Wednesday Wisdom: Software, Services, or Physical Goods - Do You Measure Marketing Like Your Peers?

saraboostani · July 2025

Hey all,

Last week I shared our Marketing Measurement Benchmark based on the cost of the solution you’re selling. We also have that benchmark by the type of solution you sell - software, services (business, financial, etc.), or physical goods.

Across all groups, what reaches the boardroom skews heavily toward MQAs and early-stage activity, with less focus on pipeline or revenue metrics. Compensation plans also tend to reward lead generation over revenue contribution, regardless of what’s being sold.

But there are meaningful differences too - software marketers track the widest range of metrics, including more revenue-stage measures, while services and physical goods sellers tend to focus more on early-stage KPIs.

If you’re curious how your peers in similar businesses (or others) measure success, report results, and tie metrics to incentives, check out the full benchmark here:

B2B Marketing Measurement: What You Sell, How You Measure

@Kerry

Kerry · July 2025

One way to think about it is that if marketing is reporting up to senior leadership and the board, it's not ultimate measures, like pipeline and revenue, it's MQAs. That may seem fine, but it puts marketing in a subordinate position. Marketing isn't the function reporting the numbers that matter most.

Wednesday Wisdom: Software, Services, or Physical Goods - Do You Measure Marketing Like Your Peers?

Comments

Upcoming Events

Categories