Create a Top Sales Dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365

#Tip 1:

Before even creating a dashboard, you need to remind yourself of that goal, of that quarter objective and what you need to achieve it. You have to implement a strategy that will serve you before even thinking of adding charts to your top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Why? Because there’s a risk that you won’t use it. Be aware that if you do not have a goal in mind, you might end up putting a lot of time, effort, and energy into that dashboard, and then never use it. Here’s another key to creating the best top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: keep it crazy simple.

Remember the dashboard in your car? Yours in Dynamics 365 should be just like that. It should be a safety tool that keeps you from crashing, that helps you get more sales and meet your objectives  the same way the dashboard in your car helps you drive safely. And let’s be real, complex dashboards never get used. So go with the simplest setup and you’ll find a dashboard that you want to look at every morning before starting your day.

#Tip 2

Obviously, as a salesperson, you have to meet goals and quotas, and your priority is definitely keeping up with those objectives. To do so, you need the right tool.

We often see the dashboard as a way to keep an eye on a couple bits of data, but truly, the real utility of having a dashboard is having a place where you get all the required information for reaching your goals. That’s it. In sales, a lot of key performance indicators can help you track, analyze, and choose the right moment to take action on a lead. The dashboard can give you the power to reach and even surpass your objective if it’s well designed.

What are the objectives that you want?

So, we have established that your objective is the most important thing you should articulate and build your top sales dashboard around in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Now, it’s time to determine what your goal is or what your objectives are.

If you don’t know what you are reaching for, you certainly won’t know which path to follow or the action to take. In order for you to have the best top sales dashboard possible in Microsoft Dynamics 365, you need to know what you are looking for, what the ultimate target for you is.

• How many leads do you want to convert? Are you on track?
• Do you want to better target customers with high recurring revenue?
• Do you want to lower your lost opportunities?

Does this clarify things? The idea is to get a clear view of what you will need and to put that into action. Your job here will be to gather all the relevant information and present it in an easy-to-understand way, so you won’t have to wrack your brain or search for hours before making decisions.

With your top sales dashboard, you should instantly know if you are on track with your objectives and what direction to take to reach them. Plus, the type of information that you put on your dashboard can even tell you how to do more, where to hustle more, or where you are lacking a presence. This should be the tool to give the direction to your day.

What are the KPIs you need to stay on track with your objective?

Obviously, as a sales team, you need to track a lot of things to stay on top of your work. From individual performance, to the pipeline, forecasts, and even your competition, there’s a lot of data to keep an eye on.

However, a top sales dashboard should always focus on the more specific key performance indicators like:

• Pipeline
• Leads by source
• Open Opportunities
• Closed Opportunities
• Sales by closed date
• Sales cycle

Depending on what your goal is, you will need a different set up for your dashboard. For example, if you want to stay on track for your sales, you should create your top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365 around:

1. Current revenue
2. Pipeline that will close within X Days
3. % Goal Achieved

Those KPIs help you determine if you are on track with your objectives. These are numbers that are directly linked to your target and if you set a specific goal, you will instantly get a clear idea of your progress just looking at your dashboard. And that’s what we want: a quick and informative tool.

If you want to achieve your objective, and you need a clear view of what you need to do or what would help close the gap between your present situation and the target, you must consider including these KPIs when creating your top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365:

1. Open Opportunities with Close Date within 30 days
2. Open Opportunities High Potential Revenue within 90 days (Can I accelerate the deal? The danger is to empty your Pipeline)

The first one is important because it gives you a clear idea of who you need to work on. These are the leads that you should contact and try to close deals with if you want to achieve your goal. This is a statistic that not only gives you an overview of your overall performance, it also gives you a clear path to take from there if you want to reach your goal.

The second and third are other resources for converting clients. Once you have a clear idea of who those open opportunities are, you need to ask yourself if you can accelerate the deal. However, be aware that these are the kind of opportunities that could empty your pipeline. Be careful with that chart.

If you are looking to surpass your objectives, impress your team lead, and get a promotion for outstanding performance, there’s also a dashboard for that. Yes, for those chasing greater achievements, you can create a specific sales dashboard that will give you all you need to target new prospects, and convert more leads. To do so, you will need these KPIs in your top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365:

1. New Leads
2. Closed Leads for Bad Reasons
3. Active Customers with high recurring revenue
4. Lost Opportunities for Bad Reasons within 30 days

However, if you want to create a top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365, you need to remember to do it the simplest way and to target the right KPIs for your specific goal. Not everything is important, not all data needs to be shown in your dashboard if you just want a quick overview of your overall performance in regards of your target. Try to tweak it every time you see something that you don’t like, and you’ll have a tool that helps you get a great performance review next quarter.