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Demand generation.

Which channels close, how we tier leads, and the demo-volume vs deal-size problem we are actively fighting.

Which channels actually close

Google is the #1 channel for closed deals, followed by AI tools. The biggest companies, though, come from AI tools first, then Google Search, then blogs. This is the single most important fact in the section — it is why we invest in AI visibility even though Google still wins on raw count.

Channel# closed deals
Google11
AI tools (ChatGPT / Gemini / Perplexity)5
Blogs3
Reddit early bet1
Referral1
Unknown / no form submitted8

MQL tiering — sizing the catch

Leads are tiered by expected deal value so lead volume can be matched to pipeline value rather than raw count. The shorthand runs from small to large:

Shrimp Big Fish Whale Kraken

The open problem: high demo volume, small deal size. We generate plenty of demos, but too many are Shrimp. Tiering exists to push the channel mix toward Big Fish, Whales, and Krakens — the segments where AI tools and Google already over-index.

How to read this

  1. Defend Google. It is the largest closed-deal channel; SEO is not optional.
  2. Compound AI tools. Smaller count, but the source of our largest logos.
  3. Treat Reddit as a bet. One closed deal so far — judged on AI-answer influence and SEO, not direct attribution yet.
  4. Fix attribution. "Unknown / no form" is the second-largest bucket; we are losing source data on real revenue.

Source: Notion — Weekly Marketing Planning (Thomas & Mica) (closed-deal-by-channel analysis, MQL tiering). Counts are point-in-time; re-pull before quoting.