What the Numbers Are Trying to Tell You 

Not long ago, we sat down with a leadership team from a growing B2B company. They were smart, ambitious, and already doing a lot of the right things. They had a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, a strong sales team, and dashboards filled with metrics. Pipeline value. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Win rates. Forecasts. 

But it wasn’t working. 

They had the data, but they weren’t making better decisions because of it. Campaigns were being launched, sales goals were being set, and headcount was being adjusted.  

But when we asked how those decisions were being made, the answers weren’t tied back to the numbers they had worked so hard to collect. 

That’s the moment we usually pause and ask a simple question: 

What are your numbers trying to tell you? 

The Metrics Are Already There

The system to understand and use them usually isn't

Many teams already track the basics: leads, revenue, maybe cost of acquisition. Some even report on them weekly. But collecting data isn’t the same as learning from it. 

What’s often missing is structure. A system that connects the dots between performance, profitability, and future growth. Without that, even good data ends up unused. 

We’ve found that most companies don’t need more metrics. They need to better understand the ones they already have organized into a system. 

And it starts with understanding. 

Start With Seeking the truth, Not More Reports 

Before you can model growth, you have to understand what’s really happening inside your business. That means digging into more than just dashboards. It means asking questions. 

• What do your best customers have in common? 
• Where in your sales process do deals tend to slow down? 
• What are your conversion rates and volume metrics in your sales process? 
• How long does it take for a new customer to see results? 
• Where do your margins start to erode? 

This kind of research isn’t optional. It gives your numbers context. It helps you spot patterns and see what’s working, what’s stalled, and what’s worth investing in. 

You already have most of the raw materials. Sales data. Account history. Customer feedback. With a bit of structure, it turns into insight. 

Six Numbers That Build Your Revenue Model 

These are the six metrics that are needed to be known and understood to build a sales system that can influence results. More importantly, each one answers a question that deserves your attention to build your sales system. 

1. Average Account Size 

How much revenue does a typical customer bring in over a year? 
This helps you figure out how many clients you need to hit your goals. 

2. Average Transaction Size 

What is the value of each individual sale or engagement? 
This tells you how many transactions you need per customer, and how to staff and resource accordingly.  

3. Close Rate (Net New) 

What percentage of your opportunities turn into paying customers? 
This is your conversion engine. It helps you reverse-engineer how much pipeline you need. 

4. Deal Velocity 

How long does it take to move from first conversation to a signed agreement? 
This affects how early you need to start building pipeline for future quarters. 

5. Gross Margin Contribution 

After costs, how much do you keep from each sale? 
This is the number that funds growth. It is not about the top line it is about free cash flow you are creating to fund operations. 

6. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) 

What does it cost to win a new customer, including salaries, tools, and marketing spend? 
This shows whether your sales efforts are sustainable and can be amplified or are a drain on resources. 

What You Can Learn Once These Metrics Are In Place 

These six numbers unlock clarity across the business. To start with you’ll be able to: 

• Set required sales activities goals to meet your numbers 
• Understand if your customer acquisition is profitable 
• Spot where to focus your time and resources 

From there, you can add deeper layers. For example: 

• Compare Customer Lifetime Value to CAC to assess growth sustainability 
• Use efficiency ratios to see how well your various Go-To-Market tactics are performing 
• Track how long it takes to earn back your CAC 
• Calculate whether your current pipeline is big enough to hit your goals 

When these metrics are known, understood and leveraged for growth, they give leaders the confidence to plan.  

Most Companies Are Closer Than They Think 

In our Go-To-Market Readiness Index survey, we often see companies that already have this data. It’s in their systems. It’s reported at meetings. But it isn’t being used to shape the strategy. 

In some cases, the problem is that they’re trying to do too much at once. Every metric is tracked. None are prioritized. And without structure, the value gets lost in the volume. 

That’s why we recommend starting small. Get these six numbers right. Then connect them to the decisions you make. 

Don’t Just Track It. Use It. 

When your numbers start driving your actions, you can plan revenue instead of chasing it. You’ll know when to grow the team. Where to focus spend. What kinds of clients are worth pursuing. And how much runway you have to do it. 

This isn’t about having a perfect model. It’s about having one that helps you think more clearly. 

And if you already have some of these numbers, even if they’re sitting in a spreadsheet or tucked away in your CRM, you’re halfway there. 

You just need a place to put them, and a simple way to connect the dots. 

The Revenue Factory Toolkit: A Starting Point 

We created the Revenue Factory Toolkit for exactly this moment. 

It’s for the teams who are gathering the right data, but haven’t turned it into something usable. It’s also for leaders who want to build a simple, structured model that helps them plan their next stage of growth. 

Inside the toolkit, you’ll find: 

• Templates using the six metrics 
• A simple forecasting model 
• Tools to calculate CAC, CLTV and GTM efficiency 
• A place to put your data so it finally means something 

If you’ve been asking, “What do we do with all these numbers?” this is where to begin. 

Final Thought 

The right Metrics don’t just measure what happened. They help you decide what to do next. 

When you’re growing a business, there are always more things you could be doing. More strategies. More tools. More people. 

But some of the most powerful steps forward start with slowing down, gathering the right data, and listening to what it’s already telling you. 

The numbers are there. 

Now is the time to use them. 

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