Spent weeks building detailed funnel reports with every metric imaginable.
Presented to leadership and got blank stares. They want actionable insights but I’m drowning them in data.
How do you structure reports so C-level actually engages with your findings?
Three bullets max. Problem solution outcome. Skip the charts.
Lead with the money - revenue gained, costs saved, users lost. Then give them one clear action they can approve today. Dump your analysis in the appendix. Executives don’t want homework, they want decisions. They’ll ask for details if they need them.
Connect your metrics to actual business impact.
Start with the bottom line number that matters to them, then show what’s moving it.
One problem per slide. End each slide with what decision needs to be made.
Start with what’s broken and how much it’s costing them. I learned this after bombing a few presentations myself.
Show the bleeding first - “We’re losing 40% of users at checkout, that’s $50k monthly.” Then hit them with one fix that moves the needle.
Save all your beautiful funnel breakdowns for the follow-up meeting. Execs want to know if they should worry and what button to push to fix it.
Put the dollar impact in the subject line. Makes them actually open the email.