If you’re a sales manager or analyst, you know the pain: endless reports, half-baked dashboards, and “insights” no one actually uses. You want real answers, not more noise. This guide is for you. We’ll walk through building interactive dashboards in Domo that actually get used by sales teams—step by step, no fluff.
Step 1: Get Clear on What the Sales Team Needs
Before you even log in to Domo, pause. What problems are you solving? “More data” isn’t an answer. Talk to your sales team. Ask:
- What numbers do you check every day?
- What’s a recent deal you wish you’d seen coming (good or bad)?
- What’s annoying about the current reports?
You’ll usually hear things like: - “I want to see my pipeline by stage.” - “I need to know which reps are behind on quota.” - “Who’s buying, and who’s ghosting us?”
Pro tip: Write down real questions, not just “metrics.” Dashboards that answer questions get used. Lists of random charts don’t.
Step 2: Gather (and Clean) Your Data
Domo’s biggest strength is connecting to a ton of data sources—Salesforce, Excel, Google Sheets, you name it. But garbage in, garbage out.
- Connect your data sources: In Domo, add your CRM, spreadsheets, or whatever your sales team uses.
- Check for junk: Are there duplicate leads? Weird date formats? Old accounts no one cares about?
- Standardize fields: Make sure things like “Closed Date” or “Rep Name” are consistent across sources.
- Don’t overthink it: You can always add more data later. Just start with the basics—deals, reps, pipeline stages, and activities.
What to skip: Fancy data models. Unless you have a data team, don’t tie yourself in knots trying to build the “perfect” dataset from day one.
Step 3: Map Out Your Dashboard on Paper First
Seriously, grab a notebook. Sketch out:
- What questions go at the top? (e.g., “How’s my pipeline this month?”)
- What filters matter? (Date, rep, product line, region)
- What charts or tables answer those questions?
Why bother? This stops you from building a random mess of widgets. A dashboard is only useful if someone can scan it and get answers in 10 seconds.
Step 4: Build Your Basic Dashboard Layout in Domo
Now, open up Domo and start building. Here’s how:
- Create a new dashboard (Page):
- Go to “Pages” and click “+ New Page.”
- Name it something obvious, like “Sales Team Dashboard.”
- Add cards (widgets):
- Click “+” and pick the card type—bar, table, number, etc.
- Connect each card to your cleaned-up dataset.
- Group related info:
- Put key metrics (total pipeline, closed deals) at the top.
- Group details (reps, activities) below.
- Add filters:
- Use filter cards for things like date, rep, or territory.
- Make sure they’re easy to use—if it takes three clicks to filter by region, that’s two clicks too many.
What works: Keep it simple. One page, 5–7 cards, big numbers at the top.
What doesn’t: Cramming in every chart you can think of. If you have to squint to read it, it’s too much.
Step 5: Make It Interactive—But Not Overwhelming
Domo lets you add interactivity. That’s great—if you don’t go overboard.
- Drill-downs: Set up cards so users can click for more detail (e.g., click a region to see all deals there).
- Dynamic filtering: Let users filter by rep, product, or time period with a single click.
- Card linking: Clicking a bar on one chart can filter others. This is handy, but only if it’s obvious what’s happening.
What to avoid: Nested drill-downs that bury info three clicks deep. People get lost and give up.
Pro tip: Watch a sales rep use your dashboard. If they hesitate or ask “How do I…?” you’ve made it too complex.
Step 6: Polish It—But Skip the Eye Candy
You want your dashboard to be clear, not pretty for its own sake.
- Label everything: No one remembers what “Card 1” means.
- Use real language: “Deals Closed This Month”—not “QTD_OPP_CLS_SUM.”
- Pick readable colors: High-contrast, colorblind-friendly. Skip the neon.
- Limit visuals: Use sparklines or icons sparingly—just enough to help, not distract.
What to ignore: Corporate branding guidelines that make things hard to read. Your sales team wants clarity, not a logo parade.
Step 7: Share with the Team—and Actually Listen
Don’t just email a link and call it done.
- Do a walkthrough: Sit down with a few sales reps. Show them how to use filters and drill-downs.
- Ask what’s missing: If a number surprises them, dig in—is your data wrong, or did you just surface something useful?
- Make quick fixes: If someone points out a confusing label or useless chart, fix it on the spot.
Pro tip: Don’t be precious. If a card isn’t used, delete it. Dashboards aren’t art—they’re tools.
Step 8: Set Up Alerts and Scheduled Reports
Dashboards are great, but sales teams live in their inboxes.
- Set up alerts: Domo can ping reps when their pipeline drops, a deal closes, or they’re falling behind.
- Schedule email reports: Send a snapshot of key metrics every Monday morning—so even the dashboard-averse stay in the loop.
What works: Alerts tied to real actions (e.g., “Your pipeline is down 20%—here are the stalled deals”).
What doesn’t: Spamming the whole team with every data change. Too many alerts = everyone ignores them.
Step 9: Keep It Fresh—But Don’t Overcomplicate
Check in monthly. Is the dashboard still useful? Are reps actually using it?
- Update stale cards: If a metric is always zero, kill it.
- Add new questions: As the team’s needs change, tweak your dashboard.
- Don’t chase trends: Resist the urge to add “AI-powered insights” unless they actually help your team do their job.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
A good Domo dashboard isn’t a masterpiece—it’s a living tool. The best ones are simple, answer real questions, and get tweaked often. Don’t obsess over getting it perfect. Build, share, get feedback, and improve. That’s how you end up with dashboards your sales team actually wants to use.
Now, go build something useful. And don’t be afraid to delete half of it a month from now—simpler is almost always better.