Reference · Ongoing reporting

Metric definitions

Choose measures and evidence that fit your business, and keep definitions consistent across the three views.

Use these definitions for recurring reporting. Choose observation windows that fit your business and label them on the scorecard. The fictional example's dates and calculations are in a separate reference.

Executive View

Measure	Definition	What to keep consistent
Net new ARR	New-customer ARR + expansion − contraction − churn	Finance's ARR recognition policy and reporting period; revenue and bookings are different measures
ARR outlook	Expected annual recurring value at the stated future date	Forecast assumptions and as-of date; keep actuals distinct
Qualified pipeline created	Distinct potential purchases first meeting the agreed qualification standard during the period, in count and estimated value	Stage-entry evidence, value basis, and deduplication; disclose unvalued opportunities
Pipeline coverage	Eligible open opportunity value / remaining comparable bookings target	Same closing horizon, customer scope, and value basis; no universal healthy multiple
Win rate	Wins / (wins + losses), including no-decisions, within a declared closed period	Show counts and inspect open aging; closed-period results are not final conversion of a start cohort
Sales cycle	Time from a defined start milestone to a purchase; typically show median days	Start definition, customer mix, and won-only selection; inspect stalled opportunities separately
Marketing spend	Costs within the agreed Marketing budget scope	Same cost categories and period for actual and budget
CAC payback	Fully allocated acquisition cost / acquired monthly gross profit	Finance-agreed cost allocation, cohort timing, and gross margin; program spend alone is not CAC
Share of Search	Searches for our brand / searches for our brand plus a defined competitor set	Terms, geography, source, and window; low-volume missing data is not zero interest
Share of Voice	Our share of a defined set of category exposure, mentions, or media investment	State which type is measured and the source universe; do not mix incompatible definitions

Marketing leadership

Measure	Definition	What to keep consistent
Pipeline by segment or program	Qualified creation broken out by agreed audience or operational assignment	Reconcile to the Executive View; do not sum overlapping influenced pipeline
Qualification rate	Accounts meeting the defined qualification standard / accounts in the relevant inquiry or conversation cohort	Denominator, admission evidence, and sufficient observation time
Stage progression	Share of an entry cohort reaching a defined next milestone within a stated window	Cohort age and stage definitions; missing observation time is not failure
Open opportunities or evaluations	Active balance at the reporting date	Distinguish from new entries during the period
Stalled opportunities	Open opportunities with no required progress beyond an agreed time limit	Time limit and meaningful milestone; do not infer progress from internal activity alone
Website visits	Visits or sessions within the specified site, audience, or landing-page scope	Tracking method, exclusions, and source mix; not unique people unless defined that way
Inquiry conversion	Defined inquiry events / eligible visits	Event, deduplication, population, and period
Cost per qualified opportunity	Defined program costs / deduplicated qualified entries	Cost scope and timing; operational attribution does not establish incremental impact
Direct traffic	Visits classified as direct by the analytics system	Tagging changes and unattributed traffic; not a pure awareness measure
Branded search volume	Search activity for defined brand terms	Counts versus normalized indices, ambiguous names, and customer-navigation searches
Sales feedback	Documented buyer objections, requirements, or loss reasons	Evidence source, date, sample, and the difference between observation and inference

Operators and individual contributors

Measure	Definition	Use
Impressions and clicks	Exposure and click events within defined placements	Monitor audience reach and response routinely
CTR	Clicks / impressions	Diagnose creative, placement, and audience response; not purchase intent
Landing-page conversion	Defined action completions / eligible page visits	Diagnose message match and friction; distinguish inquiry from purchase
Follow-up compliance	Handoffs contacted within the agreed time / all handoffs due	Identify capacity or process failures; include late and uncontacted records
Milestone completion	Due evaluation or delivery commitments completed / commitments due	Track actual progress and escalate blocked dependencies
Message comprehension	Structured buyer evidence of understanding or misunderstanding	Product Marketing and Content can adjust messages and proof
Message pull-through	Presence of intended messages in a defined sample of relevant coverage	Communications teams inspect quality and context, not only mention counts
Launch readiness	Status of specified critical deliverables and dependencies	Field, Event, and Product Marketing can change sequencing or scope

What qualifies an opportunity?

Every sales motion needs its own standard. Define concrete, observable characteristics, quantify them where meaningful, and record source evidence so different reviewers can apply the same rules. Disclose changes to criteria separately from business growth.

Example for a sales-led motion: Documented buyer need, requirements the current offer can support, a credible route to a decision, and a buyer-agreed next step with an owner and date. These are examples, not universal requirements. Product-led and partner-led motions may need different evidence.

A score cannot substitute for missing evidence. Qualification, estimated value, and inclusion in a near-term forecast are separate judgments. Count distinct purchases once; flag unvalued records and review stale ones without erasing their history.

Reading brand and AI-discovery signals

Share of Search, Share of Voice, direct traffic, and branded search provide complementary evidence. None alone establishes buyer intent or proves that Marketing caused a commercial result.

LLM visibility, often discussed under AEO or GEO, should have a declared prompt set, platform, date, and output definition: mentions, recommendations, and citations are different observations. Treat comparisons as directional and keep methods stable.

Research behind the guidance

The AI research includes correlations and platform-specific guidance. It does not establish a universal causal ranking of PR, AR, reviews, and website work.