The Upstream Diagnostic
Find Out Exactly What's Breaking Your Pipeline.
Before recommending any strategy or execution, we conduct a comprehensive system diagnosis. This four-week, fixed-scope engagement identifies constraints across your growth system, including demand, pipeline, conversion, and attribution, and provides a prioritized 90-day roadmap. The engagement is offered at a fixed fee with no obligation to continue.
The fixed fee, four-week duration, and roadmap are yours to keep, regardless of your next steps.
Is This the Right Moment?
Six Signals That Make the Upstream Diagnostic the Right First Move
The diagnostic is most valuable when you recognize an issue but have not yet identified its cause.
Flat Pipeline
MQLs have remained stagnant for two or more months, and it is unclear whether the issue lies in demand, conversion, or upstream targeting.
"We're active. We're executing. But nothing is moving."
Rising CAC, No Explanation
Customer acquisition cost is rising, payback periods exceed 12 months, and there is no clear attribution to explain the cause or recommend actions.
"Our CAC is up 30%. I can't explain it to the board."
Board Review or Audit Approaching
A board meeting or governance review is scheduled in 3–9 months, but current growth metrics do not provide a clear or defensible narrative for pipeline and efficiency.
"I need board-ready numbers before the next review."
Fundraising in 6–12 Months
You are preparing for a Series A or B, and investors expect to see a credible growth system, including ARR, LTV: CAC, pipeline coverage, and a repeatable model.
"We need to show a marketing engine, not just growth."
Marketing Hire Not Working Out
You have replaced marketing leadership without improved results, raising questions about whether the issue is related to personnel or is systemic.
"We've burned through two marketing leads in 18 months."
No Single Source of Truth
Your CRM, attribution stack, and reporting tools are not aligned, making it difficult to answer basic pipeline questions without extensive data retrieval.
"I don't actually know what's driving revenue right now."
What's Covered
A Full Audit of the System, Not Just the Symptoms
Most audits focus on individual channels or campaigns. The Upstream Diagnostic reviews the entire growth system, including structure, ownership gaps, and root causes of downstream issues.
Revenue & GTM Diagnostic
A structured review of revenue generation, forecasting, and reporting throughout your organization.
- Current GTM motion, ICP definition, and targeting clarity
- Revenue model and forecast methodology review
- Alignment between sales, marketing, and product on pipeline definitions
- Go-to-market execution gaps vs. strategy
Funnel & Pipeline Analysis
A data-driven review of conversion performance from first touch through closed-won, with with identification of specific constraints at each stage.
- MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Closed conversion rates by source
- Pipeline velocity and average deal cycle analysis
- CAC by channel with payback window calculation
- LTV:CAC ratio and efficiency benchmarks vs. stage
KPI & Measurement Gap Analysis
An audit of what you are measuring, what you may be missing, and whether your reporting provides the narrative your board and investors need.
- Current KPI framework vs. board-ready reporting standard
- Attribution model assessment across CRM and analytics stack
- Data quality and single-source-of-truth gaps
- Dashboard and reporting architecture recommendations
Tools, Processes & Ownership Review
A review of your martech and sales stack, identifying effective tools, redundancies, and ownership gaps that hinder execution.
- CRM hygiene and pipeline management practices
- Marketing automation and lead routing configuration
- Tool stack overlap, redundancy, and integration gaps
- Team ownership map: who is accountable for what outcomes
How It Works
Four Weeks. Structured. No Surprises.
Each week has a defined focus, clear outputs, and specific requests from your team. You will always know the current status and next steps.
Stakeholder Interviews & Data Access
Structured interviews with the founder, sales lead, and key team members, along with a review of CRM, analytics, and attribution data.
2–3 hours across your team. CRM and analytics access required.
Funnel Audit & Pipeline Analysis
In-depth analysis of conversion data, CAC by channel, pipeline velocity, and attribution, with identification of constraints at each stage of the funnel.
One 60-minute working session to review preliminary findings.
Synthesis & Roadmap Draft
Findings are synthesized into a clear narrative. Root cause analysis is completed, and a 90-day roadmap is drafted with actions prioritized by impact and feasibility.
Minimal. We focus on drafting and request one asynchronous review of the draft.
Delivery & Recommendations
A comprehensive presentation of findings, gap analysis, and the 90-day roadmap is delivered. At this stage, you may choose to continue with the engagement or implement the roadmap on your own.
A 90-minute readout session is provided. We present the findings and encourage your questions.
What You Walk Away With
Four Deliverables. Yours Regardless of What Comes Next.
The Upstream Diagnostic delivers actionable outputs, not just a summary deck or list of suggestions. These documents are designed for implementation, board presentations, and execution, with or without our continued involvement.
Growth System Gap Analysis
A structured audit of every constraint in your pipeline, including demand generation, conversion, attribution, and ownership gaps, with root-cause analysis for each.
Prioritized 90-Day Roadmap
A sequenced action plan ranked by impact and feasibility, specifying what to address first, what to defer, and the rationale, to ensure a clear order of execution.
KPI Framework & Dashboard Spec
A defined set of stage-appropriate metrics, such as CAC, LTV:CAC, MQL to SQL, and pipeline coverage, with specifications for building the dashboard your board expects.
Readout Presentation
A structured findings presentation suitable for sharing with your leadership team, board, or investors. It outlines the issues, recommended actions, and expected outcomes.
All four deliverables are yours to keep whether or not you continue to the Fractional Growth Operator engagement.
If we are not the right fit after the diagnostic, you retain a roadmap that you can implement independently or delegate to your team.The Investment
Fixed Fee. Defined Scope. No Surprises.
The Upstream Diagnostic is offered at a fixed fee, not as an hourly engagement or open-ended retainer. You will know exactly what is included and the total cost before we begin.
For context: the average company at your stage spends over $300,000 annually on ineffective marketing. An unsuccessful marketing hire can cost $180,000 to $250,000 before changes are made. The diagnostic identifies whether the issue is strategy, execution, ownership, or a combination before you make further investments.
- Revenue & GTM diagnostic
- Funnel and pipeline analysis (CAC, LTV:CAC, conversion by stage)
- KPI and measurement gap analysis
- Tools, processes & ownership review
- Prioritized 90-day roadmap
- KPI framework & dashboard spec
- Board-ready readout presentation
- 90-minute delivery and Q&A session
Common Questions
Questions Your CFO Will Ask (Answered Upfront)
We address these questions here to streamline your decision-making process. If you have additional questions, please bring them up during the initial call.
We were executing constantly, but nothing felt predictable. LMG helped us step back, identify what was actually broken, and rebuild our growth system with clear ownership. For the first time, we had visibility into what mattered and what didn't.
Ready to Find Out What's Actually Breaking?
Stop Guessing. Start With a Diagnosis.
Four weeks. A fixed fee. A clear picture of what is blocking predictable revenue, with a roadmap to address it. Whether or not you continue after the diagnostic, you will know what to do next.
Start the DiagnosticTypical response time: 24 hours · ~3 diagnostics run concurrently