The 3 Marketing Metrics That Actually Get You More Budget (Even in the AI Era) ☕📈
Thoughts by Ronen Shetelboim, #13 ・September 16, 2025
In the AI era, everyone talks about doing "more with less." But let's be honest, that's not the real challenge. The core problem for marketing leaders is this: How do you show you're in control? How do you earn the trust of the C-suite and the board? How do you get the budget you need to grow?
In order to show you're in control, you need to look at the data. The problem is, marketing teams track a million different metrics. But when it's time to talk to the CEO or CFO, you can't walk them through a million different metrics.
So, what are the metrics that matter?
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” It's a quote that gets right to the heart of marketing. You can count website visits, or number of social followers, but do they really count towards your business goals?
In B2B SaaS, the most talked-about metrics like ROI, CAC, and LTV are all lagging indicators. By the time you get the data, the opportunity to make a course correction has long passed.
I've found a different set of metrics. Leading indicators, if you will, that for some reason are not talked about enough. These metrics helped me make the right bets and confidently get the budget I needed.
Today, I want to share the three metrics that helped me move from reporting what happened to confidently forecasting what's possible, even in the AI era. For a startup, these metrics are even more critical; they can be your North Star when you're still building momentum and data is scarce.
Let's dive in.
1. Maximum Sustainable Cost Per Opportunity (Opp)
What's the absolute most you can spend to generate a single sales opportunity and still be profitable.
The Formula: Average Selling Price (ASP) / Number of Opportunities to get 1 deal
Example: Let’s say your ASP is $100K, and it takes you an average of 5 opportunities to close one deal. $100,000 / 5 = $20,000 Your maximum sustainable cost per Opp is $20,000.
This gives your marketing team a clear benchmark for how much you can spend. If you’re currently spending less than $20,000, you have a green light to scale up your spending. If you're spending more, you have a clear problem. It's time to pull back your spend and focus on optimizing your funnel stages.
2. Maximum Sustainable Cost Per Qualified Demo
This is a step earlier in the funnel. It’s the metric that tells you if your top-of-funnel programs are actually working, and how much money you need to scale them.
The logic is the same:
The Formula: Average Selling Price (ASP) from demos / Number of Qualified Demos to get 1 deal
Example: Let's say your ASP is $100,000 and you know, on average, it takes 10 Qualified Demos to close one deal. $100,000 / 10 = $10,000 Your maximum sustainable cost per a qualified demo is $10,000.
This gives your marketing team a clear benchmark for how much you can spend to generate 1 demo. If you’re currently spending less than $10,000, you should be able to increase your spending in order to scale your demos. If you're spending more than $10,000, you have a clear problem. It's time to pull back your spend and focus on optimizing your funnel stages.
3. The Leading Indicator: Pipeline on Investment (POI)
Return on Investment (ROI) is the most accurate metric, but in B2B SaaS, especially with an enterprise motion, it is a lagging indicator. With a long sales cycle, it can take you 6 to 12 months to get a clear picture of your ROI.
This is where POI comes in. It’s the leading indicator that tells you if your marketing spend is generating a healthy pipeline before the deals close.
The Formula: POI = Pipeline Generated / Marketing Investment
The Logic: Your POI should always be greater than your win rate. A healthy POI gives you a buffer, and the proof you need for more budget. Please note, If you are just starting and you don’t know your win rate, there are benchmarks out there that you can use. As a rule of thumb, a healthy win rate should be at least 20% (or 5x).
Let's put this into practice with two clear examples.
Example 1: Is 6x POI Good or Bad?
Imagine you invest $100,000 in a campaign that generates $600,000 in new sales pipeline. Your POI is 6x. Now, you need to know if 6x is a good number. To do that, you must know your win rate. If your company's historical win rate is 25%, this also means that on average, it takes 4 opportunities to win 1 deal (1 / 25% = 4x). Since your 6x POI is greater than your 4x win rate, you are doing well and you can invest more money in your marketing programs.
Example 2: The ROI Before It Happens
Using the same numbers, you can now forecast your potential return. A $600,000 pipeline with a 25% win rate gives you an estimated $150,000 in future closed-won business ($600,000 x 25% = $150,000). That's a $50,000 net gain on your initial $100,000 investment. This is the magic of POI: you have a clear, immediate signal that this channel is efficient, scalable, and deserves more budget.
Example 3: A Warning Sign
Imagine you invest $100,000 in a campaign that generates $200,000 in new sales pipeline. Your POI is 2x. With a 4x win rate, you are only on track to close $50,000 ($200,000 x 25%). Your marketing programs are losing money. It’s time to pull back on your investment and optimize your campaign and funnel metrics.
Few Additional Thoughts
These metrics are a framework, not a rigid rule. They depend on the amount of data you have and your specific Go-To-Market (GTM) motion. You can use the same calculations to find the accepted sustainable cost for any stage of the funnel, whether by channel, campaign, or program. You just need to know your conversion rate, Average Sales Price (ASP), and historical win rate.
Please keep in mind that my examples are focused on B2B SaaS enterprise GTM motion.
Ronen's Picks For The Week:
5-Minute Journal. I've been using the 5-Minute Journal for years. It’s a great way to start and end every day, helping me get my thoughts in writing and stay focused on gratitude and goals. Writing gratitude every day has been shown to not only improve mental health but physical health. The mind-body connection is fascinating.
Ahrefs podcast. The host does a great job of going deep and uncovering the actual wins and secrets of his guests, with no fluff.
Coffee: As you probably figured, I love coffee, but it’s not good to drink it after 2 pm if you're trying to have a good night's sleep. I found this delicious organic decaf coffee, Cafe Altura - yes, it’s instant, but it’s really good! I can drink it in the afternoon and even after dinner, and it doesn't impact my sleep.
Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this. Per usual, let me know if you have any thoughts and have a fantastic week! 🙌