PMM Attribution Framework: Tracking Your Invisible Impact

The CMO asks your VP of Marketing: "What's the ROI on Product Marketing?"

Your VP turns to you. You mentally catalog your quarter: three product launches, a complete messaging overhaul, 12 sales enablement sessions, five new battlecards, competitive intelligence reports that influenced product roadmap decisions.

But you can't quantify any of it in a way that satisfies the CMO.

The invisible impact problem: Product Marketing drives business outcomes but rarely gets direct credit. Sales closes deals using your battlecards. Product ships features based on your market intelligence. Marketing runs campaigns with your messaging. Customer Success retains customers with your onboarding content.

But none of it shows up as "PMM Revenue" in reports.

The solution: Build a transparent, defensible attribution framework that connects your cross-functional work to measurable business outcomes.

Why PMM Attribution Is Hard (And Why It Matters)

Traditional attribution models don't work for PMM:

Sales attribution: Last-touch or first-touch (clear ownership)

• Rep owns the deal from discovery → close
• Commission model = clear accountability

Marketing attribution: Campaign-based (trackable touches)

• Form fills, email opens, ad clicks
• Multi-touch attribution across channels

PMM attribution: Cross-functional influence (no clear ownership)

• Work shows up in other teams' results
• Impact is often indirect or long-term
• No commission structure to define contribution

But attribution matters because:

• Headcount decisions require ROI justification
• Budget allocation follows demonstrated impact
• Career progression depends on visible wins
• Team morale suffers when work feels invisible

The PMM Attribution Framework

This framework assigns percentage attribution to PMM work based on impact proximity and documentation.

Tier 1: Direct Attribution (90-100% credit)

PMM owns the program end-to-end with clear measurement.

Examples:

• Launch-generated pipeline - Pipeline sourced from launch campaigns within 30 days
• Partner/channel programs - Deals closed through partner relationships PMM built and manages
• Pricing projects - Revenue impact from pricing changes PMM led and implemented

How to track:

• Campaign attribution in CRM (UTM parameters, campaign codes)
• Partner source field in deals
• Before/after revenue analysis for pricing changes

Documentation: "PMM-led product launch generated $2.1M in pipeline in 30 days post-launch."

Tier 2: High Attribution (60-75% credit)

PMM created the asset/program with documented usage in revenue-generating activities.

Examples:

• Battlecard-enabled wins - Competitive deals where sales documented battlecard usage
• Certified rep performance - Deals closed by reps who completed PMM-led certification
• Messaging-driven conversions - Campaign performance using new PMM messaging (A/B tested)
• Demo script wins - Deals where new PMM demo framework was used

How to track:

• CRM custom fields ("Battlecard Used," "PMM Certified Rep")
• Certification completion data + win rate analysis
• A/B test results comparing old vs. new messaging
• Sales feedback forms ("Did you use PMM materials in this deal?")

Documentation: "75% attribution: $4.2M in competitive wins where battlecards were documented as used."

Tier 3: Medium Attribution (40-50% credit)

PMM enabled the program but doesn't control execution.

Examples:

• Sales team performance lift - Overall team win rate improvement after enablement programs
• Product adoption increases - Feature adoption after PMM-created onboarding content
• Content marketing results - Blog traffic/leads from PMM-created thought leadership
• Customer expansion - Upsell/cross-sell influenced by PMM positioning

How to track:

• Before/after win rate analysis
• Product analytics (feature adoption rates pre/post PMM content)
• Content attribution in marketing automation
• CS attribution for expansion deals with PMM touchpoints

Documentation: "50% attribution: Win rate increased from 22% to 28% following Q3 enablement program ($3.8M incremental pipeline)."

Tier 4: Low Attribution (15-25% credit)

PMM created foundational assets others build upon.

Examples:

• General pipeline from certified teams - All deals from sales teams with PMM training
• Organic traffic to PMM content - Website visitors consuming PMM-created resources
• Positioning impact on product roadmap - Features built based on PMM market intelligence
• Analyst relations outcomes - Analyst report placement influenced by PMM briefings

How to track:

• Team-level performance (certified vs. non-certified teams)
• Website analytics for PMM-created pages
• Product roadmap items tagged with PMM research
• Analyst inquiry tracking and report mentions

Documentation: "25% attribution: $12M pipeline from teams with >80% PMM certification completion."

Attribution Model in Action: Real Examples

Example 1: Product Launch Attribution

Scenario: You led a major product launch for a new enterprise feature.

Attribution breakdown:

• 100% attribution: $2.1M pipeline from launch campaign (first 30 days) → Direct launch sourcing
• 75% attribution: $1.8M in deals where sales used launch demo script → Documented usage
• 50% attribution: 18% increase in enterprise pipeline in quarter following launch → Timing correlation
• 25% attribution: $8M in enterprise pipeline from teams trained on new feature → General enablement

Total PMM-influenced revenue: $2.1M + ($1.8M × 0.75) + ($3.2M × 0.5) + ($8M × 0.25) = $6.85M

Executive summary: "Q3 Enterprise Feature launch influenced $6.9M in pipeline through direct campaign sourcing, sales enablement, and positioning work."

Example 2: Competitive Enablement Attribution

Scenario: You created a battlecard program to combat a fast-growing competitor.

