use Upscale to create sales pipeline reports that are clear, detailed, and actually useful.
What follows isn’t a glossy product tour. It’s a practical, step-by-step walkthrough of how to get real pipeline visibility with Upscale—what’s worth your time, what’s not, and what to watch out for.
Step 1: Get Your Data House in Order
Before you can run reports, you need data that isn’t a dumpster fire. Upscale does a lot, but it can’t fix bad input (no CRM can).
Here’s what you need:
- Contacts and Companies: Make sure your CRM records are up to date—no duplicates, missing fields, or “Test Account 123” nonsense.
- Deals/Opportunities: Every legit pipeline report starts with deals. Each should have at least:
- A clear deal name
- Owner (who’s working it)
- Stage (your pipeline stages, like “Qualified,” “Proposal,” etc.)
- Value (even a rough guess is better than blank)
- Expected close date
Pro Tip:
If you’re migrating from another CRM or working with a messy import, take 30 minutes to clean up. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 2: Set Up Your Pipeline Stages in Upscale
Upscale isn’t magic—it works best when your pipeline reflects how you actually sell. Go to your pipeline settings and check your stages.
Do this: - Review the default stages. Are they close to your real process? If not, edit them. - Don’t overcomplicate things. Four to six stages is plenty for most teams. - Name stages after real milestones (“Demo Scheduled,” “Contract Sent”) instead of vague stuff like “Working.”
Skip:
Don’t bother with “lead statuses”—they’re a different thing and will just muddy your reports.
Step 3: Add or Import Deals
Now, get your deals into Upscale. You can add them manually, import from a spreadsheet, or (if you’re lucky) sync from another CRM.
Manual entry:
Fine if you’ve got a small team or just want to test things out. Upscale’s deal entry form is straightforward.
Spreadsheet import:
- Use Upscale’s template so your columns match up.
- Map fields carefully—especially deal stage and owner.
- If you’re importing a bunch of old, closed deals, tag them as “Closed Won” or “Closed Lost” so they don’t clog your active pipeline.
CRM sync:
If you’re moving from Salesforce, HubSpot, or another tool Upscale supports—follow their integration guide, but double-check everything after import. Automated syncs can make a mess if you’re not careful.
Step 4: Build Your First Pipeline Report
With deals in the system, head over to the “Reports” or “Pipeline” tab. Upscale gives you a few options, but here’s what actually matters:
A. Simple Pipeline View
- Shows all open deals by stage.
- Lets you filter by owner, deal size, or close date.
- Good for: Quick gut check on what’s in flight.
B. Stage Conversion Report
- Tracks how deals move from one stage to the next.
- Useful for spotting bottlenecks (e.g., everything’s stuck in “Proposal Sent”).
- Don’t obsess over tiny conversion rates—look for big drop-offs.
C. Forecast Report
- Adds up expected deal values by close date.
- Use the “expected value” column, not just total pipeline—otherwise, you’re kidding yourself.
- Good for: Giving your boss a realistic number, not “theoretical upside.”
What to ignore:
Skip the “activity reports” unless you really need to track calls/emails. Focus on outcomes, not busyness.
Step 5: Customize Reports (But Don’t Overdo It)
Upscale lets you tweak filters, group by fields, and save custom views. This is where you can slice things by region, segment, or rep.
Useful tweaks: - Filter by deal size to see which big bets need attention. - Group by owner for 1:1s or team meetings. - Date ranges: Set this month/quarter, but also play with “next 90 days” for forecasting.
What not to bother with: - Fancy charts. They look cool in demos but don’t help you close deals. - Exporting to PowerPoint. Unless your board demands it, keep it simple.
Step 6: Share and Schedule Reports
Reports are only as useful as the action they inspire. Upscale lets you share reports with your team or schedule them to hit your inbox (or Slack) regularly.
How to do it: - For weekly sales meetings, set up a recurring email with your main pipeline view. - If you run pipeline reviews, share a link to the live report so everyone’s looking at the same data. - Avoid PDF exports—data gets stale, and people tune out.
Pro Tip:
If your team isn’t looking at these reports, ask why. Too complicated? Not actionable? One good report beats five that nobody reads.
Step 7: Interpreting the Results (And What to Watch Out For)
A fancy pipeline report is worthless if you don’t use it to make decisions.
Things to look for: - Stuck deals: Are deals piling up in one stage? Dig in. - Owner workload: One rep drowning while others coast? Time to rebalance. - Forecast accuracy: Are deals slipping every week? Adjust your close dates and get real about what’s likely to close.
Pitfalls: - Don’t trust pipeline numbers blindly. Deals move, people sandbag, reality bites. - Over-filtering your reports can hide problems. Start broad, then zoom in. - Don’t use reports as a stick to beat your team. Use them to spot issues early and actually fix them.
Step 8: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Perfection
You’re not building a dashboard for NASA. The goal is to see what’s going on and act on it. Start with a basic pipeline report, use it for a few weeks, then tweak as you go.
- Get feedback—what’s missing, what’s confusing?
- Don’t add a bunch of custom fields unless you really need them.
- Use trends, not snapshots. One week’s data doesn’t mean much.
Remember:
The best sales pipeline report is one you actually use. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. Set it up, look at it every week, and tweak as you learn what matters for your team.
That’s it. Upscale has plenty of bells and whistles, but if you stick to the basics, you’ll see what’s happening in your pipeline and actually do something about it. Keep your process simple, let the data guide you, and don’t be afraid to ignore features you don’t need. Sales is hard enough—your reports shouldn’t make it harder.