What's inside
- Pipeline & funnel metrics: coverage ratio, win rate, sales cycle length, ASP, stage conversion
- Efficiency metrics: CAC, CAC payback, magic number, LTV:CAC, burn multiple
- Growth & health metrics: Rule of 40, ARR growth rate, gross margin
- Retention & expansion metrics: GRR, NRR, logo churn, expansion rate, net dollar retention by cohort
- Productivity metrics: quota attainment %, rep productivity, ramp time, activity-to-outcome ratios
- Forecasting metrics: forecast accuracy, commit-to-actual variance, slip rate, pipeline creation rate
- A one-line "good/warning/bad" benchmark range attached to every formula
One formula per line. Benchmarks are directional (B2B SaaS-oriented) — recalibrate to your own segment and stage after 3-4 quarters of your own data.
Pipeline & Funnel
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| Pipeline Coverage Ratio | Open Pipeline ÷ Remaining Quota | 3-4x | 2-3x or 5x+ | <2x |
| Win Rate | Closed-Won ÷ (Closed-Won + Closed-Lost) | 25-30%+ | 15-25% | <15% |
| Average Sales Cycle Length | Days from Opportunity Created → Closed-Won, averaged | Segment-dependent; track trend | Cycle lengthening QoQ | Cycle lengthening 2+ consecutive quarters |
| Average Sale Price (ASP) | Total Closed-Won ARR ÷ # of Deals | Track trend vs. plan | Flat/declining | Declining 2+ quarters |
| Stage Conversion Rate | Deals reaching Stage N+1 ÷ Deals entering Stage N | Varies by stage | Any stage <50% of team median | Any stage <50% with no explanation |
Efficiency
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| CAC | Total S&M Spend ÷ New Customers Acquired | Segment/ACV-dependent | Rising faster than ACV | Rising with flat/falling win rate |
| CAC Payback (months) | CAC ÷ (Monthly ARPA × Gross Margin %) | <12-18 mo | 18-24 mo | >24 mo |
| Magic Number | (Current Qtr ARR − Prior Qtr ARR) × 4 ÷ Prior Qtr S&M Spend | >1.0 | 0.5-0.75 | <0.5 |
| LTV:CAC | Customer Lifetime Value ÷ CAC | ≥3:1 | 2:1-3:1 | <2:1 |
| Burn Multiple | Net Burn ÷ Net New ARR | <1.0x | 1.0-2.0x | >2.0x |
Growth & Health
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| Rule of 40 | Revenue Growth Rate % + Profit Margin % | ≥40 | 30-40 | <30 |
| ARR Growth Rate (YoY) | (Current ARR − Prior Year ARR) ÷ Prior Year ARR | Stage-dependent (e.g., 100%+ early, 20-40% at scale) | Below stage benchmark | Declining growth rate 2+ quarters |
| Gross Margin | (Revenue − COGS) ÷ Revenue | 75%+ (software) | 60-75% | <60% |
Retention & Expansion
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) | (Starting ARR − Downgrades − Churn) ÷ Starting ARR | 90%+ | 85-90% | <85% |
| Net Revenue Retention (NRR) | (Starting ARR − Downgrades − Churn + Expansion) ÷ Starting ARR | 110%+ | 100-110% | <100% |
| Logo Churn Rate | Customers Lost ÷ Total Customers (start of period) | <5% annually (SMB higher, enterprise lower) | 5-10% | >10% |
| Expansion Revenue Rate | Expansion ARR ÷ Starting ARR | 15%+ | 5-15% | <5% |
Productivity
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| Quota Attainment % | Actual Bookings ÷ Individual Quota | 65-75%+ of reps at/above 100% | 50-65% of reps at/above 100% | <50% of reps at/above 100% |
| Rep Productivity (avg) | Total Team Bookings ÷ # Quota-Carrying Reps | Track vs. average quota | Below 80% of average quota | Below 60% of average quota |
| Ramp Time to Full Quota | Weeks/months from start date to 100% quota-carrying (see Ramp Calculator resource) | Meets segment benchmark | 1 quarter over benchmark | 2+ quarters over benchmark |
Forecasting
| Metric | Formula | Good | Warning | Bad |
|---|
| Forecast Accuracy | 1 − (\ | Forecast − Actual\ | ÷ Forecast) | 90%+ | 80-90% | <80% |
| Commit Variance | (Actual − Commit) ÷ Commit | Within ±10% | ±10-20% | Beyond ±20% either direction |
| Slip Rate | Deals Slipped to Next Period ÷ Deals Forecast to Close This Period | <15% | 15-25% | >25% |
| Pipeline Creation Rate | New Pipeline Generated This Period ÷ Quota Target for Future Period | Sustains 3-4x coverage | Trending down | Coverage falling below 2x for upcoming period |
How to use it
Print this as a one-pager and keep it beside your dashboard build or board-deck prep so every metric you present has the exact formula and a benchmark range behind it — cross-reference against the Board-Ready Metrics Dashboard Template for how these roll into slides.