The Demand Standard
Five stages. One connected growth engine.
Define, Create, Capture, Convert, Optimize. A shared framework for deciding where B2B growth is constrained and which work should come next.
The framework
Make each stage do its job.
- 01Define
- Choose your priority buyer, buying situation, offer and supported advantage. Outputs include an ideal customer profile, positioning decisions and evidence requirements. Test whether marketing and sales use the same choices.
- 02Create
- Build visibility and understanding among the buyers who matter. Use relevant content, search, paid or account-based programs to make your argument accessible. Judge qualified engagement, not reach alone.
- 03Capture
- Give interested buyers an appropriate next step. Connect offers, conversion paths and routing to intent, with enough context for useful follow-up. Test the journey from interest to an identifiable, good-fit inquiry.
- 04Convert
- Help qualified opportunities progress to a buying decision. Align discovery, qualification, follow-up and usable proof. Examine stage progression, avoidable discounting, indecision and buyer explanations for lost deals.
- 05Optimize
- Use reliable data and commercial feedback to improve the system. Agree lifecycle definitions, measure conversion and economics, and adjust priorities. Reporting should make the next decision clearer.
Using the model
Find the constraint before adding activity.
A busy channel does not prove the system is healthy. Review the evidence for each stage, name an owner and select the constraint that most limits commercial progress.
For example, if qualified buyers cannot substantiate your advantage, more traffic may not resolve the problem. Positioning decisions, accessible evidence and seller adoption may need attention first. If suitable inquiries already exist but follow-up fails, routing and ownership deserve priority.
Stages depend on one another, but this is not a rule to rebuild everything in order. Use your actual evidence to decide what must change, what already works and what can wait.
From framework to work
Apply it with your team, or with ours.
Strategy supports Define. Demand builds Create and Capture. Pipeline supports Convert. Systems connects the data and operations behind Optimize. An engagement can focus on the specific constraint rather than every practice.
You can apply the framework internally by agreeing evidence, owners and a recurring review. Demand Score is an optional assessment that returns priorities and a 30/60/90-day agenda. It is not required to speak with us.
How an engagement is delivered →Framework questions
Is this a marketing funnel?
It is a framework for decisions and accountability across marketing, sales and revenue operations, not simply a count of people moving through a funnel.
Does it prescribe specific channels?
No. The stages define the job to do. Your buyers, market and evidence determine which channels should do it.
Can we use it without hiring you?
Yes. Name an owner for each stage, agree the evidence of progress and hold a recurring review. Apply the model to your own commercial constraints.
How does Demand Score relate to it?
Demand Score is an optional assessment of the five stages. Its findings and 30/60/90-day agenda reflect your answers, not invented performance benchmarks.
Next step