Most sales teams think they’re setting goals, revenue targets, KPIs, quarterly ambitions…
But very few actually build a system inside Pipedrive that helps them hit those goals.
Instead, goals end up in a spreadsheet somewhere, never connected to day-to-day sales activity. In this guide, we’re going to fix that. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Start With Real Data (Not Guesswork)
Before you pick a number out of thin air, jump into Pipedrive’s Insights tab.
This is where all reporting lives, and it’s the foundation for your 2026 goal-setting.
If you already have a “Deals Won” report, great.
If not, create a Deal Performance report and filter it to show:
- Deals won
- During this year
- Grouped by value or count
Switching to Scorecard View gives you a clean summary. For example, in the video we had just under $60,000 in won revenue this year.
That becomes your baseline.
From here, decide what’s both realistic and meaningful. If you’re aiming for $100,000 in 2026, great, let’s build the system to actually reach that. We used this as a base line in the video
Step 2: Create Your 2026 Revenue Goal in Pipedrive
Inside Insights, choose:
- New Goal
- Goal type: Deals Won
- Goal level: company, team, or user
- Frequency: yearly or quarterly (quarterly gives better visibility)
- Measurement: deal value (not count)
For a $100,000 annual target, quarterly goals of $25,000 keep things simple.
Add this goal to your dashboard so you can see progress visually throughout the year.
Step 3: Reverse-Engineer How Many Deals You Need to Win
This is where most teams stop, but this is where the real planning begins.
To know how many deals you need to win, you first need your average deal value.
Create or open a Deal Performance report showing Average Deal Value for the year.
In our example, it came out to $5,950 (rounded to $6,000 for simplicity).
Now the math becomes straightforward:
Revenue target ÷ Average deal value = Deals needed
Example:
$100,000 ÷ $6,000 ≈ 17 deals per year
Now your revenue goal is no longer abstract, it’s tied to real deal volume.
Step 4: Figure Out How Many New Deals You Need to Create
Next, look at your conversion rate, using the Deal Conversion/Funnel report.
Find:
- Deals created
- Deals won
- Conversion rate (e.g., 40%)
Using our example:
Deals needed (17) ÷ Conversion rate (0.4) = Deals to create
17 ÷ 0.4 = 43 new deals created in 2026
Now you know exactly how many new opportunities must enter your pipeline.
Once you have this number, create a Deals Added goal (quarterly works well).
For 43 deals a year, that’s roughly 11 deals per quarter.
Add this to your dashboard too.
Step 5: Identify the Activities That Actually Generate Deals
So you know how many deals you must:
- Win → 17
- Create → 43
But how will those 43 deals happen?
This part of the process varies for every business. You might rely on various activities:
- Outbound calls
- Trade shows
- Webinars
- Meetings
- Proposals
- Email outreach
In the video example, we used cold calls.
First, check:
- How many calls you completed this year
- How many deals those calls created
- Your call → deal conversion rate
In our case:
- 106 calls
- 27 deals created
- Roughly a 25% conversion to new opportunities
Now use the same reverse-engineering logic:
Deals to create (43) ÷ Activity conversion rate (0.25) = Calls required
43 ÷ 0.25 = 172 cold calls for 2026
That’s just 43 calls per quarter.
Suddenly, hitting $100k feels simple and achievable.
Step 6: Create an Activity Goal in Pipedrive
Inside Insights, choose:
- New Goal
- Goal type: Activities Completed
- Activity type: e.g., Cold Call
- Goal level: company or user
- Frequency: quarterly
- Target: in our case, 43 calls per quarter
Add this to your sales dashboard.
Now you’ve built a three-part system:
- Revenue goal (outcome)
- Deals created and won (leading indicators)
- Activities required (inputs)
This is how you turn annual sales goals into daily action.
Step 7: Put It All Together
If your team reaches its activity goals…
Your pipeline will stay full.
If your pipeline stays full…
Mathematically, you’ll create enough opportunities.
If you create enough opportunities…
Your historical conversion rate will carry you to your revenue target.
It’s a simple, logical system, and Pipedrive gives you all the tools to make it happen.
Whether your business relies on outbound calls, webinars, demos, trade shows, or digital leads, follow the same framework:
- Determine your revenue goal
- Use your real data to calculate the deals needed
- Reverse-engineer how many opportunities must be created
- Track the activities that actually produce those opportunities
- Set goals in Pipedrive for all three layers
This is how you build a predictable, controllable sales engine for 2026.
Need Help Setting Up Your Sales System in Pipedrive?
If you’d like one-on-one help building your sales dashboards, automations, reporting, or full go-to-market setup inside Pipedrive, our team would love to help.
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