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The Cowboy Sales Process
The Cowboy Sales Process

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Scaling Inbound Marketing

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THE KPI SHIFT: FROM CHEAP LEADS TO BANKABLE DEALS
Let's cut the crap. Most of the marketing industry is obsessed with a fatally flawed metric: Cost Per Lead (CPL). Agencies promise you cheaper leads, but a mountain of cheap leads that don't convert is just a mountain of expensive garbage. This document is your guide out of that trap.
Your mission is to stop chasing vanity metrics and start engineering predictable profitability.
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► PRE-MISSION SELF-ASSESSMENT

Before we begin, answer these questions honestly. No one is watching.
What is the #1 marketing metric you currently track most closely?
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Number of Leads Generated
Clicks / Impressions
Cost Per Deal / ROI
I'm not sure / I don't track consistently.
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that every dollar you spend on marketing is generating a predictable profit? (1:Flying Blind, 10:I have a money machine)
Your Rating: ______
If you answered anything other than "Cost Per Deal / ROI" for question 1, or rated your confidence below a 9 on question 2, your business has a critical vulnerability. Let's fix it.
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1. Deconstructing the CPL TRAP

The entire industry has been conditioned to chase a low CPL. The logic seems sound: "If I get more leads for less money, I have a better chance of closing a deal." This is a dangerous assumption.
Many lead generation providers are "genuinely full of shit. They couldn't deliver results, and when they did deliver results, it costed way too much money." The problem isn't just bad actors; it's a flawed focus.
The Core Flaw: CPL measures activity, not progress. It tells you how much it costs to get a name and an email, not how much it costs to secure a profitable asset.
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► GUT CHECK

Think about the last time you reviewed your marketing. Did a low CPL make you feel successful, even if your bank account didn't grow as much as you'd hoped? (Circle one)
YES / NO
This is the CPL trap in action. It provides a false sense of security while distracting from the real goal: profit.
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2. The Metrics that Actually Build Wealth

You must look past the top of the funnel. It's time to track the entire financial journey of a lead.

► YOUR NUMBERS NOW: CALCULATE YOUR CORE METRICS

Grab your data from the last 90 days. If you don't have it, estimate. The act of estimating will reveal how blind you've been flying.
1. Cost Per Contract (CPC): The true cost to get a deal under control.
Total Marketing Spend in Last 90 Days: $___________ (A)
Total Contracts Signed in Last 90 Days: ___________ (B)
Your Cost Per Contract (A ÷ B) = $___________
2. Cost Per Deal (CPD): Your all-in cost of acquisition.
Total Marketing Spend in Last 90 Days: $___________ (C)
Total Deals Closed & Funded in Last 90 Days: ___________ (D)
Your Cost Per Deal (C ÷ D) = $___________
3. Average Deal Size (ADS): What a closed deal is actually worth.
Total Profit from Closed Deals in Last 90 Days: $___________ (E)
Total Deals Closed & Funded in Last 90 Days: ___________ (F)
Your Average Deal Size (E ÷ F) = $___________
Do you see the difference? You now have a clear picture of your business's actual performance.
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3. The Profitability Equation: Your Marketing ROI Calculator

Being a real estate investor means you must know your numbers cold. Use the figures you just calculated to find your true return on investment.
“To be an investor, it's very important to understand your cash-on-cash return.”

► INTERACTIVE CALCULATOR: Find Your Marketing ROI

Enter the numbers from the previous section to reveal your true marketing profitability.
[ENTER] Your Average Deal Size (ADS): $___________
[SUBTRACT] Your Cost Per Deal (CPD): - $___________
[EQUALS] Your Net Profit Per Deal: = $___________ (Result G)
Now, let's find the Return on Investment:
[ENTER] Your Net Profit Per Deal (Result G): $___________
[DIVIDE BY] Your Cost Per Deal (CPD): ÷ $___________
[EQUALS] Your Marketing ROI (as a decimal): = ___________
Multiply that final number by 100 to get your percentage. Your Marketing ROI is: _______%
This single number is the most important marketing metric in your business. It tells you exactly how many dollars you get back for every dollar you put in.
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4. Field Manual & Actionable Intelligence

This isn't an academic exercise. It's a command. Implement these changes now.

► YOUR COMMITMENT CHECKLIST

Check these boxes to commit to a new standard of operation.
[ ] COMMIT: I will stop celebrating CPL as a primary success metric, effective immediately.
[ ] COMMIT: I will update my tracking system to accurately reflect Cost Per Contract and Cost Per Deal for every marketing source.
[ ] COMMIT: I will review my Marketing ROI weekly. Any marketing activity that cannot demonstrate a path to positive ROI will be cut.
[ ] COMMIT: I will hold my marketing team and external agencies accountable to these new KPIs, not vanity metrics.

► RED FLAG IDENTIFIER

When a marketing provider says, "We generated over 1,000 leads for you this month!"
Your new question should be: "That's interesting. How many of those leads went to contract, and what was our final Cost Per Deal?"
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5. Final Debrief

The game is won by tracking and optimizing for profitability, not activity.

► YOUR FINAL COMMITMENT

Based on everything you've uncovered, write down the single most important change you will implement in your business in the next 24 hours.
My single most important change is:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Hold yourself to it. The health of your business depends on it. Now go execute.

Need more prospects for your sales team? Prexium gives your reps the fuel to hit their targets. See how it works 👉
The Cowboy Marketer
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