Research
Benchmarks, labelled honestly.
We don't run a proprietary survey and present it as universal truth. These are directional planning priors — patterns worth knowing before you commit to a target — not measured facts about your specific market. Every score StrateQX gives you gets calibrated against your own baseline, not just these numbers.
How to read these numbers
Every row below is a planning prior, not a guarantee — sourced from widely observed patterns across the industries StrateQX covers. Use them to sanity-check a target, not to set one blindly. Where StrateQX has enough of your own historical data, we'll always calibrate to that instead.
Universal benchmarks
| Metric | Healthy prior | Warning signal |
|---|---|---|
| LTV:CAC | ≥ 3:1 | < 3:1 (unprofitable acquisition) |
| CAC payback | < 12 months (SaaS) | > 18 months |
| Website conversion (B2B lead) | ~2-5% | < 1% (funnel/message problem) |
| E-comm conversion | ~1.5-3% | < 1% |
| Email → revenue | High ROI channel | Declining opens + rising unsubs |
| Organic share of pipeline | Growing over time | Flat/declining despite content |
| NRR (B2B SaaS) | > 100% | < 90% (leaky) |
| Lead concentration | No source > 40% | One source > 60% |
| Bounce/engagement | Improving MoM | Sudden spikes = tracking/UX issue |
North Star metric by industry
The single leading indicator we'd recommend tracking first, by industry.
| Industry | North Star | Key lagging metric |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS | Activated accounts / PQLs | NRR, CAC payback |
| Professional Services | Qualified opportunities | Win rate, LTV |
| D2C/Retail | Contribution margin / repeat rate | LTV:CAC |
| Local service | Qualified local leads | Cost/booked job |
| Healthcare | New qualified patients | Retention, LTV |
| Manufacturing/Engineering | Qualified RFQs | Bid win rate |
| Education | Enrollments | Cost-per-enrollment |
| Real Estate | Qualified viewings | Close rate |