Academy › Publishing › Analytics
The Monday after checking your four numbers: what to fix and what to leave alone
You walk away with a concrete action for each of the four numbers, not just four figures jotted in a notebook.
By Yodai · Published September 6, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Let's say you've already got the four numbers written down: what came in, what each sale leaves on average, how many customers come back, and what it costs you to land a new one. On Sunday night you look at them and nod. Monday morning you open the computer and have no idea which of the four to touch first.
That's where it all falls apart. Looking at the four numbers changes nothing if you do the exact same thing on Monday that you did on Friday. Each one, depending on whether it's high or low, points to a different action. Not all four at once: one, and in a specific order.
What came in: the scoreboard, not the remote control
What came in this month is the result of the other three, not a lever you pull directly. If it went up or down, Monday's question isn't "what do I do about revenue?" but "which of the other three moved, and why?" If more came in, check whether it's because you charged more per sale, more regulars came back, or new faces showed up. If less came in, check the same things in reverse before you touch anything.
This matters because touching revenue directly usually means one thing: cutting prices to sell more. And without first checking which of the other three is broken, that almost always makes the number that was actually broken even worse, even if next month's scoreboard looks better for a while.
What each sale leaves you: bundle before you raise the price
This is the number people act on the most without stopping to think: the second it's low, the reaction is "we need to raise prices." Sometimes that's right. Other times the problem isn't the price, it's that you're selling separately what you should be bundling together, and raising the price of a single item just scares off someone who was about to buy.
- You're already selling as a bundle or with something added on: this week you don't touch the price
- Check that high price isn't leaving you with too few customers: there may be people who'd pay but aren't walking in the door
- Monday's move is to watch it, not push it higher yet
- Before raising the standalone price, see if you can sell it as a bundle or with an add-on
- A package or an add-on raises what each sale leaves you without touching the entry price
- Only raise the entry price once you're already bundling and the number is still low
Which one I'd pick: If it's low, on Monday you bundle before you raise the price. You raise the entry price only once bundling stops moving the number.
How many come back: the number that calls the shots on the other three
Of the four, this is the one that decides what to do with the rest of the month. If almost nobody comes back, it doesn't matter how much came in or how cheap it is to land a new customer: you're filling a basket that empties itself, and the more you pour in, the faster it empties again.
- 1Look at the percentage, not the raw number
How many of the people who bought this month had already bought from you before. Compare it to previous months. If it drops without more new faces coming in, the problem isn't bringing in new people: it's that they leave after the first time. - 2If repeat business is low, start by writing to the ones who didn't come back
Before spending on new customers, write to whoever bought once and never returned. A short message asking if they need anything, with a line letting them opt out of more messages, costs nothing and is sometimes enough to win them back. - 3If most come back, cut what you spend on new customers
If most of your business is already familiar faces, you don't depend on new people walking in every week. You can cut back on ad spend and use that time to take better care of the customers who already return.
What each new customer costs you: the warning sign
The four decisions, in the order they come due
Monday's order isn't the order you wrote them down in. First, how many come back, because that tells you whether the problem runs deep (they leave) or is on the surface (they're not showing up). Next, what each sale leaves you, because bundling is faster than changing prices. What each new customer costs you only gets touched once your repeat rate is already healthy. And what came in overall you save for last: it's the scoreboard, not the steering wheel.
With this, the four numbers stop being a Sunday night snapshot. They become Monday morning's marching orders, and now you know which one comes first.
- You know which number to check first every Monday: how many come back, before what it costs you to land a new one
- You have a concrete move for what each sale leaves you, depending on whether it's high or low
- You know when not to touch what each new customer costs you: while your repeat rate is still low
- What came in overall is no longer just a number on its own: it's the sum of the other three decisions you made