CAC, or Customer Acquisition Cost, is a metric that indicates the average amount invested to convert a prospect into an actual customer. The calculation is performed by summing all marketing and sales investments (such as team salaries, advertising budgets, CRM software, and events) over a specific period and dividing that amount by the number of new customers acquired in the same interval. In the Venture Capital universe, CAC is analyzed in conjunction with LTV (Lifetime Value) to determine the startup's economic viability. A high CAC relative to the customer's financial return can indicate inefficiency in sales channels or a lack of product traction. CAC optimization is one of the main objectives after validating Product-Market Fit, aiming to reduce the time it takes for a customer to pay back the investment made to acquire them (Payback).
Practical Example: Uma startup de software para RH gasta mensalmente R$ 20.000 em anúncios no Google e R$ 30.000 com o salário de dois vendedores. Durante esse mês, a empresa conseguiu fechar contrato com 50 novas empresas. O cálculo do CAC é a soma das despesas (R$ 50.000) dividida pelo número de clientes (50), resultando em um CAC de R$ 1.000 por cliente. Se cada cliente paga R$ 200 por mês, a empresa levará 5 meses apenas para recuperar o custo de aquisição inicial.
Read the book “Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers”, by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares.
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