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/