Many businesses use ROI to determine which projects to pursue and which projects should be abandoned. This is the basis that most boards use to determine the effectiveness of any particular project. After all, everyone must be held accountable financially and if projects aren't bringing in revenue, they shouldn't be pursued, right?

Improving the ratio of cost from lead generation to client or sale is the biggest challenge for associations today. Evidence for this can be found in two recent reports from the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE). The first puts the spotlight on the marketing problems associations are facing, while the second looks at their operating costs. Taken separately, the reports have a great deal to teach association leaders. Taken together, they show that pressure is increasing on marketers to show the connection between their departmental costs and the outcomes they deliver.

It's easy enough to say. Before working on any strategy, you need to know about reality—the facts. Otherwise, you risk creating a bad strategy. It's hard enough to do this. Yet, even this isn't enough. You really need to measure twice before you strategize once.