A structured diagnostic of the go-to-market system, written to support executive alignment and decision context.
Prepared for
NovaPay
Illustrative example
Report date 2026-04-05
Respondent Camille Laurent
Primary constraint
Inadequate technical validation
Overall GTM score
56 /100
confidence ±8 pts
System leakage / yr
€9M
Recoverable upside
€3.6M
Binding dimension
G
Guidance
MODERATE
Segment: Revenue operations platform · Bench: Benchmarkit SaaS and AI Metrics Benchmarks 2026 · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025 · Stage: Expansion (€20M to €75M)
How to read this score at your stage: between €20M and €75M, growth stops forgiving structural gaps. Specialised functions, reliable data and disciplined governance are table stakes now, and the cost of the binding constraint grows with every team it touches.
Illustrative example · Page 1 of 47 · ARR baseline €45M
p.2
Report navigation
Table of contents
Twelve sections converging on one diagnosis. The binding constraint on NovaPay's GTM system.
Assessment scope, respondent, and scoring framework. This page anchors how the rest of the document should be read.
Assessment date
2026-04-05
Industry
B2B SaaS · Revenue operations
Founded
2018
Employees
195
HQ region
Europe
Target segment
Revenue operations platform
GTM motion
Hybrid sales-led with PLG
p.4
Board brief
Executive brief
Board decision summary. Primary constraint, financial impact, and the first 90-day move on a single screen.
Primary constraint
Inadequate technical validation
Binding dimension G (Guidance) · severity critical
Two registers, one system: the score band describes the system as a whole; the severity qualifies how hard this single constraint bites. A moderate system carrying a critical constraint is the normal signature of a binding bottleneck.
Pattern: The Accidental Growth: Guidance weakest at 50, Performance strongest at 62.
System leakage
€9M
Leakage drivers are de-duplicated across pillars and capped at 20% of ARR.
System score
GTM Score
56/100
01
Chapter
Executive Summary
Snapshot, primary diagnosis, and how the binding constraint propagates through the system. The board read of the entire document.
p.5
Chapter 1 · Executive snapshot
The GTM system at a glance
One paragraph, four headline ratios, the commercial reality and the constraint cascade. Everything the board needs before drilling into the chapters.
Executive verdict
Inadequate technical validation. Guidance is the structural weakness. Headline ratios look acceptable; the latent risk is the foundation below them.
At your stage, read this verdict structurally: between €20M and €75M every finding below repeats from team to team, so price it by the number of teams it touches, not by the cost in a single one.
Headline ratios
R40 Proxy
108
02
Chapter
The GTM Score
One composite number anchored on four dimensions and twelve pillars. Bands separate signal-grade movement from normal variance; confidence sets the precision boundary.
p.8
Chapter 2 · GTM Score
Overall GTM signal and confidence range
One composite number anchored on four dimensions. Bands separate signal-grade movement from normal noise. The dimension spread is what tells you whether the system is balanced.
Overall GTM score
56
MODERATE
confidence ±8 pts
G · Guidance
50
03
Chapter
Guidance
Strategic direction, market intelligence, ICP definition and positioning. The upstream dimension that decides whether downstream pillars compound or fragment.
p.12
Chapter 3 · Guidance overview
Strategic direction & market coherence
The dimension that sets direction for every downstream system. Weak Guidance scores cascade: resource allocation, sales execution and performance measurement all run against an unclear target.
Guidance dimension
50
MODERATE
Strategic foundation has gaps that create execution friction: ICP boundaries are blurry, positioning narrative is uneven, or market intelligence lags the signal-to-noise threshold. Downstream pillars carry the cost.
Underlying pillars
GTM Strategy & Leadership
04
Chapter
AI Answer Market
How visible you are when buyers ask an AI assistant to recommend a solution: your share of voice against rivals, where AI gets you wrong, and the bounded effect on your GRIP score.
p.17
Chapter 4 · AI Answer Market
Where AI sends your buyers
Buyers increasingly start with an AI assistant, not a search box. We asked ChatGPT the questions your buyers ask. This is who it names, and how often it is you. The market calls this discipline answer engine optimization (AEO) or generative engine optimization (GEO). This chapter measures where you stand in it.
AI visibility
20
Critical · out of 100
Your share of voice
6.9%
vs Clari at 23%
Engines measured
1
05
Chapter
Resources
Capacity, pricing power and product readiness. The dimension that determines whether strategy can be executed at the declared scale.
p.19
Chapter 5 · Resources overview
Capacity, talent, and product readiness
The dimension that decides whether strategic intent can actually be put into practice. Strong Guidance + weak Resources means the organisation has direction but lacks the pricing power, product depth or field enablement to deliver it.
Resources dimension
54
MODERATE
Resource base is under asymmetric strain: one pillar lags enough to constrain the other two.
Underlying pillars
Pricing & Packaging
48
06
Chapter
Implementation
Demand, sales and customer-motion execution. The conversion layer that turns strategy and resources into measurable revenue under load.
p.23
Chapter 6 · Implementation overview
From strategy to daily execution
The conversion layer between strategy and revenue. Strong Implementation with weak Guidance or Resources masks issues short-term but leads to execution burnout under scaling pressure.
Implementation dimension
60
SOLID
Execution processes work; the next gain comes from coaching cadence and tighter stage-exit gates.
Underlying pillars
Demand Generation
60
07
Chapter
Performance
Metrics architecture, forecast integrity and governance discipline. The feedback loop that determines whether the system self-corrects under pressure.
p.27
Chapter 7 · Performance overview
Control, visibility, and trust
The feedback loop of the GTM system. Strong measurement without governance produces dashboards nobody acts on; strong governance without measurement produces decisions on lagging anecdote.
Performance dimension
62
SOLID
Metrics + governance both functional; cadence is the next lever.
Underlying pillars
Customer Success & Expansion
65
08
Chapter
Risk Exposure
Revenue risk, execution risk, organisational risk, and the three financial trajectories the current state implies.
p.31
Chapter 8 · Revenue risk exposure
Where confidence breaks down
The gap between booked ARR and durable ARR. Churn captures how much of the book is lost each year; revenue concentration captures how much sits with too few customers.
Logo churn
12%
annual
Revenue concentration
28%
top customers
NRR
95%
net retention
09
Chapter
Synthesis
Cross-pillar interactions, what the constraint explains, what remains uncertain, and the structural risk architecture beneath the score.
p.35
Chapter 9 · Cross-pillar interactions
How constraints reinforce each other
The system is a network in which weak pillars channel pressure into adjacent pillars. The cluster around the binding pillar shows where pressure is currently routed.
Bottom 3 pillars · cascade source
Product Marketing · 43
Enablement · 45
Pricing & Packaging · 48
Top 3 pillars · resilience reserve
Product Readiness · 68
Customer Success & Expansion · 65
Data & Insights · 64
Distribution diagnostic
10
Chapter
Strategy
Orientation, resolution paths, modular implications, and the fragility-adjusted strategic priority stack.
p.39
Chapter 10 · Strategic orientation
What the system is optimised for today
Mismatched orientation (optimising while in triage, or stabilising while in optimisation) wastes capital and creates organisational confusion. The orientation must match the constraint reality.
Current mode
Stabilisation
GTM motion
Hybrid sales-led with PLG
Strategic focus
Enterprise expansion via technical depth
The system is currently optimised for stabilisation. Existing capability is mixed; the work is restoring fundamentals before optimisation is feasible.
11
Chapter
Action Plan
Ninety-day execution sequence, owner per move, KPI and enforcement rule, plus the operating rhythm that keeps the system honest after the sequence closes.
p.43
Chapter 11 · 90-day execution
From stabilisation to embedded rhythm
A phased 90-day plan: each action is owned, time-boxed, and sequenced so the binding constraint is resolved before the next layer is built.
Today
€9M
System leakage
Conservative · 25%
€6.8M
Central · 40%
€5.4M
Focused · 55%
€4M
0A
Chapter
Appendix
Full pillar scoreboard, what comes next after the report, and the methodology + glossary + formula reference behind every score.
p.45
Appendix
Full pillar scoreboard
Twelve-pillar maturity overview. The GTM Score combines pillar capability scores and financial-context ceiling effects. Where no financial ceiling is active, the GTM Score reflects pillar performance directly.
Data integrity: 3 cross-checks ran on your declared numbers · 3 reconciled (appendix).
Primary symptom reported
Sales-cycle elongation in technical validation
Respondent: Camille Laurent · Chief Revenue Officer. Scores reflect this respondent's perspective; confidence improves with multi-stakeholder input and operational data review.
