If you’re trying to figure out why your sales team’s numbers look off, or you just want something better than gut instinct, you’re in the right place. This guide breaks down how to actually track sales team performance using the reporting features in Humanlinker. No fluff, no sales pitch—just what works, what’s a waste of time, and how to get the data you need without losing your mind.
Why Reporting Matters (and Why Most Teams Get It Wrong)
Let’s get honest: most sales reports are either ignored, misunderstood, or so stuffed with random numbers that they’re basically useless. The point of reporting isn’t to check a box or impress your boss—it’s to spot problems and opportunities before they cost you real money.
If you’re a: - Sales manager trying to coach your team, - Revenue leader looking to spot trends, - Or a rep who just wants to hit quota (and be left alone),
...you need reporting that’s easy to read, actionable, and makes you look smart.
Step 1: Get Your Data Clean, or Nothing Else Matters
Humanlinker’s dashboards are only as good as the data you feed them. Garbage in, garbage out.
What to check: - Duplicate contacts or deals: Merge or delete them. Double-counting leads or revenue just makes you look silly. - Missing close dates or stages: Incomplete data means reports that lie. - Who’s entering the data: If it’s not the actual rep, or if everyone’s doing it differently, your trends will get skewed.
Pro tip: Spend an hour with your team making sure everyone’s clear on what goes where. Set up simple rules. Yes, it’s boring. But fixing it later is worse.
Step 2: Pick Metrics That Matter (Ignore Vanity Numbers)
Humanlinker offers a buffet of metrics, but not all of them are worth your time. The trick is to focus on what actually moves the needle.
Skip the fluff like: - Total number of emails sent (unless you actually know quality is there) - Calls logged just for the sake of activity - “Touches” that don’t lead to meetings or responses
What to track instead: - Pipeline value: Real money, not just “opportunities created.” - Deal stage progression: Are deals moving, or stuck? - Win rate: Of deals that get to proposal, how many close? - Average sales cycle: How long from first contact to close? - Conversion rates: Meetings booked from outreach, and closed deals from meetings.
Pro tip: Ask yourself, “If this number goes up, does revenue go up?” If the answer’s no, skip it.
Step 3: Build Reports That Tell a Story
Humanlinker’s reporting features are flexible, but if you just pull up every chart, it’ll be overwhelming. Instead, set up a few key dashboards that actually answer questions you care about.
1. Team Performance Overview
- See: Total pipeline, deals closed, average deal size, won/lost ratio.
- Why it matters: Quick snapshot of how the team is trending, and whether quotas are in reach.
2. Individual Rep Breakdown
- See: Who’s crushing it, who’s struggling, and where deals are getting stuck.
- Why it matters: Helps you coach, not just nag. If someone’s booking tons of meetings but closing nothing, you know where to focus.
3. Activity vs. Results
- See: Compare top-of-funnel activity (calls, emails, meetings) with actual pipeline created and deals closed.
- Why it matters: Separates busywork from real selling. If activity is high but pipeline is flat, something’s off.
4. Deal Stage Drop-off
- See: Where in your pipeline deals are dying.
- Why it matters: You can fix the bottleneck, not just blame the reps.
How to set these up in Humanlinker: - Use the drag-and-drop dashboard builder (don’t overcomplicate—3–5 widgets is enough). - Filter by team, role, or custom tags. - Set up scheduled reports to land in your inbox weekly—don’t trust yourself to remember to check.
Don’t bother with: Pie charts showing “activity by type” unless you’re running experiments. They look pretty, but rarely help you take action.
Step 4: Actually Use the Reports (Otherwise, What’s the Point?)
This is where most teams drop the ball. Reports aren’t magic—they’re only useful if you use them to change something.
How to use reports in real life: - Weekly check-ins: Pull up your main dashboard and walk through it with the team. Focus on trends, not just last week’s numbers. - One-on-ones: Use individual reports to spot coaching opportunities. Don’t use them to beat people up—ask what’s getting in the way. - Monthly reviews: Look for patterns over time. Where are deals stalling? Who’s consistently beating the average, and what are they doing differently?
What not to do: - Don’t just forward reports to leadership and call it a day. If you’re not acting on the data, you might as well skip the whole exercise. - Don’t get stuck tweaking reports endlessly. Find a format that works and stick with it.
Step 5: Watch Out for Common Pitfalls
Not everything in Humanlinker is perfect (no tool is), and some features get more hype than they deserve. Here’s what to watch for:
- Overcomplicating dashboards: More widgets ≠ more insight. Stick to what you’ll actually use.
- Assuming data is real-time: There’s usually a lag—don’t panic if numbers look off for a day or two.
- Focusing only on activity metrics: Quality beats quantity. Ten great calls beat 100 mindless dials every time.
- Relying on AI “insights” without checking: Use them as prompts, not gospel. Sometimes they misread your pipeline.
Pro tip: Ask your team what’s actually helpful to see. If everyone ignores a report, kill it.
Step 6: Keep It Simple, Review, and Adjust
Your first dashboards won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The real value is in making reporting a habit and tweaking as you go.
- Start small: A handful of key metrics is better than a wall of numbers.
- Review regularly: Update your reports if your process changes, or if you spot blind spots.
- Get feedback: If the team’s not using the data, find out why.
Wrapping Up: Make Reporting Work for You, Not the Other Way Around
Reporting with Humanlinker isn’t about looking busy or checking boxes. It’s about spotting what’s actually happening, so you can fix problems, double down on what works, and skip the drama. Start with clean data, track what matters, and don’t be afraid to kill off reports that aren’t helping anyone.
Keep it simple. Review what you’re tracking every month or so. Don’t let the software drive your process—let it support you. And above all, remember: the goal isn’t prettier charts. It’s better results.