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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryMarketing FinanceMagic Number

Marketing Finance

Magic Number

A SaaS efficiency metric: quarterly increase in recurring revenue, annualized, divided by the prior quarter's sales and marketing spend.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

The magic number is a SaaS efficiency metric calculated as the quarterly increase in recurring revenue, annualized, divided by the prior quarter's sales and marketing spend. It shows how much new recurring revenue each dollar of go-to-market spend produces. Companies use it to decide whether to accelerate or slow sales and marketing investment.