Score bands
75+
STRONG
At or above benchmark
60-74
SOLID
Functional, room to optimise
50-59
MODERATE
Below peer performance
40-49
STRESSED
Material weakness
<40
CRITICAL
Immediate intervention
Calibration rules triggered. 3 of 22 active
Calibration rules adjust scores and benchmarks for segment, motion type, sales cycle length, and competitive intensity. Active rules are flagged inline within the chapters they affect; full rule definitions sit in the appendix.
How to read this report
1
Score
Your GTM Score (0-100) across 4 GRIP dimensions: Guidance, Resources, Implementation, Performance.
2
Constraint
One root issue is identified. Fixing other areas first yields limited returns until this is resolved.
3
Cost
System leakage shows annual revenue at risk. P&L drag shows what is already visible in the financials.
4
Action
A sequenced 90-day plan with one owner, clear gates, and a release condition before the next action unlocks.
Important limitation
All scores are based on self-reported data. Quantitative metrics provide external validation, but qualitative scores reflect the respondent’s perception. This report is a diagnostic starting point for executive discussion, not a definitive audit.
GRIP spread
12 pts
Range across G·R·I·P
Product / GTM
0.3x
investment balance
Commercial signals
Win rate
19%
vs target 25%
NRR
95%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 103% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Average discount
22%
discipline test
Logo churn
12%
annual
Financial integrity
R40 Proxy
108
Growth + GM · bench ≥ 40
Burn multiple
1.4x
cost of growth · target < 1.5x
Rev/GTM head
€570K
bench €400K+
CAC payback
18 mo
time to recoup
Scalability warning
Scaling before Inadequate technical validation is resolved will likely reduce capital efficiency and accelerate revenue leakage.
If ignored
The ARR shortfall compounds
12-month ARR shortfall vs plan: €3.6M
24-month ARR shortfall vs plan: €9.2M
Both figures are the plan trajectory minus the downside scenario, and recompute exactly from the chapter 7 table.
If fixed
+€3.6M
Annualised run-rate recovered by month 12. Central recovery assumption: 40% of total leakage (sector range 25-55%).
Win rate +4pts · NRR +5pts · Technical-validation loss <15%
P&L drag visible: €5.4M
First 90-day move
Action plan
Define mandatory technical-validation criteria
Owner: CRO
Timeline
30 days
Enforcement: until Inadequate technical validation is fixed, every additional euro invested in GTM expansion before validation discipline is fixed compounds the leak faster than it compounds output. Hold expansion plans until the binding discipline is in place. Then scale on a corrected baseline.
Growth + margin · bench ≥ 40
Burn multiple
1.4x
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 1.0x · Benchmarkit SaaS and AI Metrics Benchmarks 2026
Rev/Employee
€231K
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median €268,235 · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Magic number
0.80
Net new ARR / prior S&M · ≥ 0.75 healthy
Commercial reality
Win rate 19%, avg discount 22%, NRR 95%. ACV €180K. The team generates and advances demand, but conversion breaks when buyers require technical proof. The system bleeds where technical value, integration feasibility and implementation risk must be demonstrated before proposal commitment.
System shape
Performance leads at 62, Guidance trails at 50. The 12-point spread signals structural imbalance. Investment in Performance widens the spread; the composite moves only when Guidance catches up.
Board implications
Current system leakage is €9M, of which €5.4M is P&L-visible. At current trajectory, technical-validation and expansion-readiness drag will accumulate quarter over quarter. Primary driver: the technical-validation playbook is not strong enough to turn late-stage buyer scrutiny into confident close decisions.
Lever impacts on ARR
+1pt win rate
€758K
−1pt discount
€450K
+1pt NRR
€450K
−1pt churn
€450K
Constraint cascade
Root constraint
Inadequate technical validation
severity 90/100
Stage 1 · Primary signal
Technical validation loss: 24% above the 15% threshold
Stage 2 · Leadership decision
Standardise pre-sale technical validation
Stage 3 · First action
Define mandatory technical-validation criteria
Stage 4 · Dependent actions
Build the technical-proof and use-case library · Certify AEs and sales engineering on technical validation
Total system impact
€9M annual revenue at risk
p.6
Chapter 1 · Primary diagnosis
The single constraint shaping everything
Why the binding constraint is the binding constraint. What the upstream pillar pattern shows, where the commercial signals point, and what the installed base reveals.
Capability source
Technical proof capability
Provenance · score 90
NRR
95%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 103% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Win rate
19%
vs target 25%
Quota attainment
64%
Reps hitting
Upstream capability pattern
The three weakest pillars cluster in the stressed band, while strengths concentrate in Product Readiness and Customer Success & Expansion. The 25-point gap between strongest and weakest pillar indicates a broad execution cascade around the binding constraint. This is where the constraint originates. Not the full diagnosis, which follows below.
Product Marketing
G · Guidance
43 /100
Enablement
R · Resources
45 /100
Pricing & Packaging
R · Resources
48 /100
Commercial signal stack
Quota attainment of 64% against the segment benchmark signals conversion breakdown despite 4.6x pipeline coverage. 19% win rate is below the 25% target. At ACV €180K, each lost deal represents proportional CAC erosion. This pattern reinforces Inadequate technical validation as the primary constraint.
Installed-base status
NRR shortfall
15 pts
vs target 110% · NRR shortfall against expansion benchmark.
ARR at risk
€5.4M
From churn alone: 12% of current ARR. A different quantity than the recoverable potential. Without new sales the existing base does not reach target growth on its own.
95% NRR falls short of the 110% target. Secondary churn pressure: "Implementation complexity". Without lifting expansion or reducing churn, the installed base cannot compound at the rate the plan requires.
p.7
Chapter 1 · Constraint mechanics
How this constraint propagates through the system
A single causal family. One first decision. One first action. Everything downstream stays gated until the release condition is met.
Technical validation loss · above the 15% threshold
Root cause
Inadequate technical validation
Single causal family
First decision
Standardise pre-sale technical validation
Canonical decision
First action
Define mandatory technical-validation criteria
Only valid entry
The weakest scored pillar and the binding constraint do not have to coincide: pillar scores measure practice maturity, while the constraint is established on flow evidence (coverage, conversion, retention). A pillar can score solid on process and still be under-dimensioned on volume; the plan targets the flow break, and lifts the weak pillar only where it feeds that break.
The root constraint
Inadequate technical validation
Inadequate technical validation (severity 90/100) is the binding constraint that gates every downstream initiative. Decision required: Standardise pre-sale technical validation. First action: Define mandatory technical-validation criteria.
Constraint governance sequence
Stage
Canonical source
Current state
Meaning
Weakest scored pillar
12-pillar GRIP
Product Marketing · Technical proof capability
The upstream capability family where the constraint surfaces.
Primary Signal
Technical validation loss
24% above the 15% threshold
deals lost in technical validation. The evidence line that justified the binding constraint.
Root Cause
Diagnostic engine
Inadequate technical validation
The causal interpretation used for the board-level decision path.
First Decision
GRIP assessment
Standardise pre-sale technical validation
The leadership decision required.
First Action
GRIP assessment
Define mandatory technical-validation criteria
Starts immediately. Other initiatives stay on hold until this is in place.
Release Condition
Diagnostic engine
Technical-validation loss rate <15% AND win rate ≥25% for two consecutive quarters
Financial contract
System leakage
€9M
Canonical total
Cap status
At cap
20% ARR cap
P&L drag
€5.4M
Visible in financials
Execution owner
CRO
Single operating owner
System leakage: €9M. P&L drag: €5.4M. Blocked actions remain gated until the release condition is met. Binding dimension G (Guidance). Downstream impacts currently exposed: win rate, NRR, expansion readiness and value defence. The chapters that follow build out only this constraint and its downstream effects. No competing diagnoses.
MODERATE
R · Resources
54
MODERATE
I · Implementation
60
SOLID
P · Performance
62
SOLID
A score of 56/100 places NovaPay in the MODERATE band. A system that is functional but not yet ready to scale.
GRIP dimension breakdown
Dimension
Score
Band
Assessment
G · Guidance
50
MODERATE
Strategic foundation has gaps that create execution friction downstream.
R · Resources
54
MODERATE
Resources are constrained; pricing or capability readiness drags execution.
I · Implementation
60
SOLID
Execution processes work; coaching and gates are the next investment.
P · Performance
62
SOLID
Metrics + governance work; cadence is the lever.
Performance leads at 62; Guidance trails at 50. The 12-point spread reveals structural imbalance. Performance (62) significantly outpaces Guidance (50). The strong dimension is artificially sustained and will degrade if the weak dimension remains unresolved.
p.9
Chapter 2 · GRIP detail
Guidance, Resources, Implementation, Performance
Each GRIP dimension carried by its three underlying pillars. The dimension score is the equal-weighted average; the pillars beneath show where the score actually comes from.
