{
  "rogueId": "sales.blended_cac_ratio",
  "slug": "blended_cac_ratio",
  "domain": "sales",
  "defaultLabel": "Blended CAC Ratio",
  "description": "Total fully-loaded S&M spend in the period divided by the dollars of new CARR generated in the period (new-customer + expansion CARR combined). Per the SMSB standard, the headline efficiency ratio for the full sales-and-marketing motion — answers \"how many cents do we spend on S&M to add one dollar of contracted ARR.\" Common pitfall: blending without separately reporting New CAC Ratio and Expansion CAC Ratio hides which side of the motion is driving efficiency — for a healthy SaaS company expansion CAC is usually 3–5× cheaper per dollar than new-logo CAC.",
  "fieldType": "number",
  "unit": null,
  "maturity": "general",
  "suggestedForStages": [
    "seriesA",
    "seriesB",
    "seriesC",
    "public"
  ],
  "defaultOwningFunctions": [
    "Sales",
    "Finance"
  ],
  "stageRelevance": {
    "seriesA": "recommended",
    "seriesB": "recommended",
    "seriesC": "recommended",
    "public": "recommended"
  },
  "definitionSource": {
    "tier": "published",
    "sourceName": "SaaS Metrics Standards Board",
    "sourceUrl": "https://www.saasmetricsboard.com/blended-cac-ratio",
    "sectionRef": "Blended CAC Ratio",
    "publicationDate": "2023-01-01",
    "attributionNotice": "Metric definitions reference standards published by the SaaS Metrics Standards Board (saasmetricsboard.com). imboard is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a member of SMSB."
  },
  "formula": "Blended CAC Ratio = Total S&M Spend (period) / (New CARR + Expansion CARR generated in period). Per SMSB §Blended CAC Ratio: spend uses the same fully-loaded definition as CAC; CARR-based denominator (not ARR) reflects committed contract value at the point of sign.",
  "whyItMatters": "The portfolio-level efficiency number — one ratio that summarizes the full S&M engine. Boards use it to track quarter-over-quarter efficiency improvement as the motion matures.",
  "interpretationGuidance": "Per SMSB convention, a Blended CAC Ratio < 1.0 means the company is acquiring more contracted ARR than it spends on S&M — capital-efficient growth. 1.0–1.5 is acceptable while the motion is scaling; > 2.0 sustained signals either a motion or pricing problem. Always pair with the New and Expansion CAC Ratio split to localize the issue.",
  "relatedKpiIds": [
    "sales.new_cac_ratio",
    "sales.expansion_cac_ratio",
    "sales.cac",
    "sales.cac_payback_period",
    "sales.new_business",
    "sales.expansion",
    "sales.carr"
  ]
}