Top 5 Growth Metrics for SMBs Metrics

The top five growth-focused metrics that matter most for small and mid-sized businesses beyond the obvious top-line numbers. These are the ones that reliably signal whether growth is healthy, sustainable, and repeatable.

Activation Rate

Activation Rate helps companies determine how quickly and effectively their new users are achieving perceived value. It measures the number of new users that have performed a predetermined “key action” within a set period of time, where the key action is assumed or known to deliver initial customer value.

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CAC Payback Period

CAC Payback Period is the time it takes for a company to earn back their customer acquisition costs. The value depends on how high the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is and how much a customer contributes in revenue each month or each year.

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Gross Revenue Retention Rate

Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) Rate is the percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers in a defined time period, including downgrades, and cancels. It does not include any expansion revenue. GRR is also commonly referred to as Gross Renewal Rate.

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Lifetime Value to Cost of Acquisition Ratio

The Lifetime Value to Cost of Acquisition (LTV/CAC) Ratio tells you if the theoretical lifetime revenue you get from a customer is higher or lower than the sales and marketing costs needed to acquire that customer.

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Net Revenue Retention Rate

Net Revenue Retention (NRR) Rate, also known as Net Dollar Retention (NDR), is the percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers in a defined time period, including expansion revenue, downgrades, and cancels. This churn metric gives a comprehensive view of positive as well as negative changes with respect to customer retention.

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