See How a New Approach Works for Your Specific Use Case — Explore the Test Drive >
The campaign is live. You've checked the metrics a dozen times. Opens are low. Replies are non-existent. The pipeline forecast for this initiative starts to flatline and that sinking feeling is all too familiar.
For a demand gen Leader, this moment is a test of leadership. The easy path is to blame the list, the offer, or the market. The strategic path, the one that defines elite performers, is to skip the blame game and launch a campaign autopsy instead. This is how you transform a short term loss into a long term competitive advantage.
Your goal shifts from lead generation to generating learnings and insights.
A structured autopsy moves you from anecdotal guesses to data driven decisions. Follow this framework to uncover the truth.
What was this campaign designed to achieve? Was it top of funnel awareness? Lead generation? SQLs? Pipeline? If the goal was vague, like "generate leads", the results will be too. Precision in objective setting is the first step to clarity in analysis.
Move beyond vanity metrics. The truth is in the granular data.
Why guess if a solution will work? Our hands-on Test Drive is a focused pilot engagement designed to pressure-test your entire GTM motion turning a small investment into definitive proof.
Validate your strategy with real data and scenarios, receive a customized pilot plan and ROI assessment, and eliminate uncertainty before a full-scale rollout.
Your SDRs are a goldmine of intelligence. They are on the front lines, hearing objections and gauging prospect sentiment firsthand.
Ask them: "What was the most common objection you heard?" "Did prospects understand what we were offering?" "Did they sound surprised by our call?" Their answers will tell you if the problem was awareness, relevance, or a flawed offer.
Based on your investigation, pinpoint the single most impactful variable.
You will likely find multiple small issues, but there is usually one primary leak. Plug that first.
Present these findings in a blameless post mortem. Focus on the process, not the people. Say, "The process for building the target list failed to filter for X," not, "Marketing built a bad list."
This approach does more than improve your next campaign; it builds a culture where your team is empowered to experiment, learn, and iterate. It positions you not as a cost center, but as the engine of predictable growth. A failed campaign is not a reflection of your strategy; it is a necessary input into its evolution. The greatest demand gen engines are built not on unbroken success, but on intelligent, relentless iteration.
