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How detailed sales reporting can improve business operations

30 October 2024 By Michael Huband

It’s not always about the sales leaderboard – db explores how different reporting approaches can optimise diverse functions in a company.

‘Sales performance’ is a phrase that will strike fear in many. Often associated with a dog-eat-dog world, where salespeople try to nudge past each other on a leaderboard, it can indicate a high-pressure environment. Sometimes, it seems, the only thing that matters is the figure next to your name.

While there is, of course, a place for comparing sales made by staff members, the number of sales made in a company can be arranged according to many different factors.

There are a whole host of KPIs that can be used to assess a company’s sales performance. It is possible to assess by time period, event, product, customer or any number of subdivisions. By analysing these metrics, as well as salesperson reports, it is possible to plan for more than simple sales growth. These KPIs can give vital information to help reduce costs, optimise inventory and improve product offering. In the fast-moving, seasonal, occasionally fickle drinks trade, all of these can be leveraged to improve productivity.

Luckily, it is no longer necessary for one person to pore over reams of data, analysing each category as a manual task. A host of software options are now available to cut out the drudgery of data analysis. At the most basic level, there are the basic data analysis functionality offered by Microsoft 365’s spreadsheet software programme, Excel. At the other end of the spectrum are sophisticated business management systems such as Bevica. Bevica, which is powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, has data analysis and KPI report functionality, that goes well beyond the abilities of Excel.

Here are some key sales reporting functions, included in Bevica, that will help keep a business in the black.

Moving annual total reports

A moving annual total sales analysis (MAT) report is one of the best tools for taking a ‘bigger picture’ look at sales. By showing sales across 13 months (the previous year, plus the current month) it allows both sales and procurement teams to see the overall sales performance, without neglecting the impact of trends and specific events. In an industry that sees seasonal peaks and troughs, using the last year to predict trends is a powerful tool.

Bevica, a business software with full reporting capabilities, has options to see both individual items and item categories on MAT reports, depending on the level of detail needed. Moreover, it is able to generate item-specific reports in real-time for the most up-to-date information. For a sales team, that year-long view is ideal for anticipating client needs.

By integrating such reporting into a single piece of software, Bevica is also able to contextualise the report with useful information. For instance, it can show current inventories, lead times and predicted sales for items. That enables sales and procurement teams to plan their actions. It even has a warning system if, based on that information, a product is likely to sell out.

Customer/item sales analysis

Sales, of course, is not purely about the salesperson. Although the sell is vital, the process still needs the customer to be buying, and detailed reporting can show how they buy. When selling drinks, which will need replenishing regularly for an ongoing relationship, such knowledge is power.

Seeing a customer’s order preferences, with quantities, dates and pricing, lets a sales team anticipate their every move. That has plain sales advantages, but also enables better inventory planning to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

The kind of granular detail that a business management system such as Bevica provides will facilitate more creative analysis of customer sales. For instance, tracking returns of items might indicate quality control or customer service issues. In an ongoing business relationship, which will usually consist of a series of orders rather than one big sale, identifying such issues could help secure a long-term revenue stream.

Dimensions reporting

As both of these report styles demonstrate, dividing sales by categories is a surefire way to gain valuable insight into sales. In software, such as Bevica, which is powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, that slicing and dicing of data has a name: Dimensions.

Dimensions are the tags that a user can add to data sets in order to identify them. Rather than being tied to pre-set parameters, users can establish their own according to the business’ needs. Whatever is important to a business, whether that is customer groups, vendors or campaigns, Dimensions can separate it out for analysis.

For instance, Bevica would allow a business to evaluate individual consumer events or campaigns. Since Dimensions will tag all associated purchasing and sales documents, it would give a full view of the costs and revenue for an event, as well as showing where they are concentrated. That might indicate whether a campaign or event is worth repeating, and who it should target.

The possibilities with Dimensions are very broad and, indeed, that is the point. Modern software solutions such as Bevica mean that any number of sales criteria can be analysed to push new business, finesse inventory management and improve profitability. There is no set way to assess a business but, with the correct software, sales analysis can be so much more (and so much more useful) than the old-fashioned leaderboard.

Find out more about Bevica’s sales reporting capabilities

To find out more about Bevica and how it sales reporting capabilities can help you make informed business decisions, book your place on its Elevated Sales Reporting in Bevica webinar on Wednesday, 27 November at 3pm.

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