Specific time periods: Present information over a specific time frame to better track and compare performance over certain periods.
Clear comparison data: Add a column or section that includes comparison data from a previous period to track changes in performance and identify trends and patterns.
Easy-to-read visualizations: Make your report easier to understand and your data easier to compare and digest with attractive visualizations like tables, charts, and graphs.
Customizable fields: Allow for report and data customization to ensure your report remains applicable and effective when market, business, and data changes occur.
Steps to creating a sales report template
There are certain standard steps to creating a sales report template, regardless of whether you’re using sales reporting software, such as a CRM system or Microsoft Excel. Let’s explore some of the most critical steps in this process and walk through why they’re important.
Steps to creating a sales report germany whatsapp number template
Determine your sales report objectives
Decide on the reporting time period
Gather and evaluate your sales data
Highlight the central data insights
Incorporate visualizations to present data
1. Determine your sales report objectives
Defining the primary and secondary goals of your sales report and template is a critical step. Once you know your sales reporting objectives, the rest of the template creation steps become easier. Your sales report goals influence the types of data you’ll include to measure those goals and your ideal reporting timeframe.
Consider how often you’ll need to assess progress toward these goals to determine which daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly metrics you should include.
2. Align your report with your audience
Who will use and view your completed sales reports—your CEO, VP, or sales reps? When building your template, think about who your sales report audience will be, and ensure you include the information they’ll want to see.
For example, a busy CEO may only need to see high-level sales and marketing metrics, while your sales team members may want to get more into the specifics of sales activities and performance.
3. Decide on the reporting time period
In step one above, we touched on the cadence of data generation and analysis and how this will depend on your business needs and goals. Step three calls for establishing the most appropriate data presentation and evaluation timeframes, the most common being daily, weekly, and monthly reporting.