If your marketing dashboard has seventeen charts and nobody knows what to do next, you do not have a decision system. You have a screensaver with ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purpose of reporting is to help someone decide what to keep, change or investigate. Start there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write the recurring questions your team needs to answer. Which channel deserves another test? Where are enquiries becoming unsuitable? Is the website failing before or after people contact you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each question needs an owner and a response. If nobody would act on a number, consider whether it belongs on the main dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small service business might begin with qualified enquiries, enquiry-to-meeting rate and pipeline created. That is a suggested starting point, not a universal prescription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLead\u201d is a famously elastic word. Marketing may count a download; sales may mean a buyer with a project and a timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Document definitions, exclusions and the period being measured. Keep raw enquiries separate from qualified ones. Explain when an opportunity is created and whether historical records are updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Otherwise every reporting meeting begins with arithmetic and ends with diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put meaningful comparisons beside the current number. Note campaign launches, tracking changes, holidays and unusually large deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A percentage increase from a tiny base can look dramatic. Display the underlying counts. Four enquiries becoming eight is worth understanding, but it is not the same operational event as four thousand becoming eight thousand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If data is incomplete, say so. A visible data-quality warning is better than a precise-looking guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An assistant can help turn an approved data export into a list of changes worth investigating. Require it to distinguish observation from hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnquiries declined while visits were stable\u201d is an observation. \u201cThe new headline caused the decline\u201d needs evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give the assistant definitions and campaign notes. Keep the original numbers available for checking. Do not allow a beautifully written summary to become your only record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For every review, record the decision, owner, deadline and what you expect to learn. Next week, revisit those actions before adding another chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A useful dashboard becomes smaller as the team gets clearer. It does not need to impress a visitor. It needs to help the people paying for the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n