Research Methodology

This weighted exponential decay model captures both signal intensity and recency, following established behavioral decay patterns from Ebbinghaus (1885). The industry-specific weights (w_i) are calibrated against 2026 B2B engagement benchmarks.

Source: Adapted from MIT Sloan lead scoring research

Utilizes the standard HBR/MIT 5-minute lead response decay curve demonstrating 21x higher qualification rates for sub-5-minute response. The decay constant k is industry-calibrated.

Source: Harvard Business Review Lead Response Study (2011)

Industry-standard funnel efficiency metric measuring the percentage of marketing qualified leads that convert to sales accepted opportunities. Benchmarks derived from Forrester SiriusDecisions research.

Source: Forrester B2B Funnel Benchmark Report

True CPL must include hidden costs that most calculations miss: labor allocation, tool depreciation, and overhead. This comprehensive model prevents underestimation of true acquisition costs by 40-60%.

Source: B2B Marketing Benchmark Report 2026

Comprehensive CAC includes marketing spend (M), sales costs (S), and hidden costs (H) weighted by attribution (a). This prevents the common error of excluding sales compensation from CAC calculations.

Source: SaaS Metrics 2.0 by David Skok

Maximum allowable CPA is derived from customer lifetime value adjusted for gross margin. This ensures ad spend remains profitable at scale while accounting for margin compression.

Source: Google/BCG Digital Marketing ROI Framework

Measures months until an SDR generates sufficient gross margin to cover their fully-loaded cost (salary, benefits, tools, management overhead). Industry target is under 12 months.

Source: The Bridge Group SDR Metrics Report

The fundamental LTV formula uses average revenue per user divided by churn rate (1/churn gives average customer lifespan). This baseline model assumes steady-state revenue and churn.

Source: Unit Economics 101 - Y Combinator

Adjusting for gross margin provides a more accurate picture of customer value by accounting for direct costs of service delivery. Critical for businesses with variable COGS.

Source: Bessemer Venture Partners Cloud Index

The golden ratio for sustainable growth is 3:1 or higher. Below 1:1 indicates unprofitable acquisition. This ratio is the primary indicator of unit economics health in SaaS businesses.

Source: Pacific Crest SaaS Survey

Churn impact compounds over the expected remaining customer lifespan. A 1% reduction in monthly churn can increase LTV by 12-15% over 5 years.

Source: Recurly Churn Benchmark Report

Retention ROI measures the return on customer success and retention program investments. Industry data shows retention investments yield 5-25x returns due to the compound effect on LTV.

Source: Gainsight Customer Success Benchmark

Stage-based probability weighting provides realistic revenue forecasts. Default probabilities: Discovery 10%, Qualification 25%, Proposal 50%, Negotiation 75%, Verbal 90%.

Source: Salesforce State of Sales Report

Sales velocity measures pipeline throughput in dollars per day. This formula, attributed to Salesforce, captures the four primary levers for revenue acceleration.

Source: Salesforce Sales Velocity Model

Combines lead volume with time-decay conversion probability to quantify revenue lost to slow response. The decay term (1 - e^{-kt}) represents conversion degradation over time.

Source: InsideSales.com Response Time Study

Standard ROI formula applied to lead generation investment. Revenue is calculated as qualified leads converted to customers multiplied by average contract value.

Source: DemandGen Report ROI Methodology

Channel ROI enables apples-to-apples comparison across paid, organic, and outbound channels. Attribution methodology follows the IAB Digital Attribution Primer guidelines.

Source: IAB Digital Attribution Primer

Outreach ROI models the full funnel from sends to meetings to closed revenue. Campaign costs include tool subscriptions, labor, and data enrichment fees.

Source: Outreach.io Benchmark Report

Event ROI requires full-funnel attribution from registration through close. The multi-stage conversion model accounts for typical 50-70% attendance drop-off from registration.

Source: Bizzabo Event ROI Report

Content ROI uses lifetime value rather than first-purchase value to capture the full economic impact of content-attributed customers, who typically have 2-3x higher retention.

Source: Content Marketing Institute Benchmark

Referral ROI accounts for both incentive payouts and program management costs. Referred customers typically have 16% higher LTV and 25% lower churn than non-referred.

Source: ReferralCandy/Wharton Referral Study

Agency revenue models must account for client churn, expansion revenue, and organic growth. This compound growth model with adjustments reflects typical agency revenue dynamics.

Source: Agency Management Institute Benchmark