The SaaS Magic Number is a widely used formula to measure sales efficiency. It measures the output of a year’s worth of revenue growth for every dollar spent on sales and marketing. To think of it another way, for every dollar in S&M spend, how many dollars of ARR do you create. [1]
The ideal range for the magic number is between 1 and 1.5, indicating efficient and sustainable sales and marketing efficiency. Most investors accept magic numbers from 0.5 to 1 because it shows that the company is on the right track. [2]
[1] Murray, B. How to Calculate the SaaS Magic Number - The SaaS CFO. Retrieved May 21, 2021, from https://www.thesaascfo.com/calculate-saas-magic-number/
[2] Magic Number. Retrieved May 21, 2021, from https://www.klipfolio.com/metrics/saas/magic-number
[3] Retrieved May 21, 2021, from https://medium.com/signalfire-fund/top-5-metrics-vcs-look-at-for-series-a-b-c-c6a0171fd200
[4] Retrieved May 21, 2021, from https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics-2-definitions-2/