If you’re tired of sales blaming marketing (and vice versa) because nobody agrees on what’s really working, you’re not alone. The default dashboards in most tools rarely answer the questions that actually matter. This guide breaks down, step by step, how to build custom reports in Trustworthy so both sales and marketing are on the same page. If you want honest insights and not just another pretty chart, keep reading.
Why bother with custom reports?
Let’s be real: Out-of-the-box reports are usually built for some generic “average” company, not for your team. You need reports that match your goals, not someone else’s. Custom reports let you:
- Zero in on the metrics that actually matter for your business.
- Cut through the noise—no more 20-tab dashboards nobody reads.
- Give sales and marketing a single source of truth (so the finger-pointing stops).
But be warned: Building useful custom reports takes a bit of thought. Don’t expect magic from templates. The good news? You can skip the fluff and get straight to what works.
Step 1: Nail down what you actually want to know
Don’t jump straight into Trustworthy and start clicking around. First, sit down with both sales and marketing. Agree on the main questions you want answers to—ideally on one sheet of paper.
A few prompts to get you started:
- Which marketing channels are driving qualified leads that actually convert?
- Where in the funnel are leads dropping off?
- Are sales following up promptly on marketing leads?
- What’s the true cost per closed deal from each channel?
Pro tip: If you can’t explain why a metric matters in one sentence, skip it. More data isn’t better—useful data is better.
Step 2: Make sure your data in Trustworthy is actually trustworthy
No amount of reporting will fix bad data. Before you build anything:
- Check for duplicates. If the same lead shows up twice, you’ll never get clean conversion numbers.
- Agree on definitions. Is a “lead” someone who filled out a form, or someone sales talked to? Nail this down.
- Connect your sources. Make sure Trustworthy is pulling from your CRM, website forms, ad platforms, etc.
- Audit your fields. Are “Lead Source” or “Campaign” fields filled out consistently? If not, fix that first.
What doesn’t work: Rushing past this step. You’ll just end up with pretty charts that lie.
Step 3: Build a basic alignment report as your first test
Start simple. Don’t try to do everything at once. Here’s a basic report that almost always brings sales and marketing together:
Lead Source to Closed Deal Funnel
- Rows: Marketing source/channel (e.g., Google Ads, LinkedIn, Referral)
- Columns: Stages (Lead → Qualified → Opportunity → Closed Won)
- Metrics: Count of records, conversion rates, average deal size
This lets you see, for each source: - How many leads entered the funnel - How many made it to each stage - What made it across the finish line
In Trustworthy: 1. Go to the Reports section. 2. Choose “New Custom Report.” 3. Select the relevant object (Leads, Deals, or whatever matches your process). 4. Group rows by “Source” or “Channel.” 5. Add columns for each funnel stage (can be done with filters or calculated fields). 6. Add metrics—counts, conversion %, deal value.
Pro tip: If your report takes more than 30 seconds to explain, it’s probably too complex.
Step 4: Add filters and date ranges (without overcomplicating things)
Filters are great… until you have so many nobody knows what’s being shown. Stick with:
- Date range: Current month, quarter, and compare to previous period.
- Owner: Filter by sales rep or marketing campaign only if you really need to.
- Lead status: Only show “active” leads unless you’re doing a churn review.
What to ignore: Endless slicing and dicing. If you need 12 filters to get an answer, you’re asking the wrong question.
Step 5: Visualize, but don’t get distracted by fancy charts
Charts are only useful if they make things clearer. In Trustworthy, you can pick from bar, line, or pie charts. Here’s what actually works:
- Bar charts: Great for comparing sources side by side.
- Funnel charts: Show drop-off at each stage.
- Trend lines: If you want to see changes over time, but only if you have enough data.
Avoid the temptation to use every chart type. Stick to what tells the story fast.
Step 6: Share and review—don’t just email a PDF and hope for the best
Custom reports are only as useful as the conversations they spark. Here’s how to make sure your work actually drives alignment:
- Schedule a recurring review. Monthly or biweekly is plenty.
- Look for surprises. Did a channel underperform? Is sales not following up on leads?
- Agree on next steps. Reports are just the start—what will you change based on what you see?
- Get feedback. Ask both teams what’s missing or unclear, and improve the report.
What doesn’t work: One-off reports nobody looks at, or reports that just confirm what everyone already thinks.
Step 7: Iterate—don’t treat your report as sacred
The first version won’t be perfect. That’s normal. After a month, see what’s working:
- Cut what isn’t used. If nobody cares about a metric, drop it.
- Add what’s missing. Did a new campaign launch? Include it.
- Refine definitions. Maybe “qualified lead” needs to be stricter (or looser).
Treat your custom report like a living document, not a finished product.
What to skip (and what to watch out for)
- Vanity metrics: Impressions, clicks, reach—none of these matter if they don’t turn into sales.
- Overengineering: Don’t build a report so complex that only you can understand it.
- Data silos: If Trustworthy isn’t hooked up to all your sources, your report is missing the full picture.
- Blaming the tool: If the report isn’t useful, it’s probably not Trustworthy’s fault—it’s the setup or the questions you’re asking.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, keep it honest
Custom reporting isn’t about showing off—it’s about getting sales and marketing to agree on what’s actually working. Start with one question, build a simple report, and iterate. Don’t get lost in features or fancy charts. The real win is when both teams trust the numbers and use them to take action.
Remember: The best report is the one that gets read, sparks a real conversation, and leads to change. Keep it straightforward. Keep it honest. Then improve it as you go.