Guidance · Strategic direction & market coherence
50
MODERATE
Strategic foundation has gaps that create execution friction downstream. Strategic-priority weight: 20% of the composite score.
Underlying pillars
GTM Strategy & Leadership
52
Market Intelligence
55
Product Marketing
43
Resources · Capacity, pricing power & product readiness
54
MODERATE
Resources are constrained; pricing or capability readiness drags execution. Strategic-priority weight: 20% of the composite score.
Metrics + governance work; cadence is the lever. Strategic-priority weight: 35%, where a fix moves the needle most.
Underlying pillars
Customer Success & Expansion
65
Data & Insights
64
Alignment & Governance
55
p.10
Chapter 2 · Score interpretation
What the scores can and cannot tell us
Scores provide signal, not verdict. Their purpose is to establish a shared interpretive baseline so the leadership team can align on where the system is strong, weak, and where intervention is most likely to compound.
The overall GTM score is interpreted through bands rather than precise values. Bands represent materially different system states. A score of 53 and a score of 57 may both fall within the Moderate band. The difference between them is less significant than the difference between 57 and 62, which crosses a band boundary into Solid. Movement between bands reflects a meaningful shift; movement within a band may reflect incremental change or normal variance.
Band reference (your score: 56/100)
75+
STRONG
System operates at or above peer benchmark. Competitive advantage present. Focus on sustaining and extending.
60-74
SOLID
Functional capability with room for optimisation. No immediate risk but improvement opportunity exists.
50-59
MODERATE
Below peer performance. Active attention required. Left unaddressed, this band tends to decay rather than self-correct.
Your band
40-49
STRESSED
Material weakness affecting adjacent systems. Likely dragging down connected pillars through cross-system effects.
<40
CRITICAL
System failure requiring immediate intervention. Revenue impact is active and compounding. Triage before optimisation.
Confidence + score interaction
A moderate score with high confidence may warrant more attention than a higher score supported by limited evidence. The confidence range of ±8 pts reflects the precision boundaries of this assessment based on data quality and internal consistency.
When reading pillar scores in subsequent chapters, pay attention to clusters. Pillars that score within 5 points of each other often share a common root cause. Isolated low scores typically indicate a contained problem; clustered low scores indicate a systemic one. The GRIP dimension view on the prior page helps distinguish between these patterns.
p.11
Chapter 2 · Confidence
Signal strength and data completeness
How the engine knows what it knows. The framework, the rules that adjust it, and the data lineage that supports every score in this document.
Pillars assessed
12
Confidence
±8 pts
Calibration rules
3 of 22
Active triggers
GRIP dimensions
4
The GRIP Framework evaluates GTM systems across four dimensions: Guidance (strategic direction and market positioning), Resources (capacity, talent, and investment allocation), Implementation (process execution and operational discipline), and Performance (outcome measurement and governance). Each dimension contains three pillars, for twelve total.
Pillar scores are computed from 20-25 diagnostic inputs per pillar, using normalised response mapping calibrated against industry benchmarks. The overall GTM Score is the capability average across all twelve pillars. GRIP dimension scores aggregate their constituent pillars with equal weight. The published dimension priorities (G 20%, R 20%, I 25%, P 35%) express where a fix compounds most, not how the score is computed. 22 calibration rules adjust scores and benchmarks for segment, motion type, sales cycle length, and competitive intensity.
Confidence ranges reflect three factors: internal consistency (whether related inputs agree), metric alignment (whether self-reported financial metrics match qualitative assessment inputs), and benchmark coverage (whether sufficient peer data exists for meaningful comparison). Wider confidence ranges indicate areas where additional data would materially change the interpretation.
Data quality note
All scores are based on self-reported data. Quantitative metrics (ARR, growth rate, headcount) provide external validation anchors, but qualitative scores reflect the respondent's perception. This report is a diagnostic starting point for executive discussion. Not a definitive audit. Scores improve in reliability when validated through follow-up interviews and operational data review.
Data lineage
Respondent input
ARR
growth rate
headcount
ACV
win rate
sales cycle
churn rate
NRR
discount
pricing model
loss reasons
economic buyer
market
competitors
qualitative assessments
Derived (calculated)
Pipeline coverage
implied CAC
CAC payback
LTV:CAC
burn multiple
magic number
revenue per employee
product:GTM ratio
R40 Proxy
GRIP scores
pillar scores
52
MODERATE
Market Intelligence
55
MODERATE
Product Marketing
43
STRESSED
How to read these pillars at your stage
GTM Strategy & Leadership. At your stage, strategy is portfolio management: segments, regions and motions compete for the same capital. Read a low score as dispersion: too many bets with equal weight, a plan that changes faster than it is executed, and board reporting that describes rather than decides.
Market Intelligence. At your stage, intelligence feeds decisions across segments and regions: whitespace analysis, pricing moves of rivals, regulatory or platform shifts. Read a low score as latency: the organisation learns what the market already did.
Product Marketing. At your stage Product Marketing is a function with its own roadmap: segment-specific positioning, competitive programmes, pricing input. Read a low score as a scaling bottleneck: sales and CS carry what PMM has not codified, and every new segment multiplies the gap.
Mild imbalance. The dimension carries internal tension that limits compounding effect downstream.
Why guidance matters
Guidance sets the direction for every downstream system. A weak Guidance score means resource allocation, sales execution and performance measurement all run against an unclear or misaligned target. Improvements in Resources or Implementation alone cannot compensate for ambiguous strategy.
Recommended first move
Tighten product marketing and the technical proof narrative: refresh the brief, validate against the last 50 deals (won/lost), publish a narrative library with proof points. Output: tested product marketing narrative with field adoption metrics.
p.13
Chapter 3 · Market reality
Segment, buyer, and demand signals
The market lens through which every downstream score must be read. ACV calibration determines whether the motion you declare matches the motion the deal economics actually require.
Market context
Industry
B2B SaaS · Revenue operations
Target segment
Revenue operations platform
ACV
€180K
Enterprise motion
Growth rate
32%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 30% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
B2B SaaS · Revenue operations markets favour specific motion-segment combinations; this assessment reads commercial signals through that lens. ACV at €180K is above the mid-market ceiling; the motion is moving into enterprise territory.
Commercial signals
Win rate
19%
vs target 25%
NRR
95%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 103% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Average discount
22%
discipline test
Logo churn
12%
annual
Conversion read
Win rate is below peer median. One of qualification, positioning or technical proof is leaking conversion. Cycle length of 130d points to evidence-heavy buying.
Retention read
Retention is stable but not expansion-grade. NRR < 110% caps the long-term ARR multiple. Expansion play is under-built.
Primary friction reported
Inadequate technical validation playbook. Calibration rules cross-reference the reported friction against measured metrics to surface any systemic mismatch.
p.14
Chapter 3 · ICP & targeting
Who the system is actually built for
A working ICP is the connective tissue between Guidance, Implementation and Performance. When declared target matches actual customer mix, conversion aligns with retention. When they diverge, one looks healthy while the other stalls.
Economic buyer
CFO / Head of Payments
Target segment
Revenue operations platform
Primary market
Europe
Active customers: 250 at €180K ACV. The ratio of ACV to declared segment indicates whether the actual book of business confirms or contradicts the strategic target.
ICP coherence test
Active customers
250
active book
NRR
95%
sub-110%
Logo churn
12%
above tolerance
ICP signals are mixed: retention is leaking but expansion is below the 115% expansion-grade tier (the plan target stays 110%), suggesting the segment fit is approximately right but the value-delivery mechanics are under-built. The declared ICP may be closer to a "best-case customer" profile than a "modal customer" profile.
ACV calibration
ACV at €180K is enterprise-grade. Segment description should match. If declared "mid-market" but ACV > €92K, motion is actually enterprise; selling motion + sales cycle expectations need recalibration.
Calibration note
When ICP signals contradict the actual customer mix (for example an enterprise target with SMB-style churn drivers), the diagnostic flags an inherited strategic mismatch: the wrong customer was sold, and downstream metrics are now compensating for that early miss.
ICP refinement discipline
A useful ICP draws a clear boundary at the edge: a prospect either fits or does not. When the team hedges on every deal with 'this could be ICP if…', the boundary is too soft. Tighten it: which two or three attributes have to be true? Anything else is noise.
p.15
Chapter 3 · Positioning logic
Narrative coherence across teams
Positioning is the bridge between strategy and execution. When discount levels exceed governance ceiling AND win rate sits below target, the sales team is discounting to offset weak value proof.
Average discount
22%
no ceiling declared
Win rate
19%
vs 25% target
Tech validation loss
24%
Deals lost in validation
Discount governance holds; win-rate movement traces back to one of qualification, technical proof, or competitive positioning.
