Marketing and sales professionals are increasingly turning to advanced software programs to monitor business and evaluate performance. One major software firm, Canadian-based Cognos Inc., develops "dashboard" tools that enable managers to identify valuable customers, track sales more effectively, and align sales plans with company objectives.

The so-called "dashboards" are penetrating sales and marketing departments nationwide. One research firm found that 26 percent of large companies implemented dashboards in 2004, and another 13 percent said they planned to use them in the future. These increases are part of a broader trend; the number of employees clued into sales and marketing metrics has nearly doubled in the past 18 months.

Today's enterprise software programs are capable of measuring virtually every aspect of a company's operation. For sales and marketing managers, a typical dashboard might include tools such as sales and bookings forecasts, monthly close data, marketing program costs and results, customer satisfaction data, and employee training schedules. Data are continuously updated, providing a real-time gauge of sales performance.

Due to the efforts of Cognos and other software makers, the days of using cumbersome and unreliable paper reports to track progress are over. Today's leaders need only keep their eyes on the dashboard to help drive sales.