/acquisition-channel-advisor

name: acquisition-channel-advisor
argument-hint: "[channel to evaluate]"
description: Evaluate acquisition channels using unit economics, customer quality, and scalability. Use when deciding whether to scale, test, or kill a growth channel.
intent: >-
  Guide product managers through evaluating whether to scale, test, or kill an acquisition channel based on unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), customer quality (retention, NRR), and scalability (magic number, volume potential). Use this to make data-driven go-to-market decisions and optimize channel mix for sustainable growth.
type: interactive
best_for:
  - "Deciding whether a paid or outbound channel deserves more budget"
  - "Comparing channel quality, payback, and scalability side by side"
  - "Making scale, test, or kill decisions with finance-backed reasoning"
scenarios:
  - "Should we keep investing in paid LinkedIn ads for enterprise leads?"
  - "Compare content marketing, outbound email, and partner referrals as acquisition channels"
  - "Help me decide whether to scale or kill our webinar acquisition channel"
theme: finance-metrics
estimated_time: "15-25 min"

Purpose

Guide product managers through evaluating whether to scale, test, or kill an acquisition channel based on unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), customer quality (retention, NRR), and scalability (magic number, volume potential). Use this to make data-driven go-to-market decisions and optimize channel mix for sustainable growth.

This is not a channel strategy framework—it's a financial lens for channel evaluation that helps you avoid scaling unprofitable channels or killing channels with fixable problems. Use when deciding how to allocate marketing budget across channels.

Input

**Works best with:** The acquisition channel you're evaluating (e.g., paid search, outbound SDR, partner referrals). **Also useful:** Any metrics you already have — CAC, LTV, payback period, retention/NRR by channel — plus company stage and the decision on the table (scale, test, or kill).

Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended `ARGUMENTS:` line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.

**Arriving empty-handed? That works too.** The advisor opens by asking which channel you're evaluating and what data you have.

**Example invocation:** `Evaluate our paid LinkedIn channel: CAC $2,400, LTV $9,000, 14-month payback, flat retention vs. organic.`

Key Concepts

The Channel Evaluation Framework

A systematic approach to evaluate acquisition channels:

1. **Unit Economics** — What does it cost to acquire, and what's the return?

• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
• LTV (Lifetime Value)
• LTV:CAC ratio
• Payback period

2. **Customer Quality** — Do customers from this channel stick around and expand?

• Cohort retention rate (by channel)
• Churn rate (by channel)
• NRR (Net Revenue Retention by channel)
• Expansion rate

3. **Scalability** — Can this channel sustain growth at the volume you need?

• Magic Number (S&M efficiency)
• Addressable volume (TAM of channel)
• Saturation risk (diminishing returns)
• CAC trend (increasing, stable, decreasing)

4. **Strategic Fit** — Does this channel align with your go-to-market strategy?

• Customer segment match (SMB vs. enterprise)
• Sales motion compatibility (PLG vs. sales-led)
• Brand positioning alignment

Decision Matrix

| LTV:CAC | Payback | Customer Quality | Scalability | Decision | |---------|---------|------------------|-------------|----------| | >3:1 | <12mo | Good retention | High volume | **Scale aggressively** | | 2-3:1 | 12-18mo | Average retention | Medium volume | **Test & optimize** | | <2:1 | >18mo | Poor retention | Low volume | **Kill or fix** |

Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)

• **Not vanity metrics:** "We got 10,000 signups!" means nothing if they churn in 30 days
• **Not CAC-only thinking:** Low CAC with terrible retention is worse than high CAC with great retention
• **Not ignoring payback:** 5:1 LTV:CAC with 36-month payback is a cash trap
• **Not scaling broken channels:** Pouring money into inefficient channels accelerates failure

When to Use This Framework

**Use this when:**

• Evaluating whether to scale a new channel (content, paid, events, etc.)
• Deciding how to allocate marketing budget across channels
• Assessing whether to kill an underperforming channel
• Comparing channels to optimize ROI
• Planning annual marketing budget allocation

**Don't use this when:**

• Channel is brand-new (<3 months, <100 customers) — not enough data
• You're testing channel fit (this is for evaluation, not experimentation)
• Strategic channels (e.g., enterprises require field sales regardless of CAC)
• You don't have channel-level data (need to track CAC, retention by source)

---

Facilitation Source of Truth

Use [`workshop-facilitation`](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

**Default entry mode:** Guided · set in `pm-skills.config.yaml` (library-wide default or a per-skill override); the user's own choice in the session always wins. On the first turn, offer all three modes, then open in the default without waiting for a pick: Guided asks the first question, Context dump invites the paste, Best guess asks for a one-sentence minimum and drafts with every assumption labeled.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision points
• quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include `Other (specify)` when useful)

This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.

Application

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