Technical validation loss is the diagnostic signal that the proof narrative is not landing consistently in the field. Deals lost in technical validation indicate a gap between marketed capability and consistently demonstrated capability. 24% validation loss is above the 15% threshold. The positioning narrative outpaces the field's ability to demonstrate capability consistently.
Cross-pillar implication
High discount combined with a low win rate is rarely a sales-execution problem alone. The root cause is usually one step upstream, in Pricing & Packaging and Product Marketing. The diagnostic weighs these signals heavily when the binding pillar is selected.
Narrative coherence test
Ask 5 reps to explain who you're for and why you win in 60 seconds. If you hear 5 different stories, positioning hasn't landed in the field. The fix is a narrative library with proof points + a 30-day sales-leadership coaching rotation.
p.16
Chapter 3 · Constraint cascade
Primary constraint propagation
A binding pillar spreads through the system in a predictable sequence. The four lowest-scoring pillars below show how the pressure manifests across capabilities.
Primary constraint
Inadequate technical validation
Pricing governance holds today; the binding constraint sits upstream of closing, inside the technical-validation step. Win rate at 19% vs 25% target confirms that value proof, integration feasibility and technical risk handling are not demonstrated consistently enough before proposal commitment.
Constraint cascade. 4 lowest-scoring pillars
01
Product Marketing
43
STRESSED
02
Enablement
45
STRESSED
03
Pricing & Packaging
48
STRESSED
04
GTM Strategy & Leadership
52
MODERATE
Pillars sitting within two GRIP positions of the binding pillar typically reinforce each other along the cascade. Pressure relieved at the binding pillar tends to unwind in this same cluster within 60-90 days.
Secondary constraint
Enablement Gap. Within 10 points of the primary constraint on the 0-100 confidence scale. Resolution sequence: stabilise the primary first; the secondary may resolve as cascade pressure releases.
Resolution discipline
Sequence the response rather than launching parallel pillar-level interventions. Stabilise the primary friction, observe cascade unwinding (typically 60-90 days), then re-assess. The recurring failure mode is over-investing in parallel fixes the cascade would have absorbed once upstream pressure released.
ChatGPT
Buyer questions run
48
On ChatGPT only
Share of voice: who AI names in your category
Clari
23%
BoostUp
21.3%
Gong
17.8%
Salesforce Einstein
16.1%
Aviso
14.9%
NovaPayYou
6.9%
Share of voice is the share of brand mentions across every engine and buyer question measured. Only questions that do not contain your name are scored: an engine that is asked about you will always name you.
Who wins the answer instead of you
Clari3 you lose · 4 you win · 1 tied
Gong3 you lose · 5 you win · 0 tied
BoostUp3 you lose · 2 you win · 2 tied
Aviso3 you lose · 4 you win · 1 tied
On each buyer-question type we compare how strongly AI names you versus each rival. These rivals win the answer on the most question types.
Visibility by question type
22
Implementation
27
Use case
30
Category
41
Best providers
52
Comparison
56
Alternatives
57
Branded
58
Pricing
0 means AI never surfaces you for that question type; 100 means you own the answer.
Where to win the answer next
Buyer-question themes ranked by demand against your coverage. A high gap means buyers care about that theme but AI rarely names you. This is your content and AEO backlog. Coverage is binary presence: the share of answers in a theme that name you at all. The visibility score above also weighs how often and how prominently, so the two can diverge when you are named, but late and rarely.
Use case0% coverage
88
“How to solve revenue forecasting”
Category0% coverage
78
“What is revenue operations”
Implementation0% coverage
70
“How long does it take to implement revenue operations software”
Best providers57% coverage
37
“Best tools for revenue forecasting”
Comparison88% coverage
11
“Clari vs Gong”
How often each engine names you
20%
ChatGPT
Share of each engine's answers to your buyers' questions that name you at all.
Is AI getting your story right?
Message accuracy
65
Solid · out of 100
Pricing accuracy
72
Solid · out of 100
Message accuracy is how faithfully AI answers reflect your real positioning, use cases and differentiators; pricing accuracy is how correctly they describe how you charge. A low score means buyers form the wrong picture of you before they ever reach your site.
Can AI engines even read your site?
All major AI answer-engines can crawl your site: 12 of 12 crawlers allowed · llms.txt present.
p.18
Chapter 4 · Diagnosis & score impact
Why AI overlooks you, and what it costs your score
Each finding below is tied to the GRIP dimension it pressures. Unlike a standalone visibility report, these feed your live GRIP re-score. It is the same engine the OS runs every day.
HighI · Implementation
Weak presence in non-branded discovery queries
The brand underperforms in 18 of 21 category, best-provider and use-case queries. Buyers discovering solutions without searching by name are unlikely to find the brand.
e.g. "What is revenue operations"
MediumI · Implementation
Core value narrative not anchored in answer market
Core use cases are not associated with the brand in 21 of 48 queries. The brand's value proposition is not surfacing where buyers are researching.
e.g. "Best revenue operations platforms"
MediumG · Guidance
Competitors hold citation advantage across queries
Average competitor pressure score is 54/100 across all queries. In 25 queries, competitors dominate the citation and mention space.
e.g. "What is revenue operations"
Effect on your GRIP score
How AI visibility weighs on your live score in the OS
These 7 answer-market signals from the last 30 days feed your live GRIP re-score in the OS. They are recency-weighted, capped at ±15 points per dimension, and anchored on your assessment baseline.
The scores printed in this report are the assessment baseline, unadjusted; the appendix reproduces each one from its pillar scores. The contribution above is the answer-market slice of the live adjustment the OS applies on top of that baseline. Your assessment remains the anchor: AI visibility moves the live reading, it does not rewrite this report.
Where AI gets its facts about your category
AI pulls from these sources when it answers your buyers. 7% of those citations are your own pages. The rest is where you need to get cited.
7% Your page33% Competitor60% Third-party
g2.comThird-party30×
clari.comCompetitor11×
gartner.comThird-party9×
gong.ioCompetitor
How to win the answer back
01Strengthen competitive differentiation content
02Create use case pages
03Clarify brand positioning in public content
04Create authoritative category page
05Strengthen first-party content authority
06Build third-party authority signals
STRESSED
Product Readiness
68
SOLID
Enablement
45
STRESSED
How to read these pillars at your stage
Pricing & Packaging. At your stage, pricing spans segments, regions and expansion paths. Read a low score as erosion: exceptions that became the norm, packaging that no longer matches the buyer, and price changes made without a test.
Product Readiness. At your stage, the catalogue has breadth and regions; readiness is concentration and launch discipline. Read a low score as drag: hero-product dependence, launches that ship without the field, and technical debt that slows the commercial motion.
Enablement. At your stage enablement is a programme with content ownership and measurement. Read a low score as a throughput limit: new hires ramp slower than the plan assumes, and the gap shows up as quota attainment spread.
Product investment must scale to support the declared motion. PLG and self-service tolerate higher ratios; enterprise sales-led tolerates lower but demands stronger field enablement to compensate.
Product / GTM ratio
0.3x
investment balance
ACV
€180K
avg contract
NRR
95%
expansion read
CAC payback
18 mo
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 20 months · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Capability readiness
Product readiness
68
Band SOLID
Enablement
45
Band STRESSED
Go-to-market motion
Hybrid sales-led with PLG
Declared motion
Product / GTM ratio measures whether product investment scales to support the declared motion. A ratio below 0.15 indicates product is under-resourced; above 1.0 indicates GTM is under-built to monetise what product ships.
Enablement lag
Enablement lags: product has shipped capability the field cannot reliably demonstrate. Proof asset adoption + role-specific training cadence are the typical fixes; takes 60-90 days to land.
Capacity posture
Product investment is sufficient to support current motion. Continue monitoring as headcount scales.
p.21
Chapter 5 · Pricing signals
Value capture vs value delivery
Pricing power is the bridge between value created and value captured. Excess discounting indicates either weak value articulation or value-delivery mismatch.
Average discount
22%
no ceiling declared
Pricing & Packaging pillar
48
Band STRESSED
Win rate
19%
vs 25% target
ACV
€180K
Pricing architecture diagnostic
Discount excess
n/a
no ceiling declared
Gross margin
76%
after COGS
Win-rate gap
6 pp
gap to target
No discount ceiling was declared, so pricing is a secondary signal here, not the binding constraint. The decisive signal is the win-rate gap (6pp to target): value defence weakens late in the deal when technical proof is not demonstrated, which traces back to Inadequate technical validation.
Discount pattern analysis
Pattern
What it indicates
Discount-then-close
Sales reps fall back on price reduction before exhausting value-defence options. Symptom of weak proof-asset use or short ramp on objection handling.
