Lead Source Scorecard & Budget Decision Matrix

Link

1

Link Name

Demand + Source

Playbook

Demand + Source Playbook

Loop Step

Prioritize

Role

template

Purpose

Convert the source-level Revenue Chain performance from the Lead Source Quality Audit (RLR-07) into a defensible management action for each source: Scale, Maintain, Repair, Reduce, Stop, or Insufficient Evidence.

Input Resource

Resource Id

RLR-07

Title

Lead Source Quality Audit™

Decision States

Anti Auto Stop

Rule

The Matrix must NOT automatically recommend STOP solely because of any one of the following.

Prohibited Sole Reasons

high CPL; low lead volume; a single weak downstream metric; small sample size

Why

Each of these can coexist with strong economics or be caused by a downstream conversion problem. STOP requires source-attributable poor economics with sufficient evidence.

Decision Inputs

• downstream quality (lead-to-qualified and beyond)
• booked appointments
• shows
• retained clients
• revenue
• gross profit
• CAC
• attribution confidence
• operational leakage downstream (is a conversion link losing this source's good leads?)
• sample size

Source Vs Conversion Problem

Principle

Before any Reduce/Stop, decide whether you are looking at a SOURCE PROBLEM or a CONVERSION SYSTEM PROBLEM. This distinction is central to the Revenue Chain methodology.

Decision Tree

Q1. Is lead-to-qualified rate healthy for this source? If NO -> likely SOURCE PROBLEM -> candidate for REDUCE/STOP (subject to evidence).; Q2. If YES (good-fit leads) but the chain collapses at appointment/show/close -> CONVERSION SYSTEM PROBLEM -> REPAIR the downstream link (Link 2/3/4/5). Do not REDUCE/STOP the source.; Q3. If outcomes are largely Unknown or attribution confidence is Low -> INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE -> fix tracking (RLR-09) and re-measure before deciding.; Q4. If economics are strong and attribution is trustworthy with adequate sample -> SCALE or MAINTAIN.

Decision Logic

Note

Apply in order. Reuses the Kit's evidence-gated approach; introduces no opaque scoring formula. Evidence is a gate, not a tiebreaker.

Steps

1. Evidence gate: if attribution confidence is Low or a sample-size warning is set on the deciding rates, output INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE and stop.; 2. Conversion check: if lead-to-qualified is healthy but the chain collapses downstream, output REPAIR and name the suspected downstream link. Do not REDUCE/STOP.; 3. Economics check: with adequate evidence and no downstream cause, judge source-attributable economics (CAC vs revenue/gross-profit per lead).; 4. If economics strong and scalable -> SCALE; if strong but not clearly scalable -> MAINTAIN.; 5. If economics marginal and source-driven -> REDUCE.; 6. If economics poor, source-attributable, and evidence sufficient -> STOP.; 7. Never reach STOP via CPL, low volume, one weak metric, or small sample alone (see antiAutoStop).

Scorecard

Note

Manager-ready row per source. Fill from RLR-07. Confidence and Primary Leak carry forward so the recommendation is explainable.

How To Use

• 1. Import each source row from the completed Lead Source Quality Audit (RLR-07).
• 2. Run the decision logic top to bottom; the first rule that fires sets the action.
• 3. For REPAIR rows, record the suspected downstream link and open the matching Playbook — the budget stays put until the downstream leak is fixed and re-measured.
• 4. For INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE rows, record the measurement or tracking action (RLR-09) and a Next Review Date.
• 5. Only SCALE/REDUCE/STOP move budget, and only when evidence is sufficient and the cause is source-attributable.
• 6. Log every action, reason, and review date on the Revenue Leak Repair Plan (RLR-39). A budget change is implemented, not verified, until the next review confirms the economics moved.

Missing Data Rules

• A row missing revenue/CAC or with Low attribution confidence defaults to INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE, never STOP.
• Unknown is never treated as poor performance.
• Do not aggregate several small sources into one row to escape a sample-size warning.

Guardrails

• No fabricated benchmark thresholds; compare to the business's own history and cross-source economics, and state the basis.
• No invented client results or unsupported revenue claims.
• STOP is a high-evidence decision; when in doubt, REDUCE or keep measuring.
• The Matrix must never let a CPL number, alone, end a source.

Remeasure

REPAIR, REDUCE, and INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE rows must be re-measured on the Next Review Date over a comparable window before the action is treated as verified. Reallocating substantial budget on insufficient evidence is prohibited.