TL;DR
- Choose one north-star KPI, then define leading and lagging indicators you can influence weekly.
- Make KPIs procurement-friendly: unambiguous definitions, source of truth, owners, and evidence.
- Run a weekly operating rhythm: one-page report, change log, and next actions.
Why “contract-ready” KPIs matter
Most teams track plenty of numbers but few that leadership can truly act on. Contract-ready KPIs make accountability clear, speed up approvals, and make renewals easier because decision trails are documented and auditable.
Step 1: Define your KPI stack
- North-star KPI (one only): e.g., Qualified Opportunities Created or Marketing-sourced Revenue.
- Leading indicators (move weekly): High-intent form fills, Demo requests, Contact-to-MQL rate.
- Lagging indicators (downstream outcomes): Opportunity win rate, CAC/Payback, Pipeline velocity.
Tip: Tie every KPI to a single owner and a single source of truth (e.g., GA4 event + CRM field).
Step 2: Write contract-grade definitions
Document name & purpose, exact formula, source system/field, cadence and owner. This is the artefact procurement will care about during due diligence and renewals.
Step 3: Instrumentation & QA
- Tag plan: events, parameters, conversions, and test steps.
- UTM hygiene: standardise source/medium/campaign.
- Form routing: every form routes to the right list, lifecycle stage and owner.
- Reconciliation: marketing numbers reconcile to CRM opportunities and, where needed, to finance.
Step 4: The weekly operating rhythm
- One-page report (every Friday): KPI deltas vs targets, learnings, and next actions.
- Change log: creative, bids, audiences, pages—versioned with reasons.
- Risk register: blockers, impact, mitigation, owner.
Step 5: Targets that won’t sink you
- Start with a baseline from the last 4–8 weeks.
- Apply step-wise goals (+10–15%).
- Add guardrails (min ROAS, max CPL).
Example KPI table (short)
- North-star: 25 qualified opportunities / month (CRM stage “Qualified”).
- Leading: 80 demo requests; 12% visit→form; 35% MQL→SQL.
- Lagging: £2.5k CAC; 3-month payback; 28% win rate.
Common mistakes
- Too many KPIs → no focus.
- No definitions → weekly debates.
- Vanity metrics without intent signals.
Packing for procurement
- KPI definition sheet (PDF)
- Tag plan + QA checklist
- Sample weekly report + dashboard screens
- Change log excerpt (last 4 weeks)