End-of-quarter spike
Discount levels spike in week 12 of every quarter. Symptom of quarter-end forecast pressure overriding pricing discipline.
Tier-bracket gaming
Reps push prospects into the adjacent tier to unlock discount room. Symptom of tier definitions not matching actual buying patterns.
Precedent erosion
Customers reference last year's discount as the new floor. Symptom of no annual price increase and no value-driven re-anchoring.
None of these patterns is currently active in your data; the declared average concession is 22%, and no discount ceiling was declared. Read the table as the watch-list your stage gates are there to keep empty.
Pricing in context
Pricing discipline is a secondary signal here. The binding constraint is Inadequate technical validation: the decisive signal is the loss of effectiveness in technical validation, which lowers the win rate and limits value defence. See chapter 10 for the 90-day plan.
p.22
Chapter 5 · Talent & load
Role expectations vs stage
Headcount distribution reveals whether the GTM organisation is staffed for current ARR or operating in scale-up mode.
Total employees
195
GTM headcount
79
Sales + CS + Marketing
Product + Eng
65
Product + Engineering
Rev / employee
€231K
Function-level distribution
Function
Headcount
Per 100 employees
Sales
35
18
Customer Success
18
9
Marketing
12
6
Engineering
65
33
Operating intent
Sales
Quota attainment + discount discipline
Customer success
NRR expansion + GRR floor
Marketing
Pipeline coverage + CAC payback
Product
Feature velocity tied to expansion levers
Revenue per GTM employee: €570K. CS load: ~14 clients per CSM at €180K ACV. These ratios indicate whether the GTM organisation is staffed for current scale or operating in scale-up mode.
Capacity calibration
Revenue per employee sits in the healthy band, but with the weakest resource pillar at 45 the capacity issue is distribution, not size: investments do not yet compound at expected ratios.
SOLID
Sales Execution
58
MODERATE
Revenue Operations & Systems
63
SOLID
How to read these pillars at your stage
Demand Generation. At your stage, demand runs across segments and regions with competing budgets. Read a low score as fragmentation: channels optimised in isolation, attribution arguments replacing decisions, and pipeline that looks full but does not close.
Sales Execution. At your stage, sales execution is a system with regions, segments and enterprise cycles. Read a low score as variance: attainment spread, inconsistent qualification, forecast error that reaches the board.
Revenue Operations & Systems. At your stage RevOps runs across Sales, Marketing and CS. Read a low score as compounding friction: every regional or segment add-on inherits inconsistent data, and forecast error becomes a board topic.
Capability pattern
Strongest stage: Revenue Operations & Systems (63). Weakest: Sales Execution (58) · spread 5pts within dimension. Execution shows process gaps. The technical-validation stage breaks under proof burden and surfaces as technical-validation forecast variance.
Recommended first move
Technical-validation execution reset: stage-exit gates with explicit criteria, weekly forecast review with variance accountability, coaching cadence for top and bottom performers. Output: forecast accuracy > 85% sustained for one full quarter.
p.24
Chapter 6 · Demand engine
Signal to lead to opportunity
Effective coverage degrades by win rate; quality-adjusted coverage further degrades when conversion quality and deal assumptions are weak. The gap between raw and quality-adjusted coverage tells you how much commercial velocity depends on conversion quality and technical-validation discipline.
Pipeline coverage
4.6x
target ≥ 3.0x
Quality-adj coverage
0.7x
after win + discount adj
Win rate
19%
vs target 25%
Average discount
22%
discount discipline
Pipeline coverage at 4.6x measures whether incoming demand can support quota under expected conversion. At a 19% win rate, effective coverage is 0.9x. The volume of pipeline that will convert at current win rates. This is the metric that should drive sales capacity planning, not raw coverage.
Coverage healthy
Pipeline coverage at 4.6x is healthy. Quality discipline. Not volume. Is now the lever.
Demand hygiene
Pipeline coverage is a leading indicator. Watch the trend: rising gross coverage paired with falling quality-adjusted coverage means MQL standards are loosening. Tighten qualification before adding more pipeline volume.
p.25
Chapter 6 · Sales execution
Deal flow, progression, and friction
Sales execution is where deal flow meets process discipline. Win rate measures conversion quality; quota attainment measures distribution of that quality across reps.
Pipeline coverage
4.6x
qualified pipe
Win rate
19%
vs 25% bench
Sales cycle
130d
days to close
Quota attainment
64%
rep productivity
A low win rate with uneven quota attainment indicates conversion quality is not distributed across the team. Sales cycle of 130 days exceeds typical benchmark. Investigate whether cycle elongation reflects deal complexity or process drag.
Buying-process friction pattern
A long sales cycle combined with a low win rate is the classic process-drag pattern: the team is still advancing deals before technical proof and implementation fit are demonstrated. Tighten the stage-progression criteria before investing in more pipeline volume.
Secondary churn pressure
Implementation complexity. When the churn driver is implementation-related rather than product-fit, it signals downstream pressure on the sales motion to pre-qualify use-case fit.
Execution discipline
Stage-exit gates are this domain’s highest-leverage process intervention. When reps cannot articulate the customer’s evidence-of-need before advancing a deal, win rate degrades and cycle expands. Coaching + role-play in this area has direct revenue ROI.
p.26
Chapter 6 · Customer motion
Onboarding, expansion, retention signals
Whether the system can compound revenue after acquisition. NRR captures net effect of expansion offsetting churn; activation is the leading indicator of whether new customers will reach value.
NRR
95%
vs target 110%
GRR
90%
gross retention
Logo churn
12%
annual
Average discount
22%
pricing pressure
The customer motion measures whether the system can compound revenue after acquisition. NRR above 100% means the existing book grows without new logos; below 100% means the system leaks faster than it expands. Secondary churn pressure: "Implementation complexity".
NRR gap
An NRR of 95% below the 110% target points either to under-investment in expansion or to elevated churn pressure. The diagnostic reads this as a Customer Success signal whenever it pairs with weak P6 or P11 scores.
Logo churn discipline
Logo churn at 12% is above the 8% tolerance. The book contracts 12% per year before any expansion. Save plays + ICP refinement pre-sale are the levers.
SOLID
Data & Insights
64
SOLID
Alignment & Governance
55
MODERATE
How to read these pillars at your stage
Customer Success & Expansion. At your stage, customer success is a segmented operation: tiers, QBRs, an account-management split for the largest accounts. Read a low score as leakage: expansion left to chance and churn explained after the fact.
Data & Insights. At your stage, data is infrastructure: attribution, cohort analytics, experimentation with an owner. Read a low score as blindness at scale: regions and segments reporting different truths, and decisions made on the loudest dashboard.
Alignment & Governance. At your stage, alignment is cross-functional by necessity: sales, marketing, product, finance (and compliance where regulated) share OKRs and a cadence. Read a low score as friction: conflicts resolved in hallways and a board pack that reports without deciding.
Capability pattern
Strongest layer: Customer Success & Expansion (65). Weakest: Alignment & Governance (55) · spread 10pts. Forecast variance and decision latency are the typical symptoms when one pillar lags.
Recommended first move
Governance cadence: install an operating rhythm (weekly/monthly/quarterly forums), define decision rights per forum, enforce escalation conditions. Output: governance scorecard with attendance and decision-velocity metrics.
p.28
Chapter 7 · Metrics architecture
What is measured vs what is managed
A solid architecture distinguishes volume metrics from decision metrics. LTV:CAC, CAC Payback and Magic Number form the unit-economics triad. They show whether the business model converts capital into revenue at sustainable rates.
LTV:CAC
4.2:1
target ≥ 3.0x
CAC payback
18 mo
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 20 months · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Magic number
0.80
net new ARR / S&M
Data pillar
64
Band SOLID
Qualified pipeline coverage remains the primary board metric; quality-adjusted coverage (after win-rate and discount adjustment) is the operating diagnostic underneath it. Raw coverage looks healthier but masks conversion attrition.
Triad assessment
Triad is mid-band: one or two of the three metrics signal stress. Diagnose which leg is weakest. Fixing that one tends to lift the other two.
Vanity vs signal discipline
A useful metric drives a decision. Pipeline volume, MQL count and demos booked are activity metrics unless tied to stage progression and win-rate quality. The triad above is signal: if those three move, the business model has materially changed. Build operating cadence around signal metrics, not activity ones.
p.29
Chapter 7 · Forecast integrity
Confidence, volatility, and assumptions
Whether projected outcomes are achievable given current capital efficiency. Burn multiple translates capital intensity into a single ratio; the R40 proxy is read against a 40 reference, with the caveat stated below.
