Check definitions and denominators
Agree what counts as a lead, accepted response and opportunity. Use the same cohort and allow for the time needed to progress. Separate duplicates, existing customers, invalid records and out-of-scope enquiries. Changes in capture rules can alter conversion rates without changing buyer behavior.
Trace records through the handoff
Review a balanced sample of progressed, rejected and untouched leads. Check the original offer, account fit, response context, ownership and follow-up. Ask sales to explain dispositions with observable reasons rather than broad labels such as poor quality. A routing exception should not be counted as buyer rejection.
Fix the clearest constraint
If the wrong audience responds, revise targeting or the offer. If suitable buyers receive no useful follow-up, repair the operating process. Choose one change and compare a subsequent cohort with the baseline while noting timing and mix differences. Marketing and sales should own the diagnosis together.
Put the decision into practice
- Define the cohort.
- Reconcile lifecycle definitions.
- Inspect rejected and untouched records.
- Separate process failures from buyer fit.
- Test one operational or targeting change.
Bring the business question, the evidence already available and the constraints that matter. Discuss your next step with Nancy Chou.
A cohort review before a channel change
In a hypothetical cohort of 100 responses, 20 are duplicates or out of scope, 30 have no recorded follow-up, and 50 have a clear sales disposition. Do not describe all 100 as rejected leads. First repair the untouched-record process and agree an eligible denominator. Only then compare progression with a later cohort and account for its observation time.
Make the example useful in your business
- Reconcile the source records.
- Separate ineligible, untouched and evaluated responses.
- Assign routing and follow-up owners.
- Review later cohorts using stable definitions.
Use the experiment planner to record the evidence and decision rule, or prepare a consulting brief when the work needs outside support.