There are many methods to help sales teams smash those sales targets. And alongside clear communication, one of the best tools is to use is a visual sales dashboard.

Sales dashboards are nothing new and have been used in call centers and financial trading offices for decades. But the digital sales board is seeing a bit of an upgrade these days, with modern software adding more detail, more data and more tools to improve the sales process and help the sales team to hit those KPIs.

So how can you create and setup a digital sales board in your office?

What is a digital sales board?

Offering at-a-glance and up to the minute information data, the digital sales dashboard is a common sight in many offices. By pulling real-time data from sales software such as Salesforce, Microsoft BI or Geckoboard, these displays help to visualize sales performance using graphs and figures.

Sometimes referred to as a sales performance dashboard, these displays stream key metrics like revenue goals, individual or team rankings, sales trends, and helps teams stay informed and motivated.

Why do businesses need a digital sales board

1. Centralized data for easy access

Instead of juggling multiple spreadsheets or dashboards, a digital sales board combines all key metrics in one place. This reduces confusion and saves your team time they'd have spent searching for data or waiting for presentations to provide clarity.

Having all that information in one place also supports data driven decision making. If teams can instantly see their progress in real time on the screen in the office, they can get the info they need at a glance and focus on sales targets.

2. Encourages real-time collaboration

Sales dashboards are particularly useful for connecting different departments where they can be synced across digital signage screens in different locations. This means everyone can have access to the same actionable data and work together more effectively, wherever they are based.

3. Increases sales forecast accuracy

A digital sales board lets your business make better predictions about its sales pipeline because you can quickly analyze live data trends on the screen. There are many overall benefits of this. For one, it helps sales managers allocate resources like staffing and budgets more effectively.

So if the board shows a drop in conversion rates during a specific quarter, leadership can quickly adjust strategies as needed.

4. Increased sales team motivation

Seeing progress in real-time on a digital sales board can motivate your team members. When employees see their contributions displayed, whether through individual performance metrics or team achievements, it can create a sense of pride and purpose. 

You can find lots of reasons to celebrate team members, whether it's a rep hitting their daily target or someone closing a big client. Over time, these reinforcements can encourage high performance within your sales teams.

Read more about celebrating achievements with employee recognition boards.

5. Better sales management

A sales dashboard can offer a visual representation of the sales pipeline, breaking up each stage from initial contact to deal closure. This makes it easier for teams to manage opportunities focus on what matters most.

Your team can, at a glance, see what parts of the sales process flows without a hitch, and where prospects drop off the most. They can then create strategies to improve the overall pipeline.

Components of a digital sales board

A digital sales board is only as effective as the elements you put on it. Each component you include in your board will help it provide value and make it a tool your teams actually use.

Here’s a closer look of some key components and why they’re essential:

1. Sales metrics

Sales metrics form the backbone of any digital sales board. These could include revenue targets, team rankings, deal win rates, and customer acquisition costs (CAC). Metrics like these show the sales manager and teams a quick overview of their progress, and help everyone stay aligned.

Your company could also set up a sales product performance dashboard (a variant of the digital sales board) to break down these metrics by product, brand, or sub-brand, providing deeper insights into sales performance.

2. Real-time analytics

Real-time analytics turn static data into a dynamic and actionable resource, and they belong on any useful sales performance dashboards. Doing this can be as easy as pulling live data from CRMs or sales software so your boards update instantly, reflecting changes as they happen.

With this, be sure to use formats like charts, graphs or leaderboards so the metrics can be easy to visualize and understand at a glance.

3. Data integration systems

A sales dashboard needs to integrate with other systems if it's going to be a convenient source of continuous valuable information. Integrations with platforms like like Google Sheets, ERP systems, or analytics tools are a great place to start.

Without these, your sales teams could waste time manually transferring sales data between systems, increasing the risk of errors.

4. Customizable design

Everything from personalized layouts, branded color schemes, and tailored views for different users can help bring new life to your dashboards. These will help them pop, but also provide branding that’s consistent with the company’s image. 

When fine tuning your dashboard visuals, it’s also important to prioritize clarity. Avoid overloading the board with too much data, and give the most important metrics priority.

5. Security features

Since sales boards display sensitive business data, security measures are critical because unauthorized access can lead to data breaches or loss of competitive advantage. Look into user authentication and encryption measures for all data transmitted to and from the board.

6. Gamification features

Gamification elements like leaderboards, badges, or progress bars can make your digital sales boards a motivational tool through friendly competition and reward achievements.

Top features to explore here are countdowns for time-bound goals or badges for top performers. But keep in mind that the gamification elements should be inclusive rather than focusing solely on high achievers, so team members don't feel undervalued.

Read more on how to build a Competitor Intelligence Dashboard

Step-by-step instructions for creating a digital sales board

Follow these steps to build a board that motivates your team, keeps everyone informed, and integrates seamlessly with your existing systems.

Step 1: Which sales performance metrics will go on the board?