Growth
32%
YoY
Gross margin
76%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 78% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
R40 Proxy
108
Growth + GM
Runway
24 mo
cash runway
Burn multiple
1.4x
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 1.0x · Benchmarkit SaaS and AI Metrics Benchmarks 2026
Magic number
0.80
Net new ARR / prior S&M
Every €1 of new ARR currently costs 1.4x in burn. Below 1.5× indicates efficient growth; above 2× indicates the system burns faster than it converts. The R40 proxy of 108 is above the 40 reference; as a growth-plus-gross-margin proxy it reads structurally higher than the standard operating measure, so weigh it with the burn multiple rather than against listed-market benchmarks.
Capital posture strong
A burn multiple below 1.5× combined with 18+ months of runway puts the company in the capital-efficient correction zone. Forecast integrity is high; cash dynamics buy correction time.
Forecast discipline
A pipeline coverage figure is only meaningful if win-rate, discount, and cycle-length assumptions hold. Forecast integrity requires testing these assumptions monthly, not quarterly. The cycle of correction matters more than the precision of the forecast.
Scenario discipline
Forecasts should come in three variants: base case (current trajectory), upside (binding pillar resolves), and downside (constraint compounds). A single forecast hides its own assumptions. A three-scenario forecast forces those assumptions to be named out loud.
p.30
Chapter 7 · Governance signals
Decision forums and escalation paths
The cadence layer of the GTM system. It determines how quickly signal travels from measurement to decision. Healthy governance has three properties: regular operating reviews with clear decision rights, escalation paths when metrics deviate, and memory of prior decisions.
Logo churn
12%
annual
GRR
90%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 90% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
NRR
95%
net retention
Concentration
28%
top accounts
Governance pillar
55
Band MODERATE
Performance pillar
62
Band SOLID
Strategic focus reported: Enterprise expansion via technical depth. Primary friction reported: Inadequate technical validation playbook. The gap between the declared focus and the reported friction is itself a governance signal. When those two do not line up, the decision rhythm is lagging behind operational reality.
Decision velocity
Most underperforming GTM systems can see their problems but cannot act on them. The bottleneck is rarely measurement infrastructure. It is governance forums, decision rights, and escalation paths. Improving governance is the highest-leverage Performance intervention.
Memory & learning
Governance without memory is a treadmill: the same issues get re-discussed without the team learning. Build a decision log. What was decided, by whom, with what outcome. Review it quarterly. Compounding decision quality is more valuable than any individual decision.
System leakage
€9M
annual
Revenue risk is the gap between booked ARR and durable ARR. Concentration above 30% means a single account loss can materially impair quarterly performance. NRR at 95% is sub-retention. Churn outpaces expansion.
Capital & retention health
LTV:CAC
4.2:1
target ≥ 3.0x
Cash runway
24 mo
target 18+ mo
Risk decomposition
Risk vector
Current state
Mitigation lever
Logo Churn
12% annual. Above tolerance
Health-score model + at-risk playbook before quarter close
NRR Gap
95%. Sub-target
Expansion plays + tier-ladder pricing + activation-to-value bridge
Win-rate + ACV improvement before headcount expansion
Runway Window
24 months. Comfortable
Burn discipline + scenario-driven capital posture per chapter 7.4
Forward-looking pressure
Risk vectors are point-in-time measures; they compound forward. At current churn the book contracts over 24 months without offsetting expansion. The math compounds quarter over quarter; an intervention now is materially cheaper than the same intervention in two quarters.
What this page misses
This is a snapshot. It cannot see cohort-level churn, deal-stage win-rate breakdown, or segment-by-segment expansion mix. Those live in the Caugia GRIP OS.
p.32
Chapter 8 · Execution risk
Where the system may stall
The probability that current capacity cannot deliver the forecast. Conversion (win rate), distribution (quota attainment) and feed (pipeline coverage) each can mask the others. High coverage with low win rate produces volume but not revenue.
Win rate
19%
vs target 25%
Quota attainment
64%
% reps hitting
Pipeline coverage
4.6x
target ≥ 3.0x
Cash runway
24 mo
operational pressure
Burn multiple at 1.4x indicates that capital efficiency is still manageable while the constraint is corrected. Combined with 24 months runway, this is the operational pressure window: time available to resolve the binding constraint before capital constraints force triage.
Risk surface decomposition
Risk surface
Current reading
Win rate vs 25% bench
19%
Avg discount discipline
22%
NRR below 110%
95%
CAC payback drift
18 mo
Logo churn annual
12%
Cohort economics risk
Risk is concentrated on a single dimension. Either feed or conversion, not both. Sequenced intervention can resolve without parallel investments.
Execution risk hierarchy
When multiple risk signals fire simultaneously, fix in this order: (1) capital. Buy time first, (2) proof. Technical proof first, then coverage quality if conversion does not recover, (3) conversion. Primary outcome metric until win rate reaches ≥25%; monitor distribution once it holds, (4) distribution. Broad rep competency. Out-of-sequence interventions waste capital.
p.33
Chapter 8 · Organisational risk
Alignment and load tensions
Two dimensions: capability (does the team know how to do the work) and alignment (does the team agree on what the work actually is). Enablement scores capability; Governance scores alignment.
Enablement
45
gap
Governance
55
gap
GTM:Total ratio
41%
of headcount in GTM
Total employees
195
Organisational risk surface
Risk vector
Reading
Sales productivity
64%
CS coverage
NRR risk
PM:GTM ratio
0.3x
Founder dependency
Key-decision concentration
When both Enablement and Governance sit below 60, the system is operating on individual heroics. Outcomes depend on specific people rather than a repeatable process. This is fragile under any departure or scale event.
Org risk active
Either enablement or governance is below the 60-threshold. Plan for: cross-training, documentation of undocumented knowledge, and explicit decision-rights matrices before the next major hiring wave.
Capability gap diagnosis
Both axes sit below the 60 threshold: the risk vector is compound, not balanced. Sequence the enablement rebuild first, then lock decision rights; running both in parallel competes for the same leadership attention.
Departure risk audit
Run a key-person-risk review for every critical function: if a single person left tomorrow, what would break? Document the undocumented knowledge, build deputy structures, and write transition playbooks. Most organisational risk stays invisible until a departure makes it acute.
p.34
Chapter 8 · Financial scenarios
Three trajectories from current constraints
The upside scenario assumes the binding constraint is resolved within 90 days. The downside assumes continued drag on conversion and retention without intervention. Currency line tracks ARR.
Upside
€60.6M
12-month ARR projection
R40: 113
Constraint resolved, +4pt win, +5pt NRR, technical-validation loss below 15%.
Base
€59.4M
12-month ARR projection
R40: 108
Current trajectory, no constraint resolution.
Downside
€55.8M
12-month ARR projection
R40: 101
Continued technical-validation and expansion-readiness drag.
System leakage of €9M is the annualised gap between current performance and benchmark. Resolving the binding pillar recovers €3.6M of annual run-rate by month 12; year 1 books €1.2M of it while the fix ramps (the upside column above), and the full run-rate carries into year 2.
Three-scenario narrative
Upside
Win rate to 23% + technical-validation loss below 15% + NRR to 100% on the current ARR base recovers €3.6M of leaked value.
Base
R40 108, win rate 19%, NRR 95%, burn multiple 1.4x. Growth holds, but technical proof and expansion readiness are where the bleed sits.
Downside
Technical-validation loss remains above 15% and NRR falls below 100%: the R40 line compresses. Runway 24 mo narrows, capital-raise terms harden.
24-month compound view
Scenario
12M ARR
24M ARR
24M Δ
Upside
€60.6M
€83.6M
+€38.6M
Base
€59.4M
€78.4M
+€33.4M
Downside
€55.8M
€69.2M
+€24.2M
From scenarios to operating decisions
These projections are mechanical, not forecasts. The Caugia GRIP OS turns scenarios into operating decisions: which trigger fired this week, which lever to pull, which assumption needs revising. Diagnostic reports start the conversation; the operating system runs the playbook.
Top 3 avg
66
12-pillar mean
56
Bottom 3 avg
45
Top 3-bottom 3 spread
21 pts
Top-three to bottom-three average gap of 21 points shows moderate cascade. Weak pillars exist but the system has functional anchors elsewhere. A bottom-three average of 45 sits in the STRESSED band. Three foundational pillars are weak at the same time, which points to compound fragility.
Intervention strategy
When intervening on the binding constraint, leverage the resilience reserve. Strong adjacent pillars provide the operational capacity to execute change without losing forward momentum. Weak adjacent pillars require sequenced intervention rather than parallel.
