If you manage B2B sales, you know there’s a fine line between tracking what matters and getting buried in dashboards you’ll never look at again. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, and founders who want to use data to actually sell more—not just fill out reports. If you’re tired of spreadsheets that go nowhere and “insights” that aren’t actionable, you’re in the right place.
Here’s how to use Nimbler to track and analyze your B2B sales performance—without wasting your team’s time or your own.
Why Track Sales Performance Metrics at All?
Let’s get this out of the way: tracking sales metrics isn’t about showing off charts in meetings. It’s about finding problems early and doubling down on what works. Without good data, you’re just guessing why you hit or missed quota last quarter.
But not every metric is worth your time. The trick is to focus on numbers that lead to action—not “vanity metrics” that just look good. Nimbler’s value comes from helping you spot the stuff that actually moves deals forward.
Step 1: Set Up Nimbler With Only the Metrics That Matter
Before you jump into Nimbler, get clear on what you actually want to track. More is not better—five useful metrics beat twenty that no one understands.
The sales metrics that usually matter in B2B: - Qualified leads added (per week/month) - Conversion rate (lead to opportunity, opportunity to deal, etc.) - Average sales cycle length - Deal size (average and by segment) - Pipeline coverage (pipeline value ÷ quota) - Win/loss reasons (if you can trust your reps to log them honestly)
Metrics to ignore (unless you have a specific reason): - Email open rates (unless your sales cycle is heavily email-driven) - Social media engagement (unless you’re running outbound campaigns there) - “Activity counts” (calls made, emails sent) unless you’re managing a call-heavy SDR team
Pro Tip:
Before plugging everything into Nimbler, have a real conversation with your team about which numbers actually help them close more deals. If a metric doesn’t change how you work, skip it.
How to set up in Nimbler: - Customize your dashboard to show only the metrics above. - Hide or remove default widgets you don’t need. Don’t be sentimental about “default” settings. - Set targets for each metric, but avoid sandbagging. Make goals ambitious yet realistic.
What works:
Nimbler’s dashboard customization is straightforward. You can drag, drop, and kill panels you don’t want. This is more useful than the default dashboards in most CRMs, which try to be everything to everyone.
Step 2: Connect Your Data Sources (Cleanly)
Nimbler connects to most of the usual suspects: Salesforce, HubSpot, email, calendar, and even some marketing tools. Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Connect only what you need: If you’re tracking deals, connect your CRM and, if relevant, your calendar (for meetings set). Don’t bother connecting every available integration just because you can.
- Map your fields: Nimbler will try to match fields, but double-check them. “Lead Source” in your CRM might mean something different in Nimbler.
- Clean up old data: Garbage in, garbage out. Archive or delete dead deals before syncing.
- Watch for duplicates: If you sync from multiple sources, ensure you’re not double-counting leads or deals.
What doesn’t work:
Relying on Nimbler’s “auto-mapping” 100%. It works most of the time, but if your CRM is highly customized, check every important field.
Pro Tip:
Do a test sync first with a small batch of data. Fix issues before importing your entire history.
Step 3: Build a Simple, Actionable Dashboard
You don’t need a wall of graphs. You need a dashboard that answers, “Are we on track?” and “Where are the bottlenecks?”
Here’s what a no-nonsense B2B dashboard in Nimbler looks like: - Current pipeline (by stage and value) - Deals closed this month/quarter - Conversion rates between key stages - Average deal size - Top 3 win/loss reasons
Anything else is optional. If you want to get fancy later (segment by industry, rep, or region), go for it—but only after you’ve nailed the basics.
Setting this up in Nimbler: - Use the dashboard builder to add only these widgets. - Set alerts for when metrics fall below (or rise above) certain thresholds. - Schedule a weekly email summary to yourself and your team. That way, you don’t have to log in to remember what matters.
What works:
Nimbler’s weekly summaries are genuinely useful and not overloaded with fluff. The platform makes it easy to focus on trends, not just snapshots.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother with “gamification” modules unless your team is actually motivated by badges and leaderboards. Most serious B2B teams couldn’t care less.
Step 4: Use Nimbler’s Analysis Tools to Spot Patterns (and Problems)
A dashboard tells you where you stand. Analysis tools help you figure out why.
What’s genuinely useful in Nimbler: - Funnel analysis: See where leads get stuck or drop off. - Historical trends: Compare this quarter to last (or to the same time last year). - Deal velocity: How quickly deals move from stage to stage. - Rep performance: Who’s actually closing, and where do they get stuck?
How to use these tools: - Run a funnel report monthly. If a stage is consistently slow, dig in. Is it a training issue, or are you targeting the wrong prospects? - Check win/loss analysis quarterly. Are you losing to the same competitor every time? Are deals getting lost due to pricing, features, or something else? - Use cohort analysis only if you sell across very different customer segments. Otherwise, it’s overkill.
Don’t get distracted by: - Overly granular segmentation. If you have a small sales team, slicing data by region, industry, or rep might just create noise. - Predictive analytics that promise to “forecast your future pipeline” with little explanation. These tools can be fun to play with, but don’t build your plan around them.
Pro Tip:
When you spot a pattern, talk to your front-line reps. Data should start conversations, not end them.
Step 5: Make Reporting Work for Humans, Not Just Executives
Let’s be honest: Most sales reports are built for the exec team, not the people doing the work. Nimbler lets you automate reporting, but that’s only helpful if the reports actually get read.
How to keep reporting useful: - Share dashboards in weekly sales meetings—but keep it short. Focus on one or two metrics that are off. - Use Nimbler’s “comment” feature to add context. Numbers without narrative are just noise. - Skip daily reports unless you’re running a boiler room. Weekly is usually enough.
Don’t:
- Flood people’s inboxes with daily update emails.
- Turn every minor change into a “deep dive.” Most teams need time to act on insights.
What works:
Nimbler’s sharing features are simple, and you can set different access levels for managers vs. reps. This keeps things focused.
What doesn’t:
Trying to use Nimbler’s exported reports as a substitute for real conversation. Talk about the numbers, don’t just email spreadsheets.
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Let Your Metrics Get Stale
Your business will change. So should your metrics.
- Review your dashboard every quarter. Is every metric still useful?
- Drop what’s not driving action.
- Add new metrics only if you’re ready to act on them.
- Update goals based on what you’ve learned—not just to “raise the bar.”
Pro Tip:
Invite feedback from the team. If reps roll their eyes at a metric, ask why. Sometimes the frontline knows better than the ops folks.
What to ignore:
Don’t chase every “hot new KPI” you see on LinkedIn. Stick to what’s working for your sales cycle and team.
Keep It Simple—And Keep Improving
Sales analytics shouldn’t be a second job. With Nimbler, you can track what matters and spot problems before they become crises. Don’t try to build the “perfect” dashboard on day one. Start with a handful of metrics, talk about them with your team, and keep tweaking as you go.
If a metric isn’t helping you sell more or make better decisions, it’s just noise. Focus on clarity, keep your setup lean, and let the data start real conversations—not just another pile of reports.