4. Find leading indicators that suggest prospects are moving toward the end goal. If the end goal is to drive sales-accepted leads and it takes most prospects 60 days to get there, what do marketers do in the meantime? This is where leading indicators come into play. Most goals will probably be lagging indicators closely tied to revenue, but those numbers change infrequently and only after an opportunity is won or lost. It’s like trying to drive a car without seeing the road. If we look at leading indicators — short-term, fast-moving metrics like clicks, form fills, and lead scores — you can see where leads are headed and adjust. All good marketing measurement is built upon a combination of two indicators: leading Leading indicators Lagging indicators and lagging. One suggests, the other confirms. • Views • Revenue • Clicks • Upsells • Form fills • Cross-sells • Campaign reach • Renewals • Send volume • Acts of advocacy • Conversions • Marketing-attributed • Leads revenue • Pipeline • Customer churn rate