Causal chain of this pattern · The Accidental Growth
The Accidental Growth: Guidance weakest at 50, Performance strongest at 62. Left alone, the pattern typically unfolds in this order:
Signal quality declines. Measurement blind spots hide where leakage actually starts.
Optimization slows. Interventions target symptoms instead of the binding constraint.
Unit economics weaken. CAC recovery slows while margin capture deteriorates.
Growth resilience drops. Churn exposure and volatile outcomes suppress compounding.
p.36
Chapter 9 · Pattern reconciliation
What this explains
The diagnostic identifies one binding constraint. The observable patterns below are the downstream signature. They look like discrete problems but trace upstream to the single constraint.
Win rate
19% below the 25% target. Root cause traces back to the upstream binding constraint, not sales execution alone.
NRR
95% sits below the $20M to $50M ARR peer median of 103% (High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025). Expansion only just offsets churn, which caps the long-term ARR multiple.
Discount
22%. Observed average discount; no discount ceiling was declared, so governance is not assessed here.
System pattern
The Inadequate technical validation constraint manifests as compound friction, not a single failed metric. Resolution requires sequenced intervention on the binding pillar before downstream metrics can recover in correlation.
The constraint hypothesis is testable: if these observations move together as the constraint resolves, the diagnosis is confirmed. If they move independently, secondary factors are also at play and the constraint model needs revision.
Diagnostic falsifiability
A useful diagnostic must be falsifiable. The above observations should improve in correlation as the binding constraint is addressed. Watch for divergence. When one improves and others do not, additional constraints are present.
Competing hypotheses tested
Four rival explanations were scored on the same inputs. No single explanation separates: Technical validation bottleneck, Pricing compression and value articulation failure and ICP misalignment and demand quality issue tie at 33% of the evidence each; confidence in the ranking is moderate.
H1 · 33%
Technical validation bottleneck · primary by tie-break
Technical validation loss 24%, direct evidence of a validation bottleneck
H2 · 33%
Pricing compression and value articulation failure
Positioning pillar below threshold
Pricing and packaging pillar weak
H3 · 33%
ICP misalignment and demand quality issue
Market segmentation pillar below threshold
Rejected: Pipeline coverage at 4.6x, demand is sufficient
H4 · 0%
Sales execution and capacity constraint
No supporting evidence in the declared inputs.
Rejected: Quota attainment above 60% floor, not primary driver
p.37
Chapter 9 · Explicit unknowns
What remains uncertain
Confidence range: ±8 pts. Remaining uncertainty sits at the metric edges. Recoverable upside precision, exact constraint timing, market sensitivity, and capital availability.
Recoverable upside precision
Actual upside depends on execution discipline, not the diagnostic estimate. The 40% recoverable assumption is an industry heuristic. Real recovery clusters between 25-55% based on execution speed and team alignment.
Constraint timing
The diagnostic identifies the current binding constraint. It cannot predict when secondary constraints will become binding after primary resolution. Re-diagnosis at day 90 is the canonical answer.
Market sensitivity
Projections assume stable competitive intensity. Material market shifts (new entrants, pricing pressure, regulatory change) can override internal constraint resolution. Scenario discipline + monthly market scan is the hedge.
Capital availability
Execution scenarios assume continued capital access. Funding constraints can force triage that overrides the recommended sequence. Capital posture should be reviewed quarterly alongside the constraint progress.
Honest diagnostic note
Every diagnostic is a hypothesis under uncertainty. The value is not in being right. It is in being specific enough to test. Use this report to start the executive discussion, not to end it.
p.38
Chapter 9 · Structural risk architecture
System fragility and concentration exposure
SFI measures concentration risk. How much of the system depends on a few strong pillars. EP measures whether the team can deliver the next 90 days given current capability and capacity.
SFI (Fragility)
45
target < 45
Execution Probability
62%
delivery readiness
Pillar std dev
7.8
dispersion across 12
System Fragility Index measures concentration risk. High SFI means the team carries weight unevenly. Strong pillars compensate for weak ones, but the structure cannot absorb shocks. Execution Probability combines Implementation pillar averages with Performance discipline and resource readiness. At 45, SFI is on the threshold; fragility should be monitored rather than treated as high.
Stress-test scenarios
Departure shock
Single key person leaves: how much capability sits in their head vs documented? High SFI means high impact.
Demand shock
Pipeline drops 30% in one quarter: which weak pillars amplify the drop into a multi-quarter slump?
Capital shock
Funding round delays 6 months: which non-binding constraints get triaged first to extend runway?
Each scenario above is testable in the next 90 days at low cost: tabletop exercise per scenario, document the team’s response, identify gaps. Structural risk tends to stay invisible until a scenario is actually played out; the tabletop is how you surface it early.
Concentration vs coverage
SFI rewards coverage over peaks. A 12-pillar system with all scores at 60 is more durable than one with three pillars at 80 and three at 40. Same average, different stress profile. When choosing between investments that lift one pillar high vs three pillars modestly, prefer the latter for SFI compounding.
Binding constraint: Inadequate technical validation. The orientation above is the appropriate response to this constraint, not an aspiration.
Capital allocation posture
40% on resolving binding constraint (focused, sequenced). 40% on retention + churn prevention. 20% on selective growth investments where unit economics already work.
The risk in stabilisation mode is impatience: leadership wants to optimise before fundamentals hold. Premature acceleration before constraint resolution creates a worse fragility profile than the starting state.
p.40
Chapter 10 · Resolution paths
Which dimensions must change first
Resolution discipline: fix the primary friction first; secondary issues often resolve themselves once cascade pressure releases. Parallel-fixing produces fragmentation. The team works on too many fronts and improves none of them measurably.
Owner: single accountable executive. Timeline: 90 days. This is the only permitted work-stream for the first 30 days.
2.
Observe cascade unwinding. 60-90 days post-intervention
Track adjacent pillar movement. If cascade does not unwind, the constraint diagnosis needs revision.
3.
Re-assess secondary. Enablement Gap
The secondary may auto-resolve as cascade pressure releases. If still binding after primary stabilisation, address as second sprint.
4.
Re-diagnose
A new constraint will emerge once the current one is resolved. There is always a primary friction; the work is to make sure each one is more advanced than the last.
Constraint queue after release
Enablement Gap · R · severity high
Pricing Leakage · R · severity high
Pipeline Quality · I · severity high
Ranked by impact at intake. The order is re-evaluated once the binding constraint clears its release condition; a queued constraint can dissolve as cascade pressure releases.
Why sequence matters
Constraint theory is unforgiving: working on non-binding constraints produces invisible improvements. The team feels productive but the system does not improve. Discipline of single-constraint focus is the highest-leverage management intervention.
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Chapter 10 · Modular implications
Where targeted interventions would apply
Constraint resolution is rarely a single intervention. It is a cluster of modular changes that together unblock the binding constraint. Each module can be designed, owned and measured independently. But they reinforce each other in execution.
Recommended modules
01
Pre-sale technical-validation playbook
02
Stage-exit gates tied to technical proof, integration feasibility and value evidence
03
Monthly win/loss review on deals lost in technical validation
Module 1 lands first because it changes the rule. Module 2 builds the workflow that enforces the rule. Module 3 audits and learns. Reverse the order and the new rule erodes within 60 days.
Module discipline
Each module needs: a single owner, a defined release condition (when is this module done?), and an outcome metric (how do we know it worked?). Modules without these three properties become indefinite work streams that absorb capacity without producing change.
Why three modules
Three modules is deliberate in this method: it is the minimum scope that moves the binding pillar without leaving gaps, and the maximum a single executive sponsor can keep in focus for 90 days. Two leave gaps against the pillar; four dilute one sponsor’s attention.
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Chapter 10 · Strategic priority stack
Fragility-adjusted investment priorities
Initiatives are ranked by Initiative-Weighted Execution Probability (IW-EP). Strategic impact combined with delivery readiness. High impact + low readiness produces aspirations; low impact + high readiness produces busywork.
Execution probability is mid-band: the team can deliver, but the stack will require active sponsorship from the named executive. The risk: drift on priority 1 cascades into priorities 2 and 3 missing their windows.
What not to do (90 days)
Hire net-new GTM headcount before the validation gate is fixed. Compounds unit-economics pressure
Rebuild CRM or RevOps stack. Absorbs decision capacity that needs to flow into constraint resolution
Launch new segment / geography. Expands surface area while existing surface is leaking
Run a board-level strategy reset. The commercial model itself holds; what is off is targeting and proof, and the plan tightens both without a reset
Stack discipline
Three priorities maximum. Each priority needs an owner, a release condition, and a 90-day outcome target. Adding a fourth priority degrades the first three. The team has finite attention, and dilution always wins over focus when leadership permits it.
