If you’re tired of sales dashboards that look impressive but tell you nothing useful, you’re not alone. This step-by-step guide is for hands-on folks—sales ops, team leads, or anyone who actually needs answers, not just another pretty chart. I’ll walk you through building a custom dashboard in Winn, with real talk about what’s worth your time, what’s not, and a few shortcuts I wish someone had told me.
1. Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you even log in, take five minutes to sketch out what you want from your dashboard. Don’t fall into the trap of tracking everything because you can. Focus on:
- Questions you need to answer: e.g., “Which reps are lagging?” or “Where are deals getting stuck?”
- Metrics that drive action: Pipeline by stage, win rates, average deal size—whatever actually changes decisions.
- Who will use it: Managers? Individual reps? The C-suite? Tailor to their needs, not just your own.
Pro tip: If a metric never changes what you do, it’s probably not worth putting on the dashboard. Less is more.
2. Set Up Your Data Sources in Winn
Once you’ve logged into Winn, your first real step is connecting your data. Winn can pull from your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), spreadsheets, and sometimes direct uploads.
- Connect your CRM: Go to the integrations/settings section, and follow the prompts. Expect to log in and authorize access.
- Pick only what you need: Winn will try to connect everything. Resist the urge. Start with your core sales data (deals, activities, contacts).
- Check your permissions: If you’re not an admin, you might hit a wall here. Save yourself a headache and check before you start.
What works: Winn’s integration setup is usually straightforward, but don’t expect miracles if your CRM is a mess. Dirty data leads to ugly dashboards.
What doesn’t: Don’t count on Winn to clean or fix your data. If your CRM is full of duplicates or missing fields, that’s what will show up.
3. Start a New Dashboard—And Name It Clearly
Hit “Create Dashboard” (or whatever Winn is calling it this month). Give it a name that means something. “Q2 Pipeline Overview” beats “John’s Dashboard Copy 3.”
- Don’t skip the description: It’ll help future-you (and your team) know what this dashboard is for.
- Set sharing settings early: Decide if this is private, team-wide, or for the whole org. It’s easier to set this now than fix weird permissions later.
4. Add Your First Widgets—But Don’t Go Overboard
Widgets are the building blocks: charts, tables, KPI numbers, etc. Here’s the move:
- Start with 2-3 key metrics: Examples: “Pipeline by Stage,” “Deals Closed This Month,” “Win Rate Last 90 Days.”
- Choose the right visualization:
- Use bar charts for comparisons (e.g., reps vs. deals closed).
- Line charts are good for trends over time.
- Tables work when you need details—don’t use them for high-level views.
What works: Winn’s drag-and-drop widget creator is solid. You can filter and group data without knowing SQL.
What doesn’t: Don’t try to cram everything onto one page. More widgets ≠ more insight. Dashboards with 15+ widgets just get ignored.
5. Filter and Slice Your Data
This is where dashboards go from “meh” to actually useful.
- Add filters: By rep, date range, deal size, region—whatever lets you zoom in on what matters.
- Use saved views: If you need to see the same dashboard for different teams, use Winn’s “Saved Views” (or whatever they call it). This avoids making 10 copies of the same dashboard.
- Test your filters: Double-check that clicking on filters changes the right widgets, not just some of them. Winn sometimes defaults to “apply filter to this widget only”—which can be confusing.
Pro tip: Set sensible defaults. If your team cares about this quarter, make “This Quarter” the default date range.
6. Polish the Layout—But Don’t Waste Time on Pixel-Perfection
It’s tempting to fiddle with colors, widget sizes, and arrangements. Do just enough so it’s clear and readable.
- Group related metrics together: Put all pipeline stuff in one section, rep leaderboards in another.
- Label everything: Don’t assume people know what “Stage 3” means. Use plain English wherever you can.
- Mobile matters: If anyone is going to look at this on their phone, check Winn’s mobile preview. Some layouts break or become unreadable.
What works: A clean, uncluttered layout gets used. What doesn’t: Spending an hour making everything “just so.” No one cares if your bar chart is blue or green.
7. Share, Schedule, and Get Feedback
Once you’re happy, share the dashboard with your team or stakeholders.
- Set up scheduled emails: Winn lets you send dashboards daily, weekly, or monthly. For sales, weekly is usually enough.
- Ask for honest feedback: Don’t just send a link and hope for the best. Ask, “Is there anything here you don’t understand or don’t use?”
- Iterate: Expect to tweak filters, add/remove widgets, and clarify labels based on real-world use.
Warning: People will ask for more data and more charts. Push back unless there’s a real need. The point is better decisions, not more noise.
8. Stay on Top of Data Quality
Dashboards are only as good as the data behind them.
- Automate data refreshes: Set your data sources to update regularly. Stale data kills trust.
- Spot-check for weirdness: If you see zero deals one week, don’t just assume “slow week.” Double-check the underlying data.
- Keep cleaning your CRM: Garbage in, garbage out. No dashboard tool can fix bad inputs.
9. Avoid the Most Common Dashboard Traps
Here’s where most people go wrong (and how to sidestep it):
- Too much detail: Dashboards aren’t reports. You want big signals, not every data point.
- Vanity metrics: Skip things that look good but don’t drive action (e.g., “emails sent” isn’t as useful as “qualified meetings set”).
- One-size-fits-all: Don’t try to make the same dashboard work for reps, managers, and execs. Make separate views if you need to.
Pro tip: Review your dashboards every month or quarter. If a widget hasn’t been looked at or acted on, delete it.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Building custom dashboards in Winn isn’t magic—it’s just thoughtful setup and ruthless editing. Focus on a few key metrics, make it easy to read, and let real-world feedback shape what comes next. The best dashboards aren’t the fanciest—they’re the ones people actually use.
Keep it simple. Tweak it as you go. And remember: a dashboard is only as useful as the decisions it helps you make.