TL;DR
Most companies think they have a marketing problem when what they really have is a measurement problem. They spend money without knowing which channel drives customers. The fix is simple: separate tracking for each campaign, ask every lead how they found you, and focus on real numbers like acquisition cost, close rate, and payback period.
A client asked me last week, “We’re running Google Ads, have a billboard on Route 46, and just sponsored the local fair. When the phone rings, how do I know what’s working?”
That’s the moment most companies realize they’re flying blind.
They spend thousands on marketing every month, but can’t tell which dollar drove which customer. They think they have a marketing problem. They don’t. They have a measurement problem.
If your marketing feels like guessing with better graphics, this is why.
The Route 46 Problem
Here’s what usually happens: You run multiple campaigns. Customers show up. You assume the newest campaign is working, or you credit everything to “word of mouth.” So you either kill campaigns that were actually performing or double down on ones that aren’t.
Meanwhile, your competitor down the street knows exactly which dollar drives which customer. Guess who wins?
Most companies don’t have an attribution problem. They have an accountability problem. They’ve never built the basic infrastructure to know what’s working.
Step 1: Separate Your Signals
Attribution is just a structured way of knowing which marketing efforts lead to which customers.
How to Separate Your Signals
Different Phone Numbers
Use services like CallRail (from $5 per local number) or Google Voice (free). Your billboard gets one number. Your website gets another. Your Google Ads get a third. Now, when the phone rings, you know why.
Different Landing Pages
Create pages like yoursite.com/fair for the fair and yoursite.com/rt46 for the billboard. Add a QR code to the billboard that leads to yoursite.com/rt46 with an offer like “Billboard viewers get 10% off.” Same content, different URLs, clear incentive.
UTM Tags on Digital Channels
Add labels to your links such as yoursite.com?utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=september. They’re free and powerful for tracking digital paths.
You don’t need an expensive tech stack. You need discipline. Separate your signals so the data tells the truth.
Step 2: Ask People (and Make It Trackable)
Your sales team already talks to every customer. They’re sitting on a goldmine of attribution data.
Ask two questions:
- “How did you first hear about us?”
- “What made you reach out now?”
The second question tells you why it worked. The first tells you what worked. Together, they turn contacts into intelligence.
How to Make It Trackable
Set up dropdown menus in your CRM instead of text fields.
Example Options for “How Did You Hear About Us?”
- Google search
- Billboard or outdoor ad
- Social media
- Referral from friend or colleague
- Trade show or event
- Other
If you let people type freely, you’ll get fifty versions of “internet.” Dropdowns give you data you can actually analyze.
Step 3: Track the Numbers That Matter
Once you see where customers come from, focus on whether you’re making money on them. Don’t obsess over attribution software until you’ve earned the right to care about it.
Four Numbers That Run Your Business
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The basic formula for CAC: Add up everything you spend on marketing and sales (salaries, ads, tools, sponsorships). Divide by new customers. That’s what it costs to acquire one customer. If you don’t know this, you’re running a casino.
Close Rate by Source
Measure what percentage of leads from each source become customers. Referrals might close at 40 percent. Cold outbound at 10 percent. This shows where to invest.
Pipeline Velocity
Track how long it takes for someone to go from first contact to closed deal. Referrals might take two weeks, content marketing three months. Speed equals money.
Payback Period
Count how many months until a customer’s revenue covers what you spent to acquire them. Under 12 months is healthy. Over 18 months means you need patient investors or better economics.
If you know these four numbers, you can make intelligent decisions. If not, you’re just hoping things work out.
Step 4: Test One Thing at a Time
Most companies “try stuff” and call it testing. That’s not testing. That’s guessing.
Start with a hypothesis:
“We believe offering a free audit will generate more qualified leads than requesting a demo.”
Then change only one variable. Run it long enough to matter. Use an A/B test calculator (free online). Document what happened.
That’s how learning compounds. That’s how marketing improves instead of just changes.
The Monday Morning Fix
Here’s a simple plan for next week.
Monday
Set up unique tracking for your top three channels using free or low-cost tools like Google Voice. Focus on one channel at a time.
Tuesday
Update your CRM with dropdown lead source fields. Train your team to use them properly.
Wednesday
Calculate your Customer Acquisition Cost. Include everything. Prepare for surprises.
Thursday
Pull your close rates by source, even rough estimates. You’ll see priorities clearly.
Friday
Pick one thing to test next month. Write a hypothesis. Set up the test. Let it run.
The Bottom Line
Good measurement isn’t about tracking everything. It’s about making better decisions than you made last month.
You don’t need perfect attribution. You need attribution good enough to make confident choices. You don’t need forty-seven metrics. You need four that reveal whether you’re building a business or burning money.
Start where you are. Track what you can. Improve consistently.
In six months, you’ll know more about what drives your business than most companies learn in years. That knowledge turns marketing from a cost center into a growth engine.
Stop guessing. Start knowing.