Pre-mortem discipline
Before launching the stack, run a 60-minute pre-mortem: assume it is 90 days from now and the stack failed. What broke? Document the answer, then fund the top-2 risks before kickoff. The risks that sink a stack are usually visible in advance; the pre-mortem exists to make the team name them.
How to run this at your stage
At your stage, run this plan as a cross-functional programme. The actions below cut across teams, so give each one a single accountable owner plus an executive sponsor for the constraint, a weekly cadence and written status. Parallel pet projects are the main failure mode.
Owners below are resolved to the functions you declared at intake. Where a function does not exist yet, the plan names who carries it instead of inventing a role.
PHASE 1Month 1 · Stabilise
Action 1 · CRO · 30 days
Define mandatory technical-validation criteria
Set the technical-proof requirements every deal must clear before advancing to proposal, so value is demonstrated, not asserted.
Gate · Validation criteria signed
Passes when: Technical-validation criteria signed by CRO and Sales Engineering and live in the CRM stage definitions within 30 days.
Action 2 · Head of Sales Enablement · 30 days
Build the technical-proof and use-case library
Equip AEs with reusable proof assets (reference architectures, benchmarks, use-case evidence) so technical value is shown consistently across deals.
Gate · Proof library adopted
Passes when: Proof library covers the top 10 use cases and is used in at least 70% of active late-stage deals within 45 days.
PHASE 2Month 2 · Standardise
Action 1 · Head of Sales Enablement · 60 days
Certify AEs and sales engineering on technical validation
Train and certify the field on the proof library and add phase-exit gates tied to technical validation, so no deal advances without demonstrated fit.
Gate · Field certified
Passes when: All AEs and sales engineers certified on the proof library by day 60, with phase-exit gates enforced in the CRM.
PHASE 3Month 3 · Institutionalise
Action 1 · CRO · 14 days
Run a weekly technical-commercial deal review
Stand up a weekly review where late-stage deals are inspected for technical validation, so risk surfaces before it costs the quarter.
Gate · Review cadence held
Passes when: Weekly technical-commercial review held for 4 consecutive weeks with every late-stage deal inspected against the validation gate.
Action 2 · RevOps · 14 days
Ship a win/loss dashboard for technical validation
Track win and loss reasons against technical-validation outcomes so the team learns which proof points actually move deals.
Gate · Dashboard reviewed weekly
Passes when: Win/loss dashboard tied to technical-validation outcomes live by day 14 and reviewed weekly by the CRO and RevOps.
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Chapter 11 · Operating rhythm
Execution cadence, outcome targets, and track oversight
Cadence translates strategy into execution. Five outcome targets define the 90-day shift. Weekly + monthly forums with owners and escalation triggers keep the system honest.
90-day outcome targets
Win rate
19% to≥ 25%
NRR
95% to≥ 110%
vs $20M to $50M ARR peers: median 103% · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025
Technical-validation loss
24% to< 15%
Churn
12% to< 8%
GTM Score
56 to61
Success is read on the operational rows; the score is a trailing indicator, and a move inside one band sits within the ±8-point reading band (chapter 2). Retention rows are quarter-exit run-rates, not trailing-twelve-month restatements.
Operating cadence
Weekly
Owner: CRO · CFO, RevOps
GTM Operating Review
Review pipeline health, conversion metrics, and constraint progress against the 90-day plan.
Escalate if: Any KPI off track 2+ consecutive weeks.
Owner: CRO · Sales Engineering
Technical Validation Review
Inspect late-stage deals for technical validation: is the proof demonstrated, are the exit gates met, where is value defence weak.
Escalate if: A late-stage deal advances without meeting the technical-validation gate.
Monthly
Owner: CRO · CEO, CFO, RevOps
Board GTM Review Prep
Prepare board-ready GTM metrics pack with constraint progress and scenario updates.
Escalate if: GTM Score declines or constraint pressure increases.
Owner: CRO · Product, CS Leads
Churn Root Cause Review
Review all churned accounts, categorise root causes, validate intervention effectiveness.
Escalate if: Churn rate increases or controllable churn exceeds 50% of total.
Execution tracks
Owner: CRO · 90d
Technical Validation Track
Define mandatory validation criteria, build the proof and use-case library, certify the field, and gate phase exit on demonstrated technical fit.
KPI: Win rate ≥ 25% · technical-validation loss < 15%
Enforce: Block any deal advancing to proposal without meeting the technical-validation gate.
Validation gateProof libraryDeal review
Owner: Head of Customer Success · 90d
Retention Defence Track
Stabilise controllable churn through health-score model + at-risk playbook; protect NRR.
KPI: Churn < 8% · NRR ≥ 110%
Enforce: At-risk accounts get exec sponsor within 5 business days.
Health ScoreSave PlaysCohort Analysis
Strong (75+)
0
Critical (<40): 0
#
Pillar
GRIP
Score
Status
9
Product Readiness
R
68
SOLID
6
Customer Success & Expansion
P
65
SOLID
10
Data & Insights
P
64
SOLID
7
Revenue Operations & Systems
I
63
SOLID
4
Demand Generation
I
60
SOLID
5
Sales Execution
I
58
MODERATE
2
Market Intelligence
G
55
MODERATE
12
Alignment & Governance
P
55
MODERATE
1
GTM Strategy & Leadership
G
52
MODERATE
8
Pricing & Packaging
R
48
STRESSED
11
Enablement
R
45
STRESSED
3
Product Marketing
G
43
STRESSED
How to read this table
Pillars are ranked by score (highest first). The GRIP column shows which dimension each pillar belongs to. Clusters of low scores within the same dimension indicate a systemic issue rather than discrete pillar problems.
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Appendix
From diagnostic to execution
The report is the snapshot. What changes the number is someone working the constraint week after week. In an Execute engagement, Tom Meijer takes it on directly, one to two days a week, with progress reviewed weekly on your live GRIP score. GRIP OS is where that work runs: included in the engagement, never sold separately. It keeps the diagnostic alive: every meeting, every forecast, every pricing decision flows through a single cadence.
Continuous diagnostic
A connector library feeds live data into the same 12-pillar model. Score drift is visible the moment it happens, not at the next quarterly review.
Operating cadence
Weekly, monthly and quarterly forums come pre-configured with owners, escalation conditions and decision rights. The cadence runs on rails; leadership focuses on decisions, not on meeting prep.
Sophie co-pilot
A GTM assistant with persistent memory. Knows your constraint, your playbook and the last 30 days of decisions. Briefs the team, drafts the forecast and surfaces the next move.
For NovaPay
Your binding constraint is Inadequate technical validation. It is treated as a permanent operating layer worked weekly, not a quarterly sprint.
How to move from report to execution
1.
Schedule a 30-minute walk-through of this diagnostic with your CRO and RevOps lead. Validate which findings match operational reality.
2.
Start the Execute engagement on technical validation: validation criteria, proof library adoption, stage-exit gates and win/loss learning. Tom Meijer works it with your team one to two days a week, inside GRIP OS. No platform replacement.
3.
If the constraint resolves and the operating cadence holds, the engagement widens to whole-system coverage. If it does not, it ends there. You keep the diagnostic.
You do not have to run this alone. A fractional Caugia operator executes this plan with you, one to two days a week, inside GRIP OS, measured on the same score. Two slots; the report fee is credited in full. Book a call: os.caugia.com/book
Each component recomputes from inputs printed in this report; the stored total is rounded to the nearest €1k.
Declared-data coherence checks
ReconciledUnit economics reconcile: LTV:CAC 4.2 and a 18-month payback imply the same acquisition cost (≈€271k) from your declared ACV, gross margin and churn.
ReconciledHeadcount ledger reconciles: the 4 declared functions sum to 130 against a declared total of 195.
We flag, we never adjust: every score and every amount in this report uses your declared values exactly as given.
All formulas derived from publicly published SaaS benchmarks (OpenView, SaaStr, Bessemer). Score-band thresholds calibrated against peer cohort distributions per segment + motion.
Dependent motions remain blocked until this is satisfied. A condition measured over multiple quarters keeps running past the 90-day window: the plan moves its inputs; the gate closes when the window completes.
value leakage
Benchmarked (external)
Segment-calibrated targets for win rate
NRR
discount
sales cycle
CSM ratio
headcount ratios
gross margin
revenue efficiency
Peer set: revenue-band peers, 7 metrics (Benchmarkit SaaS and AI Metrics Benchmarks 2026 · High Alpha SaaS Benchmarks 2025)
8×
novapay.ioYour page5×
aviso.comCompetitor3×
SFI · Baseline EP · IW-EP
Engine composites over pillar, dispersion and governance inputs. Printed as values in chapter 8; not derivable from the printed figures alone, by design.
