GTM Strategy

Response Rate

The earliest number that tells you whether the targeting and the message are actually working.

Definition

The percentage of prospects who reply to an outreach message, whether positive, negative, or a question, the first real signal that targeting and messaging are working before any meeting gets booked.

A reply of any kind, including a 'not interested,' still confirms the message reached a real inbox and got read, which a silent non-response never tells you. That's why response rate is tracked as its own number rather than folded straight into meeting-booked rate: a low response rate usually points to a targeting or messaging problem, while a healthy response rate with a low booking rate points to a weaker ask instead.