As business owners and entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves obsessed with reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). The logic seems sound: the less it costs to acquire a customer, the better for our bottom line. But what if this fixation on lowering CAC is actually hindering our growth and profitability?

After listening to the Chief Marketing Officer of Revolut, Antoine Le Nel, it occurred to me instead of relentlessly chasing a lower CAC, it’s time to shift our focus to Return on Investment (ROI) and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). By doing so, we not only consider the cost of acquiring a customer but also the revenue and profit they bring over time.

Obsessing Over CAC – The Downside

Reducing CAC can indeed bring in more customers at a lower upfront cost. However, a sole focus on CAC can lead to unintended consequences:

• Attracting the Wrong Customers: Lowering CAC might mean targeting a broader audience that isn’t the ideal fit for your product or service. These customers may not stay long or engage deeply with your offerings.
• Compromising on Quality: Cutting costs in acquisition efforts can reduce the effectiveness of your marketing strategies, leading to lower-quality leads.
• Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Losses: A low CAC doesn’t guarantee profitability if the customers acquired don’t contribute significantly over time.

Why ROI and LTV Matter More

• Quality Over Quantity: Focusing on ROI ensures that your marketing efforts generate profitable returns. It’s not just about how many customers you acquire, but how valuable they are to your business.
• Sustainable Growth: LTV measures the total revenue a customer is expected to generate over their lifetime with your company. By maximizing LTV, you foster long-term relationships that contribute to sustained profitability.
• Informed Decision-Making: Prioritizing ROI and LTV provides a more comprehensive view of your business health, allowing for smarter investments in marketing and customer retention strategies.

Balancing CAC with ROI and LTV

This isn’t to say that CAC should be ignored. Instead, it should be balanced with ROI and LTV:

• Calculate the Ratio: Use the LTVratio to assess the efficiency of your acquisition strategies. A higher ratio indicates that the value of customers outweighs the cost of acquiring them.
• Segment Your Customers: Identify which customer segments have the highest LTV and focus your acquisition efforts there, even if the CAC is higher.
• Invest in Retention: Allocate resources not just to acquire new customers but to retain existing ones, thereby increasing LTV.

Action Steps

1. Analyze Your Metrics: Start by thoroughly understanding your current CAC, ROI, and LTV. Identify trends and areas for improvement.
2. Refine Your Target Audience: Focus on attracting customers who are the best fit for your product or service, even if it means a higher CAC.
3. Enhance Customer Experience: Invest in quality customer service and support to increase satisfaction and loyalty.
4. Leverage Upselling and Cross-Selling: Introduce complementary products or services to increase the value each customer brings.
5. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously track these metrics and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Quick 3 Questions

1. Are you attracting the right customers who will provide the highest LTV, even if it means a higher CAC?
2. How can you enhance your product or service to increase customer satisfaction and ROI?
3. What strategies can you implement today to balance CAC with a stronger focus on ROI and LTV?

—Rickard

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One of the most important metrics to track in any business is customer retention. A happy customer returning to make a repeat purchase is more than just a sale, it’s their way of casting a vote for your business. If you’ve done a great job, your customers will come back. If they don’t, then there’s an opportunity for growth you’re missing.

I recently spoke to a hotel owner who told me that most of her guests didn’t return after their first stay. This is especially challenging in the hotel industry, where it can be difficult to generate repeat business.

But as we talked, it became clear that the issue wasn’t the service or the location, there was no system in place to make rebooking easy or encourage repeat visits. The hotel was listed on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, making it more of a commodity where guests often book simply because it was the only available option, or the cheapest.

The hotel had numerous unique selling points (USPs) that could set it apart, and these could be highlighted in a way that encouraged loyalty. With no loyalty program, follow-up emails, or easy rebooking systems, the guests don’t have a reason to return. In contrast, large hotel chains have loyalty programs and automated systems that make it easy to rebook, incentivizing guests to stay within their brand.

For smaller businesses, the lesson is clear: repeating sales is not only about offering a good product or service; it’s about building relationships, creating systems, and making it easy for customers to return.

In Two-Brain Business, the concept of customer retention is captured through something called “LEG” (Length of Engagement). This measures how long a customer stays committed to your service and is a key indicator of business health.

The longer the LEG, the more successful your business is likely to be. I’ve learned a lot from my work with TwoBrain, where we emphasize that this is a well-known but often neglected metric. Creating systems and incentives to nurture customer loyalty will not only drive growth but create long-term stability for your business.

3 Quick Questions (3QQ) to Ask Yourself:

1. Do you have a system in place that makes it easy for your customers to make a repeat purchase?
2. Are you offering incentives (like loyalty programs or offers) for customers who come back?
3. Are you making it clear to your customers why they should choose you again over the competition?

At the end of the day, your repeat customers are your biggest fans. It’s their return that signals the true strength of your business.

Rickard