If you’re on a B2B sales team and tired of squinting at generic dashboards that don’t tell you what actually matters, you’re not alone. Most analytics platforms are either too basic or so complex you need a PhD to get value from them. Heap’s pretty good at letting you slice and dice user data, but only if you know how to set things up for sales—not just for product managers or marketers.
This guide is for B2B sales teams who want real answers from their data—like which accounts are actually using your product, where deals stall, and what features move the needle. I’ll walk you through building custom reports in Heap, with zero fluff and honest advice about what’s actually worth your time.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need to Track
Before you even open Heap, stop and ask: what do you actually want to know? Don’t just track stuff because you “can.” Heap collects a ton of data by default, but that doesn’t mean it’s all useful.
Common B2B sales questions worth answering: - Which accounts are most active (and which are at risk)? - Where do prospects drop out of the onboarding or demo process? - Are certain features driving more upgrades or renewals? - How long does it actually take for an opportunity to move through each sales stage?
Pro tip: If you can’t see how a metric would change what you do next quarter, skip it for now.
Step 2: Set Up Your Events and Properties
Heap auto-captures a lot, but B2B sales teams usually need more context—like account names, sales stage, or user roles. Here’s how to make sure you’re tracking what matters:
2.1 Define Key Events
Events are actions users (or accounts) take. For B2B sales, these might be: - “Signed up for demo” - “Invited teammate” - “Viewed pricing page” - “Completed onboarding” - “Requested sales contact”
Don’t get lost tracking every button click. Start with milestones that matter for your sales process.
2.2 Add Custom Properties
Heap lets you attach extra info to events—think “Account Tier,” “Assigned Sales Rep,” or “Opportunity Stage.” This is where you connect user actions to the sales funnel.
How to add properties: - Work with whoever manages your product or engineering to pass these as user properties via Heap’s identify API. - For account-level reporting: push account ID, name, or type as properties. Heap’s default setup is user-centric, so you’ll need to group by account manually, or use Heap’s account-level analysis features (if available in your plan).
What to ignore: If you’re not going to segment by it, don’t bother adding it as a property. More noise = more confusion.
Step 3: Map Your Sales Funnel in Heap
You need to tell Heap what your sales funnel looks like, not the other way around.
3.1 List Your Funnel Stages
Examples for B2B: 1. Visited website 2. Signed up for demo/trial 3. Completed onboarding 4. Invited teammates 5. Engaged with key feature 6. Requested pricing/contact 7. Closed/won
3.2 Create Funnel Reports
- Go to Analyze > Funnels in Heap.
- Add your key events in order (don’t overthink; you can tweak later).
- Set conversion windows that make sense (e.g., a week for “demo-to-onboarding” might be realistic for B2B).
Honest take: Funnels look great in screenshots, but in real life, B2B journeys are messy. Focus on the biggest drop-off point, not every tiny leak.
Step 4: Build Custom Reports That Actually Help Sales
This is where most teams get lost in the weeds. Here’s how to keep it useful:
4.1 Account Activity Reports
- Goal: See which accounts are using the product, how often, and who’s at risk.
- How: Group events by “Account Name” or “Account ID.”
- Metrics to track: Active days, number of users per account, last seen.
4.2 Feature Adoption by Account
- Goal: Spot which features high-value accounts use (and which get ignored).
- How: Build a report showing % of accounts using each key feature.
- Why it matters: Helps sales focus on what actually closes deals.
4.3 Sales Cycle Timing
- Goal: Learn how long it takes for an account to move from demo to close.
- How: Use Heap’s “Time to Convert” metric, filtered by account.
- Caveat: This only works if your events and properties are set up right. Otherwise, you’ll get bad data.
4.4 Stalled Opportunities
- Goal: Find accounts that went cold after a certain stage.
- How: Build a report for accounts that completed step X but never reached step Y within a set timeframe.
- Action: Send these to your sales reps for follow-up.
Step 5: Segment and Filter Like a Human, Not a Robot
Heap’s segmentation features are powerful—if you don’t go overboard. Here’s what’s actually useful for B2B sales:
- Segment by Account Tier: Enterprise vs. SMB patterns are rarely the same.
- Filter by Assigned Rep: Spot who’s crushing it (or needs help).
- Time-based filters: Look at last 30/90 days; old data rarely helps close new deals.
Don’t bother: Segmenting by browser, device, or city for B2B sales. Nobody closes a deal because they use Chrome.
Step 6: Share (and Automate) Reports with Your Team
Data isn’t helpful if it just sits in Heap. Here’s how to actually get value out of your reports:
- Set up regular email digests: Send top reports to reps and managers weekly. Don’t make people log in to Heap for basic info.
- Pin key dashboards: Keep your most important reports front and center—bury the rest.
- Use Slack or Teams integrations (if available): Pipe alerts about hot accounts or drop-offs right where your team lives.
Pro tip: If people stop reading your reports, ask why. Either the data’s not useful, or it’s not actionable.
Step 7: Avoid the Common Pitfalls (So You Don’t Waste Hours)
A lot of teams trip up here. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Messy event naming: Keep names human-readable. “Clicked CTA V2” means nothing six months from now.
- Too many custom properties: More isn’t better. Only track what you’ll use.
- Ignoring account-level context: Heap’s user-first, but B2B sales care about accounts. Always group by account in reports.
- Analysis paralysis: Don’t try to answer everything at once. Pick one or two key questions and build from there.
Step 8: Iterate, Don’t Overbuild
You won’t get it perfect the first time. That’s fine. The best teams treat reporting as a work-in-progress:
- Review your reports every month. Kill the ones nobody uses.
- If a metric isn’t driving action, drop it.
- Ask the sales team what’s actually helpful, not just what “looks good.”
Keep It Simple—And Useful
Custom reporting in Heap can be a game changer for B2B sales, but only if you focus on what actually matters to your team. Set up the basics, skip the vanity metrics, and get feedback early. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of “good enough to take action.” Iterate, stay skeptical, and remember: the best report is one your team actually uses.