2 min lesson
Define "qualified" so the metric can't be gamed
Use "A precise definition pins the metric to an outcome, not to a knob someone upstream controls" to describe the practical rule.
Step 1 of 2
Define "qualified" so the metric can't be gamedwhere upstream logic leaks into the scoreboard
If "qualified" means "score above the threshold," then anyone who loosens the scoring model can manufacture qualified leads without improving the business. A precise definition pins the metric to an outcome, not to a knob someone upstream controls.
A defensible definition reads like a query: first time a lead crosses ICP score 75, with a verified work email and a matched account, excluding existing customers. Each clause closes a gaming path. The verified-email clause stops junk captures from counting; the existing-customer exclusion stops the program from claiming credit for accounts it didn't create.
A number with no baseline and no target is trivia. Before launch, record the current state ("enrichment match rate is 58% on inbound") and set a target ("75% by end of quarter"). Iteration only has meaning against a line you drew first.
Resist the metric bouquet. Ten dashboards with thirty metrics is a way to avoid committing to what the program is for. Name one north-star, two guardrails and the leading indicator you'll watch weekly; everything else is diagnostic, not the scoreboard.
"My north-star is program teams still active at day 30 - durable value, not raw signups - guardrailed by credit cost per activated team and rep response SLA so we don't buy activation we can't afford, with the 24-hour qualify rate as the leading signal. I steer by that set and not paid-conversion count, because paid conversion flatters the program for deals it didn't create."
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