GTM Glossary · Metrics
Cost per Qualified Opportunity
Total acquisition spend divided by the number of opportunities a salesperson has accepted.
[01]What It Means
The denominator is the point: accepted opportunities, not meetings booked or leads generated. It captures the full cost of producing one conversation a seller considers worth their time.
[02]Why It Matters
It is the cleanest way to compare an in-house SDR team, an agency, and an operated engine on the same basis, because it prices the outcome rather than the activity.
[03]Where It Goes Wrong
Comparing vendors on cost per meeting, which rewards booking meetings nobody accepts.Excluding tooling and data costs from the numerator.Ignoring downstream win rate, where a cheap opportunity can be the most expensive one.
[04]Related Terms