Marketing Diagnostic – Revenue Grader Best Practices Template

We have been using the Revenue Grader now for several months and as we gear up for a new release, I thought it would be worthwhile to highlight what has made it valuable for the clients who have used it so far. One of the challenges we have had is making sure our users understand what it is – and what it isn’t.

What is the Revenue Grader?

Inspired, in part, by HubSpot’s Marketing Grader, Revenue Grader is a management-level Best Practices Marketing Diagnostic tool or template that helps a business rapidly assess their revenue performance potential and develop a prioritized top level plan. We use the Revenue Grader in a 2-hour workshop with our clients as part of our Diagnostic service. It really helps foster discussion about the end-to-end revenue marketing situation. The team is able to quickly align around what is most important.

Why do our clients like it?

Revenue Grader takes broad and strategic view of 50 critical elements of revenue performance. It works across our three dimension revenue architecture approach (strategy, systems and programs.) After completing the Revenue Grader, the client team can agree and clearly identify their critical priorities. These priorities range widely from developing market segmentation plan to crafting better value proposition or deploying marketing automation technology / CRM to enhancing sales team skills.

Our clients tell us that they find the grader workshop the most valuable part of the experience. In other words, while each question stands on its own,  when coupled with an expert-facilitated discussion about the topic and the implications – along with healthy discussion across the client team, there arises a shared understanding of opportunity and priority.

Using the Grader

After a user registers, they are provided access to a very easy to use diagnostic tool. They can rate their maturity on key factors using a scale of 1-5. For each maturity factor, they can choose to “add to plan” and indicate the level of priority. In about 45 minutes, they will have a prioritized top-level plan indicating the items that are “must do”, “should do” and “could do”.  The plan can then be translated into a specific  action timeline based on logical dependencies and priorities.

Key features:

• 50 Revenue Performance Factors broken down into Revenue Strategy, Revenue Systems and Revenue Programs questions
• 1-5 capability maturity scoring system
• ability to quickly “add to plan” or indicate “already in plan”
• for items that are added to the plan, the ability to indicate the priority “must do”, “should do”, “could do”
• scoring variables reflect the greater impact of key elements
• Ability to compare scores to peer groups (which will build up over time)

What is Next?

The app is scheduled an updated release with a few items being considered:

1. A better report print-out in PDF
2. A Category label for reach question to help focus on the topic at hand
3. Possibly adding a question level “importance” rating
4. Clearer indications that the survey can be saved mid-stream if interrupted (this works now but not everyone knows it!)
5. A few changes that will make it easier for a new user to jump in and get started.