SaaS Metrics School

My Top 3 Go-to-market Efficiency Metrics You Should Track


Listen Later

In episode #336, Ben Murray breaks down his top three go-to-market efficiency metrics that every SaaS and AI operator should master. He explains when each metric becomes meaningful, how they differ across go-to-market motions, why ACV-based benchmarking matters, and how these metrics become forward-looking tools through forecasting. Ben also highlights the importance of having fully burdened sales and marketing expenses in place so these efficiency metrics are accurate and defensible.

What You’ll Learn

  • The three most important go-to-market efficiency metrics and why they matter
  • How ACV—not ARR—should drive your benchmarking
  • Why these metrics are proactive when used in forecasting, not just historical
  • How revenue types (subscription vs. usage vs. platform/overage) influence metric design
  • The foundational role of fully burdened sales and marketing expenses
  • Why It Matters

    • Enables operators to measure the true efficiency of sales and marketing investments
    • Provides clarity on the health and scalability of the go-to-market motion
    • Helps leadership benchmark realistically against peers using ACV-based expectations
    • Allows finance teams to forecast forward-looking efficiency, not just track history
    • Ensures efficiency metrics remain accurate as product pricing and revenue models evolve
    • Prevents major errors caused by incomplete or misallocated CAC inputs
    • Resources Mentioned

      • Ben’s SaaS Metrics Framework (Pillar 5: Go-to-Market Efficiency): https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation
      • Ray Rike's benchmarking data at benchmarkit.ai
      • Blog posts on modifying metrics for subscription + usage revenue models: https://www.thesaascfo.com/how-to-calculate-cac-payback-period-with-variable-revenue/
      • ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store

        SaaS Metrics SchoolBy Ben Murray

        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6

        4.6

        11 ratings


        More shows like SaaS Metrics School

        View all
        The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

        The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

        535 Listeners

        The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors by SaaStr

        The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

        179 Listeners

        WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

        WSJ What’s News

        4,338 Listeners

        The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

        The a16z Show

        1,096 Listeners

        CFO THOUGHT LEADER by The Future of Finance is Listening

        CFO THOUGHT LEADER

        123 Listeners

        The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS by Omer Khan

        The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS

        186 Listeners

        Founders by David Senra

        Founders

        2,162 Listeners

        Equity by TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Max Zeff, Theresa Loconsolo

        Equity

        337 Listeners

        Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

        Y Combinator Startup Podcast

        226 Listeners

        Wall Street Breakfast by Seeking Alpha

        Wall Street Breakfast

        1,048 Listeners

        Morning Brew Daily by Morning Brew

        Morning Brew Daily

        3,020 Listeners

        The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

        The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

        5,554 Listeners

        All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

        All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

        10,026 Listeners

        Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

        Prof G Markets

        1,427 Listeners

        The SaaS CFO by Ben Murray

        The SaaS CFO

        3 Listeners