If you work in B2B sales, you know dashboards are either a lifesaver or a cluttered mess. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, and anyone who wants their Fluint dashboard to actually help close deals, not just look impressive in screenshots. I’ll walk you through building a dashboard that makes sense for your team—without wasting time on vanity metrics or endless tinkering.
Let’s get into it.
Before You Start: What Actually Matters in a B2B Sales Dashboard?
Here’s the thing: more isn’t always better. Fancy charts don’t win deals—clear, actionable info does. Before you even open Fluint, take five minutes and jot down what your team really needs to see every day. Usually, it’s things like:
- Pipeline health (what’s moving, what’s stuck)
- Key deals and stages
- Activities and next steps
- Forecast vs. actuals
- Team leaderboard (if you care about that stuff)
Ignore the urge to track every possible metric. You’ll just bury the important stuff.
Step 1: Get Familiar with Fluint’s Dashboard Basics
Before you customize, you need a handle on how Fluint dashboards work:
- Dashboards are collections of widgets (charts, tables, lists).
- Widgets pull data from your sales pipeline, activities, accounts, and other connected sources.
- You can create multiple dashboards (e.g., one for execs, one for reps).
- Most widgets are drag-and-drop, but some require a bit of setup.
Pro Tip: Open the default dashboard and poke around. Notice what’s useful, what’s noise, and what’s missing for your team.
Step 2: Clean Up or Clone the Existing Dashboard
Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. Fluint gives you a default sales dashboard—sometimes it’s decent, sometimes it’s a kitchen sink.
- Option 1: Clean up the default. Delete widgets you don’t need.
- Option 2: Clone it, then edit. This keeps the original as a backup.
Here’s how: 1. Open the dashboard menu (usually a sidebar or top nav). 2. Click the three-dot "more" menu next to the dashboard name. 3. Select “Clone” or “Edit.” 4. Rename your dashboard (e.g., “Sales Team View – Q2”).
Now you have a sandbox to play in. No risk of breaking the original.
Step 3: Add, Remove, and Rearrange Widgets
This is where most of the magic happens.
To add widgets:
- Click “Add Widget” or the "+" button.
- Browse the available types (charts, tables, leaderboards, etc.).
- Pick what matches your priorities (e.g., “Open Deals by Stage”).
To remove:
Hover over a widget and look for the trash can or “Remove” option.
To rearrange:
Drag and drop widgets until your dashboard flows logically. Put the most important stuff top and center. Don’t bury the pipeline under a pile of pie charts.
Don’t waste time on: - Widgets you think look cool but never use. - Overly granular breakdowns (e.g., deal size by zip code—unless you actually sell that way).
Step 4: Customize Widget Settings for Real Insights
Most widgets in Fluint let you tweak what they show. This is where you turn generic charts into something useful.
Examples of customizations:
- Filter by rep, region, or product line
- Change date ranges (e.g., this quarter, last 30 days)
- Select which pipeline stages to show
- Choose sum/average/count metrics
- Set thresholds for color-coding (e.g., red if deals haven’t moved in 14 days)
How to do it: 1. Click the gear or “Settings” icon on the widget. 2. Adjust filters, fields, and display options. 3. Save, then refresh the dashboard to see changes.
Pro Tip:
If you can’t get the exact view you want with the built-in options, check if Fluint supports custom formulas or calculated fields. If not, don’t waste hours trying to hack it—move on.
Step 5: Set Up Filters and Views for Different Roles
Not everyone cares about the same thing. Sales reps want to see their own deals. Managers need the big picture.
- Add dashboard-level filters (e.g., “Show me only my accounts”).
- Save views for common use cases (e.g., “My Pipeline”, “Team Forecast”).
How to do it: 1. Find the “Filters” or “View” menu at the top of the dashboard. 2. Select filters like owner, deal stage, or geography. 3. Click “Save as View” or “Bookmark” if you want to reuse the setup.
Honest take:
Don’t create a separate dashboard for every single rep. Use filters and shared views instead. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck maintaining a dozen nearly identical dashboards.
Step 6: Keep It Tidy—Limit What Goes on the Dashboard
Dashboards get messy fast. Here’s a rule of thumb: if you can’t see the key info without scrolling, you’re trying to do too much.
- Aim for 5–7 main widgets per dashboard.
- Group related widgets (pipeline stuff together, activities together).
- Put the “actionable” widgets above the “interesting” ones.
Ignore: - Vanity metrics (e.g., “Emails sent” unless it truly matters). - Widgets no one asks about at meetings.
Step 7: Share the Dashboard and Get Feedback
You’re not building this for yourself (unless you are, in which case, congrats). Share your new dashboard with a few team members:
- Click “Share” or “Send Link” (usually top right).
- Set permissions (view, edit, etc.).
- Ask for honest feedback: What’s missing? What’s useless?
- Make tweaks based on real-world use—not just your own preferences.
Pro Tip:
Resist the urge to keep tweaking forever. Good dashboards evolve, but if you’re spending more time on the dashboard than selling, something’s wrong.
Step 8: Set Up Alerts and Automation (Optional, but Helpful)
If Fluint supports it, set up a few basic alerts:
- Deal stuck in stage too long
- Big deal closes or pushes
- Pipeline drops below target
Don’t go overboard. Too many notifications and people start ignoring them. Pick the 2–3 things that really need immediate attention.
Automation (like sending reminders or updating fields) is nice, but only if it saves real time. If it takes an hour to automate something you only do once a month, skip it.
What to Watch Out For
- Analysis paralysis: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Launch with what you have and iterate.
- Over-customization: Every extra widget is another thing to update (or break).
- Data quality: If your underlying data is a mess, no dashboard can fix that. Clean up your CRM inputs first.
- Executive “asks”: Be wary of building dashboards just to impress the boss. Make sure it actually helps the team.
Keep It Simple, Review Often
A dashboard’s only useful if people actually use it. Start with the basics, review it with your team once a month, and tweak as you go. Don’t chase every new metric or feature—focus on what moves deals forward.
Remember, your goal isn’t a dashboard that wins design awards. It’s one that helps you hit quota, quarter after quarter.
Now go build something that works—and don’t be afraid to trim the fat.