Here's how to do a sales analysis, step by step
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:19 am
How to do a sales analysis
1. Collect your sales data
Step One: Gather all your historical sales data. This means pulling information from your CRM, sales reports, transaction records, and any other sources. The more hard sales data, the better the insights.
This is usually the most difficult step, because:
Your sales team probably isn't tracking everything 100% in the CRM
Different people may follow things in different ways.
CRM doesn't always make data collection easy.
Garbage in, garbage out, as they say!
That's why it's of great importance to use a uae cell phone number list CRM tool that your sales team actually uses and makes it as easy as possible to track all customer data. (This is actually the reason why we started Salesflare .)
2. Develop sales analysis dashboards and reports
Then, transform that data into easy-to-read dashboards and reports.
Use charts, graphs, and tables to visualize data. This makes it easier to spot trends and understand what's happening at a glance.
Most CRM systems have built-in reporting features and I recommend using them because they provide access to the most data and are usually updated in real-time. Different reporting features may be offered under different pricing plans.
Our CRM, Salesflare , comes preloaded with the most common reports, available on the Growth plan. On the Pro plan you can build any custom report you like.
Cut your data as you wish
Create custom reports to power your sales analysis.
Check out our dedicated guide for examples of dashboards and reports .
3. Analyze sales data
Finally, dive into the data.
Look for patterns, compare your company’s overall performance with set goals, and determine the causes of deviations. Use this information to make smart decisions and improve your sales strategy.
Don’t just focus on numbers… look for stories in the data. What do the trends tell you about your customers and the inefficiencies in your overall sales process?
4. Improve your sales... and analyze the results
Now that you know what's going well in your sales and what can be improved... you can use it!
Here is a step-by-step plan:
Make a list of your potential improvements
Prioritize them based on ROI (i.e. divide the potential business impact by the effort required).
Define solutions for each
Implement the solutions
Continue to measure and analyze results
If you want to get inspired, here are some stories of Salesflare heroes who manage to do just that on a regular basis.
1. Collect your sales data
Step One: Gather all your historical sales data. This means pulling information from your CRM, sales reports, transaction records, and any other sources. The more hard sales data, the better the insights.
This is usually the most difficult step, because:
Your sales team probably isn't tracking everything 100% in the CRM
Different people may follow things in different ways.
CRM doesn't always make data collection easy.
Garbage in, garbage out, as they say!
That's why it's of great importance to use a uae cell phone number list CRM tool that your sales team actually uses and makes it as easy as possible to track all customer data. (This is actually the reason why we started Salesflare .)
2. Develop sales analysis dashboards and reports
Then, transform that data into easy-to-read dashboards and reports.
Use charts, graphs, and tables to visualize data. This makes it easier to spot trends and understand what's happening at a glance.
Most CRM systems have built-in reporting features and I recommend using them because they provide access to the most data and are usually updated in real-time. Different reporting features may be offered under different pricing plans.
Our CRM, Salesflare , comes preloaded with the most common reports, available on the Growth plan. On the Pro plan you can build any custom report you like.
Cut your data as you wish
Create custom reports to power your sales analysis.
Check out our dedicated guide for examples of dashboards and reports .
3. Analyze sales data
Finally, dive into the data.
Look for patterns, compare your company’s overall performance with set goals, and determine the causes of deviations. Use this information to make smart decisions and improve your sales strategy.
Don’t just focus on numbers… look for stories in the data. What do the trends tell you about your customers and the inefficiencies in your overall sales process?
4. Improve your sales... and analyze the results
Now that you know what's going well in your sales and what can be improved... you can use it!
Here is a step-by-step plan:
Make a list of your potential improvements
Prioritize them based on ROI (i.e. divide the potential business impact by the effort required).
Define solutions for each
Implement the solutions
Continue to measure and analyze results
If you want to get inspired, here are some stories of Salesflare heroes who manage to do just that on a regular basis.