Why cohorts
Headline conversion rate hides everything. Cohort analysis pulls the curtain back: are leads from Q1 closing differently than leads from Q3? Are leads from your new ad campaign progressing faster than the legacy ones?
How to read it
Each row is a cohort (week of lead creation). Each column is weeks-since-creation. Cell value: % of that cohort that hit milestone X (became a meeting, deal, etc.).
What you'll see
- A "warm-up" pattern — most deals close 6-12 weeks after lead creation; first 2 weeks are mostly meetings.
- Recent cohorts are incomplete — Q4 cohort can't have a 12-week conversion yet. Compare like-with-like.
- A widening gap between recent and older cohorts is a leading indicator — your conversion is improving or eroding before the headline number reflects it.