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/

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

SaaS Metrics School