4C Decisioning™

What’s the actual goal here? Not just the KPI—think big-picture impact. Is it awareness, conversion, retention, brand equity? Frame the desired outcome in terms of broader strategic objectives.

Marketers often skip this and jump straight to tactics. But defining your desired outcome—consciously and without judgment—sets the stage for aligned, high-impact action. For example, wanting more leads is fine, but ask: What kind of leads? From whom? And how does that feed into the overall funnel and business strategy?

Let yourself articulate the ideal scenario without filtering it through immediate constraints. Vision precedes viable strategy.

Now, assess what conditions must be in place to realize that outcome. Internally, this includes team capacity, martech tools, budget, or brand equity. Externally, think about audience readiness, market timing, competitive noise, or cultural momentum.

Once you’ve listed these variables, identify which are within your influence. These are your "levers"—tactical actions that can shift the odds in your favor. Whether it’s A/B testing subject lines, reallocating media spend, or optimizing audience segments, know what moves the needle.

This is where instinct gives way to informed estimation. For each lever, assess:

• Likelihood of Success – Based on data, case studies, or past performance, how probable is it that this action will achieve your goal? (Rate 0–10.)

• Feasibility – How practical is this action based on your current constraints? (Also 0–10.)

Overlay these two scores to spotlight the most promising actions. If you’re scoring high on feasibility but low on success probability, you may be optimizing the wrong thing. This is where strategic discernment matters.

Don’t skip the research. Talk to your analytics team. Look at benchmarks. Learn from experiments that have already been run—yours or others'.

Every campaign plan looks solid—until it meets reality. The Checkpoint step builds in strategic reflection. Schedule periodic reviews to ask:

• Are we still aligned with the original objective?

• Have any assumptions changed?

• Are our tactics delivering the right signals?

• What new insights should inform a pivot?

This protects against sunk cost fallacy and confirmation bias. It also enables you to learn, iterate, and reallocate in real time—an essential skill in a high-velocity marketing environment.