North-star metrics · 14 Sales metrics and rhythm

"Tracker" means kept by hand in the shared tracker until the CRM is live.

Metric	Definition	Target (hypothesis)	Source
Qualified win rate	Won divided by (Won plus Lost plus No decision), only opportunities that passed all six qualification tests; Disqualified and self-serve wins excluded	None until 20 qualified opportunities have closed	CRM (tracker)
No-decision rate	No decision divided by all qualified closed opportunities	Falls quarter on quarter	CRM (tracker)
First-call next-step rate	First calls ending with a dated buyer action in the calendar, or an explicit "not a fit", divided by first calls held	95% or more	CRM (tracker); check against recordings later
Self-serve wins	Accounts and seats bought without a sales conversation; how many took the welcome call	Track only	Measure when available: billing
Time to first deal	Days from a sector's first conversation (or a seller's start date) to its first win	None	CRM and billing
Median sales cycle	Days from Engaged to Won, by motion	Direct 7 to 21 days; considered 30 to 90 (law firms 3 to 6 months)	CRM (tracker)
14-day activation	Share of a weekly cohort that, by day 14 after payment, has every invited paid seat connected, at least one voice built, at least 5 posts approved, one feature beyond scheduling used and, for 3 or more seats, a second seat with an approved post	40% per weekly cohort	Measure when available: product analytics
Posting habit, days 60 to 90	A seat is "posting" in a week if it published at least 2 posts. Habit is the share of paid seats posting in at least 3 of the last 4 weeks. Never punish a missed week	A majority of paid seats	Measure when available: product analytics
Net revenue retention	Starting monthly revenue plus expansion minus contraction minus churn, over starting monthly revenue, at 3, 6 and 12 months	Above 100% by month 6 for accounts starting with 3 or more seats	Measure when available: billing

Holly measures (measure when available: product analytics): posts drafted through Holly; Holly level per seat and moves; drafts approved without edits. Defaults (D8): Suggest for everyone, Observe for regulated firms (law, financial services, accountancy, and any firm that asks). A customer may choose any level and we record their choice.

What "qualified" means#

Defined once, in the sales method. The six tests, all recorded: fit; pain quoted from the decision-maker or someone who has acted for them; impact, one rational and one personal; decision-maker spoken to (direct), or economic buyer named with a dated route to them (considered); a dated next step; and they know the price shape (band open today, per-seat model stated, they have not walked). A critical event is not a test, but no critical event is a red flag: forecast honestly.

Guardrail metrics#

Target zero, checked weekly: RED claims on a reviewed call; dates given to a customer; discounts offered; prices that do not match the commercial answers; customers or prospects named externally; unlabelled illustrations of value; partner posts without an "Ad" label (John checks a monthly sample).

Rule

When a guardrail is not zero, the seller contacts the customer to correct it within two working days, the correction is logged, and commission principle 8 applies. Anything legal goes to Karl Foster.