The playbook
Customer Acquisition Cost: Checklist
Use this customer acquisition cost checklist before a new release, a handoff, or a scheduled review. Its purpose is to verify the decisions that affect cost per new customer on a defined basis. Check an actual campaign or conversion record; a box marked complete without evidence does not show that the customer journey works.
Put the task in context
Choose whether the calculation includes media only or all agreed acquisition costs. Divide that cost scope by new customers from a compatible period or cohort. A long sales cycle can make current-month spending divided by current-month customers misleading.
Before you use the checklist
Name the exact item being checked and its purpose. Gather cost category, period, new customers, scope. If one of those details is unknown, mark it as unknown and assign a way to resolve it. An invented value makes the checklist look complete while weakening every later decision.
Working checklist
| Check | Evidence to keep | Responsible role |
|---|---|---|
| Choose the acquisition period and customer cohort | A dated observation showing how cost category was verified | campaign lead |
| Include the agreed marketing sales and production costs | A dated observation showing how period was verified | creative or tracking owner |
| Compare results with customer contribution and retention | A dated observation showing how new customers was verified | budget owner |
Check the failure path
- Look specifically for this failure: calling media-only cost per purchase a fully loaded acquisition cost.
- Label the cost basis and show excluded expenses. Record the actual correction, not just the intention to make it.
- Repeat the affected task after the correction and check scope.
- Make sure the next owner can find the decision and supporting evidence.
Use three outcomes for each check
Mark an item as complete only when the expected behavior or information has been observed. Mark it as incomplete when a required condition is absent. Use not applicable when the condition genuinely does not belong to the chosen scope, and write a short reason. These states keep a review useful without forcing every process into an identical mold.
For example, if the check is “Choose the acquisition period and customer cohort,” a meeting about the subject is not the evidence itself. Retain the relevant cost category and period, the decision made from them, and the result of checking that decision. The record should allow someone who missed the meeting to understand what changed.
Decide what must be resolved first
An incomplete item that prevents estimate the cost of acquiring a new customer using an explicit cost scope deserves attention before a cosmetic improvement. Assign an owner and a next action to that issue. Keep optional refinements visible, but do not let them obscure a failure in the core process.
Close the review
Recheck corrected items and note anything still uncertain. The checklist is finished when the next owner understands what was verified and what remains open. Follow cost per new customer on a defined basis using a consistent definition so later reviews can connect execution quality with useful results.
Review offer eligibility and fulfillment capacity alongside campaign response. Demand that the business cannot serve is not a useful acquisition result. Update messages and routing when availability or service boundaries change.
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