The brief in numbers: 7 questions on unit economics

The brief is not a form to fill in while the coffee brews. It is the foundation, and what we learn in the first meeting shapes the entire economics of the project. Get the numbers wrong there and every later decision inherits the error.

7 questions on unit economics

We open every engagement with the same seven questions. They are boring to some, but they are the difference between a site that looks nice and a site that pays for itself. Skipping them is how agencies end up delivering a pretty brochure nobody converts on.

• Average order value and how often customers purchase again.
• Current customer acquisition cost across all channels.
• Current lead and deal conversion, the baseline we must beat.
• Margin and the break-even point, so we know the room to move.
• Demand seasonality, because a campaign timed wrong wastes the budget.
• Returns and churn share, which quietly erode lifetime value.
• Target ROMI, the number that defines whether the work succeeded.

Why these beat the logo color

On top of these numbers we build the structure, the scenarios, and the copy that actually sell. The visual identity matters, but it is the last ten percent, not the first. A gorgeous site for a business with no margin and no repeat purchase will still lose money, however award-worthy the hero animation.

The questions also tell us whether the project is even worth taking. If the unit economics cannot support the acquisition cost of the channels we would use, we say so and propose a different plan rather than shipping something that looks like success and behaves like a drain.

We'll discuss the logo color as point ten. First, the money.

The bottom line

Bring your numbers to the first meeting and the project will move faster and cheaper. The brief in numbers is the cheapest consulting we offer, and it is the most decisive. Everything beautiful we build later stands on top of it, which is exactly where a foundation should be.