Pipeline Analytics: Metrics That Matter for SaaS Growth

You can't improve what you don't measure. The right analytics transform lead generation from guesswork into a predictable, scalable system. Here are the metrics that actually matter.

Top-of-Funnel Metrics

1. Lead Volume

Track total leads generated by source, campaign, and time period. Look for trends and patterns.

2. Lead Quality Score

Not all leads are equal. Score leads based on:

• ICP fit
• Engagement level
• Intent signals
• Company attributes

3. Cost Per Lead (CPL)

Calculate by channel to understand ROI:
CPL = Total Marketing Spend / Total Leads Generated

Mid-Funnel Metrics

4. Lead-to-Demo Conversion Rate

What percentage of leads book a demo?
Benchmark: 5-15% depending on industry

5. Demo Show-Up Rate

Of booked demos, what percentage actually happen?
Benchmark: 70-85% (we achieve 85%+)

6. Time to Demo

How long from first touch to demo booking?
Shorter is better, but quality matters more than speed.

Bottom-Funnel Metrics

7. Demo-to-Opportunity Rate

Percentage of demos that become qualified opportunities
Benchmark: 30-50%

8. Opportunity-to-Close Rate

Your win rate on qualified opportunities
Benchmark: 20-40%

9. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Total cost to acquire a customer:
CAC = (Marketing + Sales Costs) / New Customers

10. CAC Payback Period

How long to recover acquisition cost?
Benchmark: 12-18 months for healthy SaaS

Advanced Metrics

11. Lead Velocity Rate (LVR)

Month-over-month growth in qualified leads
Leading indicator of future revenue growth

12. Pipeline Coverage

Ratio of pipeline value to revenue target
Benchmark: 3-4x coverage for SaaS

13. Source Attribution

Which channels drive the best customers?
Use multi-touch attribution to understand the full journey

Creating Your Dashboard

Build a dashboard that shows:

• Real-time metrics updated daily
• Trends over time (week, month, quarter)
• Comparison to goals and benchmarks
• Breakdown by segment, source, campaign
• Alerts when metrics deviate from normal

Taking Action

Metrics are only valuable if they drive action:

• Review metrics weekly with your team
• Set targets and track progress
• Run experiments to improve key metrics
• Double down on what works
• Cut or optimize what doesn't

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Tracking too many metrics (focus on 10-15 key ones)
• Looking at metrics in isolation (understand relationships)
• Not segmenting data (averages hide insights)
• Ignoring leading indicators (only watching lagging metrics)
• Forgetting data quality (garbage in, garbage out)