Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably

Use CAC, LTV, payback, margins, cohorts, attribution, and scenario planning to make better growth decisions

Created byDr. Law Payne

Last updated 11/2026

English

What you'll learn

Build a complete customer acquisition economics system connected to customer and business outcomes.
Diagnose evidence gaps, assumptions, constraints, risks, and decision bottlenecks.
Translate strategy into an accountable workflow with clear owners and review gates.
Evaluate quality, economics, customer response, and implementation readiness.

Course content

2 sections • 11 lectures • 1h 49m total length

The Economics Behind Customer Acquisition9:51
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind the economics behind customer acquisition. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Calculate CAC Contribution Margin and Payback10:04
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind calculate cac contribution margin and payback. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Understand LTV Retention and Cohort Behavior10:07
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind understand ltv retention and cohort behavior. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Attribution Incrementality and Channel Decisions9:46
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind attribution incrementality and channel decisions. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Forecast Scenarios and Scale with Financial Discipline10:02
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind forecast scenarios and scale with financial discipline. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.

Workshop 1: The SaaS Growth Model and Customer Journey10:00
Work through the practical lesson: The SaaS Growth Model and Customer Journey. This applied study preserves the original SaaS Growth Engine - Acquire Retain and Expand Customers case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Strategy Decision Brief and Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet. Make a specific business decision visible before selecting activities or tools. Define the customers you can serve well and specify observable qualification and exclusion criteria.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 2: Positioning Acquisition and Demand Creation9:50
Work through the practical lesson: Positioning Acquisition and Demand Creation. This applied study preserves the original SaaS Growth Engine - Acquire Retain and Expand Customers case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Positioning Statement Builder and Advertising Campaign Brief. Connect a defined audience and important problem to a credible differentiated value proposition. Connect campaign objectives, audience, creative, offer, and measurement before buying traffic.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 3: Activation Onboarding and Time to Value9:54
Work through the practical lesson: Activation Onboarding and Time to Value. This applied study preserves the original SaaS Growth Engine - Acquire Retain and Expand Customers case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Activation and Adoption Map and Retention and Expansion Diagnostic. Define the observable value moment and design a path that helps the right users reach it. Understand recurring value, loss of value, and appropriate expansion rather than treating all customers alike.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 4: Retention Expansion and Customer Success9:58
Work through the practical lesson: Retention Expansion and Customer Success. This applied study preserves the original SaaS Growth Engine - Acquire Retain and Expand Customers case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Pricing and Packaging Test Plan and Acquisition Economics Worksheet. Compare price and packaging options using customer value, delivery cost, and evidence of choice. Calculate customer acquisition economics using consistent definitions and explicit assumptions.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 5: Unit Economics Experiments and Sustainable Scale9:43
Work through the practical lesson: Unit Economics Experiments and Sustainable Scale. This applied study preserves the original SaaS Growth Engine - Acquire Retain and Expand Customers case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Experiment Design Card and Measurement and Learning Plan. Design a controlled test that can distinguish a useful mechanism from noise or wishful thinking. Select a small set of defined measures and use them to make decisions rather than report activity.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 6: Operating Model Economics and Sustainable Growth9:51
Work through the practical lesson: Operating Model Economics and Sustainable Growth. This applied study preserves the original Advanced Digital Marketing - Strategy to Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably.

Complete Measurement and Learning Plan and Acquisition Economics Worksheet. Select a small set of defined measures and use them to make decisions rather than report activity. Calculate customer acquisition economics using consistent definitions and explicit assumptions.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.

Requirements

No coding experience is required.

Description

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably gives professionals a structured, evidence-based system for turning customer acquisition decisions into measurable business value. The course moves beyond disconnected metrics and shows how CAC, contribution margin, payback, lifetime value, retention, cohorts, attribution, incrementality, and forecasting work together as one decision system.

You will learn how to calculate acquisition economics, evaluate channel quality, compare cohorts, diagnose retention, test attribution assumptions, forecast scenarios, and decide when growth is financially responsible. Each lecture combines a practical framework, a continuing business case, common failure modes, quality controls, and an assignment you can apply immediately to a real campaign, product, client, organization, or professional objective.

The course is designed for growth leaders, marketers, founders, finance partners, ecommerce teams, and product managers. It is especially useful for professionals who want a disciplined system rather than vanity metrics. By the end, you will be able to organize evidence, clarify economic tradeoffs, translate decisions into accountable workflows, evaluate results, and create a practical ninety-day roadmap for responsible improvement and scale.

Dr. Law Payne combines doctoral-level leadership education with extensive business experience. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration specializing in Organizational Leadership and Development, a master’s degree in Educational Psychology, a master’s degree in Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. His background includes nine-figure entrepreneurship, published work reaching more than one million copies, more than one billion dollars in managed sales, and over fifteen years of teaching, coaching, and mentoring.

Who this course is for:

Growth leaders, marketers, founders, finance partners, ecommerce teams, and product managers.

Customer Acquisition Economics: Scale Marketing Profitably

What you'll learn

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Course content

Build the Complete Marketing Economics System5 lectures • 50min

Applied Workshop Lab: Evidence, Experiments and Execution6 lectures • 59min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: