Dashboards that Drive Action

A CRM without clear reporting is just a glorified spreadsheet.

It stores a massive amount of information, but it doesn't provide the insights you need to grow your business. Your team diligently tracks their deals, notes, and contacts, but they have no easy way to see the big picture. This means you can't answer simple but critical questions like:

• Are we on track to hit our target this quarter?

• Which sales rep is our top performer?

• Where are most deals getting stuck in our pipeline?

• What is our average deal size this month?

When you can't answer these questions quickly, you are flying blind. You make decisions based on gut feelings instead of facts. This leads to missed forecasts, an inefficient sales process, and wasted resources.

You don't need complex tools or a data scientist to get clarity. A modern CRM lets you build simple, powerful reports and dashboards. This guide will show you how to create your first sales dashboard to track the pipeline metrics that matter most.

What Are CRM Reports and Dashboards?

Let's start with the basics. It's important to understand the building blocks before you start.

A CRM report is a specific view of your data that answers a single question. Think of it as one chart or one number. For example, a report can show you the "Number of deals won this month" or the "Average size of your deals." In a tool like Attio, you can create different types of reports for any data you track.

An Attio dashboard is a collection of these individual reports. It's a single screen where you can see all your most important metrics at a glance. A good dashboard tells you the full story of your sales performance in real-time, without you having to dig for information. It's your command center for growth.
What are different report types that are available in attio? watch this to find out -

Let's Build a Simple Sales Dashboard

You can build a useful and insightful sales dashboard in just a few minutes. It's all about choosing the right reports to give you a clear, 360-degree view of your sales pipeline.

Here’s how you can create your first dashboard and the essential reports you should include to get started.

Step 1: Create a New, Blank Dashboard

First, you'll create a new dashboard in your CRM. Give it a simple, clear name like "Sales Performance." This will be your canvas. A good platform allows you to customize the layout completely. You can drag and drop reports, resize them, and arrange them in a way that makes the most sense to you. Don't worry about getting it perfect the first time; you can always change it later.

Step 2: Add Your First Report: Total Pipeline Value

The first thing most founders and sales leaders want to see is the total value of all their open deals. This is a simple but powerful report that gives you a high-level view of your potential revenue.

• Report Type: Choose an "Insights" report.

• Data Source: Select your "Deals" list.

• Metric: Choose "Sum" of the "Deal Value" attribute.

This report will show you one big number: the total amount of money you could make if you won every deal currently in your pipeline. It’s your starting point for understanding your sales health.

Step 3: Add a Funnel Report to Track Win Rate

Next, you need to understand how well you are converting those deals from leads into customers. A funnel report is the perfect tool for this. It shows you the conversion rate between each of your sales stages.

• Report Type: Choose a "Funnel" report.

• Data Source: Select your "Deals" list.

• Stages: Include all your deal stages, from the very first stage like "New Lead" all the way to "Won."

This report will instantly show you your overall win rate as a percentage. More importantly, it helps you spot exactly where deals are dropping off in your process. If you see a big drop between "Presentation" and "Negotiation," you know you need to improve that part of your sales motion.

Step 4: Add a Report to See Your Average Deal Size

It's very important to know the average value of the deals you actually win. A large pipeline is great, but if you're only closing small deals, you might still miss your revenue goals.

• Report Type: Choose a "Historical" report.

• Data Source: Select your "Deals" list.

• Filter: Add a filter so the report only looks at deals where the "Deal Stage" is "Won."

• Metric: Choose "Average" of the "Deal Value" attribute.

This report helps you understand if your team is working on the right kinds of deals. If your average deal size is too low, you know you need to focus on moving upmarket or finding ways to increase the value of each customer.

Essential Pipeline Metrics for Startups

Once you have your basic dashboard set up, you can add more detailed CRM reports to get even deeper insights. Here are a few essential pipeline metrics that every startup should track.

Sales Cycle Length

This report shows you the average time it takes to move a deal from the first contact to a signed contract. A "Stage Changed" report type is great for this. Knowing your sales cycle is critical for predicting future revenue. If you know it takes an average of 45 days to close a deal, you can look at your current pipeline and make a much more accurate forecast for the next quarter.

Deals by Source

This report shows you exactly where your best deals are coming from. You can group your deals by the "Lead Source" attribute. This helps you understand which marketing channels are actually making you money. If you see that "Organic Search" is your top source for won deals, you know you should invest more in your SEO and content strategy.

Deals Won by Rep

This report shows the performance of each person on your sales team. You can create a simple bar chart that shows the number or total value of deals won by each deal owner. This is great for tracking progress against quotas, identifying who might need extra coaching, and celebrating your team's wins.

Deals Moving to Each Stage

This is a great activity metric. You can create a report that shows the number of deals that have moved into a specific stage each week or month. For example, you can track how many deals move into the "Qualification" stage. This helps you understand if you are generating enough new opportunities at the top of the funnel to hit your future goals.

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Conclusion - From Data to Decisions

Your CRM should do more than just store information. It should be an active tool that helps you make smarter, faster decisions.

Attio dashboards are designed to turn your raw data into clear, actionable insights. They give you a live, real-time view of your business, so you always know exactly where you stand.

When you have a clear view of your pipeline metrics, you can:

• Spot problems early, before they get out of control.

• Understand what's working well so you can do more of it.

• Make data-driven decisions to grow your business faster and more predictably.

At Novlini, we help startups build these kinds of insightful dashboards. If you're ready to stop flying blind and start making decisions based on data, book a free 30-minute call with our team here. We'll help you unlock the valuable insights hidden inside your CRM.