5 Key Salesforce Metrics Every Small Business Should Track

For small business owners, success often depends on having the right information at the right time. Salesforce is a powerful tool that can help you monitor your performance, identify growth opportunities, and respond quickly to customer needs—but only if you know where to look.

Instead of getting lost in dozens of dashboards and data points, here are five essential Salesforce metrics that every small business should track to stay on course and grow with confidence.

1. Lead Conversion Rate

Your lead conversion rate tells you how many of your prospects actually become paying customers. It’s a clear measure of how effective your sales process is—from initial outreach to closing the deal.

Why it matters:

A high volume of leads doesn’t mean much if none of them convert. Monitoring this rate helps you spot issues in your sales funnel, improve your messaging, or better qualify leads upfront.

How to track it in Salesforce:

Use standard opportunity reports to compare the number of leads entered versus the number that become closed-won opportunities.

2. Customer Retention Rate

Acquiring new customers is important—but keeping existing ones is often more valuable. Retention rate shows how well your business delivers consistent value and satisfaction over time.

Why it matters:

Returning customers tend to spend more, refer others, and cost less to serve. High churn, on the other hand, is a sign of missed expectations or inconsistent service.

How to track it in Salesforce:

Set up a report on repeat opportunities or recurring purchases tied to the same account. Combine it with custom fields or subscriptions for deeper insight.

3. Average Deal Size

Not all sales are created equal. By understanding your average deal size, you gain insight into customer behavior and pricing effectiveness.

Why it matters:

Trends in deal size can show if you're attracting the right type of customer or if your team is successfully upselling and cross-selling. It can also help you set realistic revenue goals.

How to track it in Salesforce:

Use the “Amount” field on closed opportunities and build a report to calculate the average over time or by sales rep.

4. Sales Pipeline Velocity

This metric measures how quickly deals move through your pipeline—from first contact to closed sale.

Why it matters:

Slow velocity could mean bottlenecks, inefficient processes, or a lack of follow-up. Speeding up your pipeline increases your ability to forecast revenue and respond to market shifts.

How to track it in Salesforce:

Use the opportunity stage duration report to measure how long deals stay in each stage. Spot trends and target areas where deals tend to get stuck.

5. Case Resolution Time

If your business includes customer service or technical support, tracking how quickly you resolve issues is crucial.

Why it matters:

Quick responses build trust. Long wait times can lead to dissatisfaction and lost business. This metric reflects your team’s efficiency and commitment to customer care.

How to track it in Salesforce:

Use the Service Cloud (or Case object) to report on average time from case creation to closure. Set targets and use automation to escalate stalled cases.

Final Thoughts

Salesforce offers incredible flexibility, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed. By focusing on these five metrics, small businesses can track what truly matters—growth, customer experience, and operational health.

You don’t need a full analytics department to get started. With the right setup and a few smart dashboards, you’ll have a clearer view of your business than ever before.

Need help building your Salesforce reports or refining your data strategy? At Palm Consulting, we specialize in making CRM insights practical and actionable for small businesses just like yours.

Let’s talk about what you want to see—and how to make it work.