A sales report shows the record of all the sales-related activities during the process and analysis of the company’s data. It is prepared by the sales department of an organization. A sales report shows the trends in the sales volumes of a company, over a certain time period. They give an insight into the sales processes and provide the basis for successful sales strategies and sales operations.
A typical sales report shows
- The sales volume observed per product or group of products
- Number of accounts contacted, new and old
- Expenses occurring during the promotion and sale of products
Other details are usually added graphically. Depending on the reporting tools being used, the reports can show real-time or semi-real-time data.
Who uses Sales Reports?
Sales reports are often used to identify market opportunities and areas where the volume of sales can be increased. There are mainly three workforces that use these sales reports
- Sales Executives
- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
CEOs and founders also use these reports for planning and strategizing business growth, product expansion, and service development.
Benefits of using Sales Reports
A sales report shows the company’s sales geographically, product-wise, or customer-wise. It helps in managing the sales programs towards financial gains and an increase in productivity. It gives an indication of the team’s performance on a constant basis.
- A sales report can be used to measure the performance of the team. It pinpoints the problems and weaknesses of the company. It can show the vision of team members who were able to achieve the target and those who were unable to do so.
- It can be used for estimating market prices. It can assess product demand, whether there is a problem or not. Sometimes a drop may reveal that the customer’s needs are changing.
- It brings awareness and allows managers to focus more on where they can achieve maximum value and save time by avoiding micromanaging in all areas.
- It shows if the company is meeting its productivity goals and targets.
- It can track time spent by employees on sales activities.
How to create a good Sales Report?
A good sales report is very clear and not overly complex or confusing. As it is the basis for the success and growth of the company, it should be understandable. The language used should be formal, and the report should be proofread.
Different tools are used to make reports. CRM is one of the tools that has a built-in sales report for tracking data. It gives a real-time view of the sales activities, which gives an understanding of the company’s sales performance.
Audience: It is very important to know what type of information your audience wants to see. A report that interests the marketing team might not be that appealing to the finance personnel, so the report must give an accurate picture of team performance to help them make decisions for their respective departments.
Purpose: The first step is to know the purpose of the report. Understanding the reason for the report helps you select the necessary information for the intended audience.
Research: Proper research should be done. All the data should be gathered and analyzed, including sales reports, expenses, financial statements, production statistics, projections, etc. Sometimes interviews are conducted for additional data. All the methods for finding the required data must be mentioned in the report for credibility.
Analysis: This is the key to the report: interpreting the data and finding ways for it to help the company. Graphs, tables, and charts might be used for easier understanding. Also, there should be recommendations and conclusions accordingly at the end of the report for long-term goal setting.
Format: After the research and analysis, the next step is to format the report. There might be specific sections, including topics and sub-topics, organized in a logical order.
Forms of Sales Reports
Daily Sales Reports: This report tracks sales metrics on a daily basis, such as how many calls were made, how many representatives met the clients, etc.
Weekly Sales Reports: A weekly report tracks the number of sales, deals made, and revenue generated in that particular week.
Monthly Sales Reports: A monthly report provides an overview of the monthly activities of each sales representative on the team and the number of orders and total sales made that month.
Sales Report Templates
The given templates show how the entire sales process is carried out in an organization.
- The daily sales report shows the total sales of the products, such as blankets, pillows, etc., categorized by date, sales amount, and taxes.
- The weekly sales report shows the sales record throughout the week along with the goal volumes and variances.
- The monthly sales report for 20XX shows the names of all the clients along with the sales amount. It shows the performance on a monthly, quarterly, and YTD basis, providing a forecast for the year 20XX.
Daily Sales Report Template
File: Excel (.xlsx) 2007/2013 and iPad
Size: 58 KB
Weekly Sales Report Template
File: Excel (.xlsx) 2007/2013 and iPad
Size: 58 KB
Monthly Sales Report Template
File: Excel (.xlsx) 2007/2013 and iPad
Size: 58 KB
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