Do you think you'd be able to drive your car if there wasn't a dashboard to tell you at what speed you were driving or how much gas you had left? I wouldn't think so.
While sales and driving may not have a lot in common, it might surprise you that I consider dashboards to be a commonality between the two of them. In both cases, dashboards give you the security of knowing you're making the right decision, provide you with valuable information in an instant, and obviously it gives you full control.
As a sales person, you have a goal to achieve and KPIs that you need to track. Why not gather them and create a top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365? All the data is there — you simply need to put it together. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to create a top sales dashboard. This new tool will help you keep track of everything you need to reach your objectives in Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Tip #1 for creating a Top Sales Dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: Keep it simple, stupid.
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'll 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 don't have a goal in mind, you might end up putting a lot of time, effort, and energy into that dashboard. And then end up never using it. Here's another key to creating the best top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: keep it wildly 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. It'll help 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 for creating a Top Sales Dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: Sales priority #1 is achieving the objective
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 tool to keep an eye on a couple of bits of data. However, 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 act on a lead. The dashboard can give you the power to reach and even surpass your objectives if it's well designed.
Tip #3 for creating a Top Sales Dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: What are the objectives that you want?
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. 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'll need and to put that into action. Your job here will be to gather all the relevant information. Then, 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. Your dashboard provides information about how to improve, where to work harder, or where you're missing out. This should be the tool to give direction to your day.
Tip #4 for creating a Top Sales Dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365: What are the KPIs you need to stay on track with your objectives?
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'll 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:
- Current revenue
- Pipeline that'll close within X-Days
- % 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. If you set a specific goal, you'll instantly get a clear idea of your progress just by looking at your dashboard. And that's what we want: a quick and informative tool.
If you want to achieve your objective, 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:
- Open Opportunities with Close Date within 30 days
- 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. For those of you chasing greater achievements, you can create a specific sales dashboard. That'll give you all you need to target new prospects, and convert more leads. To do so, you'll need these KPIs in your top sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365:
- New Leads
- Closed Leads for Bad Reasons
- Active Customers with high recurring revenue
- Lost Opportunities for Bad Reasons within 30 days
To make a great sales dashboard in Microsoft Dynamics 365, do it easily and focus on the right KPIs.. 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. And if you want to learn more about the general best practises regarding creating a dashboard in Dynamics 365, read our blog post about it here.