You'll need to decide which sales metrics are most important for the teams to focus on. Here are a few ideas:

• Revenue Metrics: Monthly recurring revenue (MRR), total sales, and deal values.
• Sales Funnel Data: Conversion rates, pipeline stages, average deal size, and deal velocity.
• Team Performance: Leaderboards, win rates, and individual contribution percentages.
• Customer Metrics: Lifetime value (LTV), acquisition cost (CAC), and churn rate.

Metrics should also align with your goals. For example, a sales team might prioritize revenue and deal velocity, while a marketing team might focus on conversion rates. 

Step 2: Figure out the who and where

Next, you need to decide which teams will use the sales board and where it will be most effective. Sales representatives might prefer real-time metrics like deal closures and team rankings, while sales managers may benefit more from pipeline tracking and forecasting sales data. Marketing teams may also use sales boards to monitor lead conversion rates.

You might have separate boards for each team, or decide on a few metrics that everyone could refer to.

When it comes to placing your screens, you will of course need to ensure they are visible to those who need them. This might mean a central wall placement, or ceiling mountings for best visibility.

Step 3: Use ScreenCloud

A digital signage solution makes it so much easier to display your dashboards on screens all across your organization, regardless of location or time zone. And because not all digital signage providers are built the same, you want one that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and is easy to manage.

ScreenCloud shines in helping businesses optimize their internal communications, simplifying the process of managing screens. With over 80 apps and integrations, you can easily use ScreenCloud Dashboards to display data from platforms like Salesforce, Grafana and more. 

You can also access ease-of-use features like real-time updates, cloud access, and customizable templates.

Step 4: Activate the dashboards feature on ScreenCloud

Ensure the ScreenCloud dashboards feature is enabled on your account. If you don’t see the “Dashboards” option in your account navigation, you may need to request activation via ScreenCloud support.

Step 5: Install the Chrome extension

Download the ScreenCloud dashboards recorder from the Chrome Web Store. This extension allows you to capture and display private dashboards securely. Ensure your Chrome browser is version 87 or higher and enable “incognito mode” for smooth sailing.

Step 6: Set up your dashboard

In your ScreenCloud account, go to the “Dashboards” section and select “create new dashboard.” Input the URL of the dashboard you want to display, such as a Grafana or ChartIO page. You’ll be prompted to log in using supported methods like Google authentication or token-based multi-factor authentication.

Step 7: Navigate and capture

Once logged in, navigate to the specific dashboard or page you want to show. Ensure the view is optimized for display by entering full-screen mode. Click “finish journey & take snapshot” to capture the final view.

Step 8: Save and preview

Name your dashboard for easy reference, then save and preview it. Depending on the data and service, the preview may take a moment to render.

Step 9: Display your dashboard

Assign your dashboard to a screen or group within ScreenCloud. Once set, it will display seamlessly across your digital signage screens.

If you’d like more details, check out our Dashboards Set Up Guide. Or, explore any of the following for dashboard-specific instructions.

• How to build a Smartsheet Dashboard
• How to build a Klipfolio Dashboard
• How to build a Stripe Sales Tracker Dashboard
• How to build a Microsoft PowerBi Dashboard

Step 10: Optimize your dashboard displays

Creating a visually appealing dashboard is important, otherwise, nobody will bother to look at the screen, and then, what's the point?

Here are six tips to keep your dashboard clean, organized, and impactful:

• Use a clean layout: Avoid overwhelming the viewer with cluttered visuals or too many colors. Place the most important visuals, like KPIs or revenue graphs, in the top-left corner, where viewers naturally focus first. Then, arrange additional information in a logical flow from left to right.
• Prioritize mobile and remote accessibility: For hybrid sales teams, the dashboards should be viewable across devices, including smartphones and tablets. You should also use responsive design features to optimize the display for smaller screens.
• Include relevant calculations: Including pre-calculated metrics, like growth rates or averages saves time and provides clear context. That way, users don’t need to perform mental math to extract insights.
• Keep it updated: Naturally, real-time dashboards lose value if the data is outdated. Ensure integrations are functioning correctly and that metrics refresh regularly. As an extra layer of precaution, schedule periodic checks to confirm that the dashboard reflects the latest performance trends.
• Make sure teams can access the dashboards: Dashboards should be transparent and shareable, so all relevant team members can access them. Design your boards so both individual contributors and sales leaders can easily understand their content.

Read More: How to Build a Financial Dashboard

Take your sales strategy to the next level

A well-designed digital sales board is more than just a display—it’s a tool that has the potential to get your team members on the same page. streamline operations, and help improve overall performance. It can help provide important data that bridges the gap between your sales strategies and execution.

With ScreenCloud, setting up a digital sales board is simple, flexible, and scalable, and it offers a dashboard display that grows alongside your business needs.

Start building a sales board that drives results and keeps your team ahead of the competition. Sign up for a14-day free trial and see the difference a digital sales board can make!