Forecasted Monthly Sales Trend
Total sales per month with the number of selling reps, then a forecast of the next months from the trend line of that data. For planning headcount and targets, not for reconciling figures.
Questions It Answers
- Which month has the highest sales, and by how much?
- What are the expected sales for the coming months if the pattern continues?
- What would sales be with more or fewer reps?
Filters
| Filter | What it does |
|---|---|
| Division | Pre-filled from the user role's default division. A role locked to one division cannot change it. |
| Sales Date | Range of data the trend is based on. Longer is steadier; just a few months give a line that is easy to misread. |
| Estimated Number of Months | How many months ahead to forecast (default 5). |
| Upcoming Number of Sales Representative | Planned number of reps; used for the rep-based forecast column (default 5). |
How To Read It
One table and chart per division. The first rows are actual data per month; the following rows are forecasts.
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Month | Month name (January ... December) from the invoice date; forecast rows continue after the last month. |
| Number of Sales Representatives | How many distinct reps had invoices in that month. |
| Total Sales | Sum of Sales invoice totals in that month. |
| Estimated Sales By Month | Forecast from a linear (least-squares) trend of total sales against the month. |
| Estimated Sales By Number of Sales Representatives | Forecast from a linear trend of total sales against the rep count, evaluated at the Upcoming Number of Sales Representative. |
The forecast is plain statistical extrapolation: the straight line that best fits the data. It knows nothing about holidays, seasons, or promotions.
Why The Numbers May Differ
- Only approved Sales invoices, POS receipts included. Totals can be lower than the "by Division" reports because those also carry opening receivable balances, which are not sales.
- Returns are not deducted.
- A month with no invoices has no row, and that affects the slope of the trend line.
- A forecast can go negative when the trend falls steeply - that is a sign of too little data, not a prediction.
Menu Location
- Sales & POS / Sales Reports / Forecasted Monthly Sales Trend
/report/salestrendmonths