Attribution breakdown:

• 75% attribution: $3.2M in direct competitive wins where battlecard usage was documented → Documented usage
• 50% attribution: Competitive win rate improved from 18% to 26% = $4.1M incremental wins → Performance lift
• 25% attribution: All competitive deals in quarter (win or loss) benefited from intelligence → General enablement

Total PMM-influenced revenue: ($3.2M × 0.75) + ($4.1M × 0.5) + ($12M × 0.25) = $7.45M

Executive summary: "Competitive battlecard program influenced $7.5M in pipeline, with direct impact on 26% competitive win rate (up from 18%)."

Example 3: Sales Enablement Certification Attribution

Scenario: You built a certification program for new product messaging.

Attribution breakdown:

• 75% attribution: Certified reps have 32% win rate vs. 24% for non-certified → Performance differential
• 50% attribution: Average deal size 18% larger for certified reps → Deal quality improvement
• 25% attribution: All pipeline from certified reps (recognition of training impact) → General attribution

Calculation: 42 certified reps with avg $450K pipeline each = $18.9M total certified rep pipeline

• Win rate lift: (32% - 24%) / 24% = 33% improvement → 75% attribution to $6.2M incremental wins
• Deal size lift: $18.9M × 18% improvement × 50% attribution = $1.7M
• General pipeline: $18.9M × 25% = $4.7M

Total PMM-influenced revenue: $6.2M + $1.7M + $4.7M = $12.6M

Executive summary: "Sales certification program influenced $12.6M in pipeline through improved win rates (32% vs. 24%) and larger deal sizes."

Building Your Attribution System

Step 1: Define Your Attribution Tiers (Month 1)

Document your attribution logic:

• What qualifies for 100% vs. 75% vs. 50% vs. 25%?
• What documentation is required at each tier?
• How will you handle overlapping attribution?

Output: 1-page attribution policy document

Step 2: Set Up Tracking Infrastructure (Month 2)

CRM Custom Fields:

• "PMM Material Used" (checkbox)
• "Battlecard Applied" (picklist: Competitor A, B, C)
• "PMM Certification Complete" (date field)
• "Launch Campaign Source" (lookup to campaigns)

Enablement Platform:

• Certification completion tracking
• Asset usage analytics
• Content engagement scores

Spreadsheet/Airtable:

• Attribution log (deal ID, amount, attribution %, tier, notes)
• Monthly rollup calculations
• Quarter-over-quarter trends

Step 3: Document Everything (Ongoing)

Create evidence:

• Screenshot Gong calls showing messaging adoption
• Export certification completion reports monthly
• Save sales feedback: "Used your battlecard, closed the deal"
• Document launch campaign attribution in CRM

Build the narrative:

• Monthly: Update attribution log with new wins
• Quarterly: Compile QBR deck with attribution breakdown
• Annually: Year-in-review impact summary

Step 4: Report Transparently (Monthly/Quarterly)

Monthly Dashboard:

• Total PMM-influenced pipeline by tier
• Win rate trends for enabled vs. non-enabled
• Launch performance (pipeline generated)
• Competitive win rate

Quarterly Business Review:

• Full attribution breakdown with methodology
• Case studies of high-impact wins
• Trends and momentum
• ROI calculation (PMM team cost vs. influenced revenue)

Common Attribution Challenges

Challenge 1: "Sales takes credit for everything"

• Solution: Share credit generously but document your contribution
• Use language: "PMM-enabled" not "PMM-owned"
• Celebrate sales wins publicly, share attribution privately with leadership

Challenge 2: "We can't track battlecard usage"

• Solution: Make it ridiculously easy
• Add one-click checkbox in CRM: "Used PMM materials"
• Ask during win/loss interviews: "What resources helped you close?"
• Quarterly survey: "Which PMM assets did you use this quarter?"

Challenge 3: "Multiple teams contributed to this win"

• Solution: Multi-touch attribution across teams
• Sales gets 100% commission credit
• Marketing gets campaign attribution credit
• PMM gets enablement attribution credit
• Everyone wins, nobody loses

Challenge 4: "Executives think attribution is 'fuzzy math'"

• Solution: Show your work
• Document methodology transparently
• Use ranges: "PMM influenced $8-12M" vs. "$10,237,449"
• Compare to industry benchmarks
• Show conservative assumptions

Attribution Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Don't: Claim 100% credit for everything
✅ Do: Use tiered attribution with clear logic

❌ Don't: Attribute without documentation
✅ Do: Require evidence for every attribution claim

❌ Don't: Change methodology mid-year
✅ Do: Set attribution rules once, apply consistently

❌ Don't: Compete with sales for credit
✅ Do: Frame as "PMM-enabled sales success"

❌ Don't: Use attribution for finger-pointing
✅ Do: Use attribution for resource allocation and team celebration

Key Takeaways

Attribution is about visibility, not competition:

1. Define tiers clearly - 100%/75%/50%/25% based on impact proximity
2. Document relentlessly - Every attribution claim needs evidence
3. Track systematically - CRM fields, certification data, usage analytics
4. Report transparently - Show your methodology, use ranges, be conservative
5. Share credit generously - PMM-enabled wins are still wins

Your work drives revenue. Attribution proves it.