Which is Harder to Calculate - Acquisition Cost of the Moon or Your Customer?

As a kid during the 1960's I was excited and enthralled when President Kennedy declared there would be a man on the moon before the end of the decade.  By then I wouldn't need my parent's permission to go, either. I eagerly followed all of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs leading up to the moon landing on July 20, 1969. I sought out opportunities to retell the story for science class in reports with information covered by national television, radio, New York Times, National Geographic, Time and Life articles as the subject was too new to have books published. I even continued the pursuit with undergraduate studies. I served in the military and kept my options open.  Eventually, the military allowed me to apply and was screened for the shuttle astronaut program in 1981. I didn't make the cut. 

Since that time, I've soared in the business environment while following the NASA missions.  Last week I heard a telling marketing statistic by David Meerman Scott, co-author of "Marketing the Moon: The Selling of the Apollo Lunar Program." "Can you imagine deciding that we’re going to send 12 people to the surface of the moon and it's going to cost 4 percent of the national budget and 2 percent of the national workforce for a decade? So we had to sell it."  Heck, I didn't need to be sold, I bought it.  

Regardless, what he just stated was the acquisition cost to walk on the moon in tangible terms.  Wow, if they can put numbers to that audacious feat why can't most business owners put numbers to what it cost them to acquire a customer?  Or the cost to retain a customer and determine the a customer's lifetime value?

To be fair, I did rocket off an email to the co-authors asking what the lifetime value of walking on the moon was?  I haven't received their number back...

To determine and reduce your customer acquisition and retention cost and increase their lifetime value numbers...Let's talk.  

call ph: 972 709 6776 or em: StephenMarino@ActionCOACH.com