Print this, or work through it on screen. Each box is a real step. If you cannot tick it honestly, that is a leak worth fixing.
Activation (the first session)
- You have defined a single activation event, not a vague notion of engaged.
- You can measure activation rate per weekly cohort.
- Your empty state points directly at the activation action.
- A new user can reach value without talking to anyone.
- Onboarding steps that do not lead to activation have been cut.
- You know the activation rate gap between converters and non converters.
- Time to first value is measured in minutes or hours, not days.
- A nudge fires if a user has not activated within 24 hours.
Onboarding emails
- A welcome email sends instantly on signup with one clear next step.
- Emails come from a real sender name, and replies reach a real inbox.
- A feature nudge fires when the key feature is still unused.
- A value email shares a concrete outcome, not a feature list.
- A check in invites a reply so you hear objections directly.
- Email volume is capped at one lifecycle message per user per batch.
- Every email is readable and clickable on mobile.
Intent triggers
- A pricing page visit is tracked as a buying signal.
- An upgrade offer fires when engagement crosses your threshold.
- An urgency email follows a pricing visit that did not convert.
- Hitting a usage limit triggers a relevant upgrade prompt.
- The path from intent to paid is three clicks or fewer.
- Paying users are never sent an upgrade email.
- Upgrade emails stop the moment a user converts.
Win back
- Five days of silence triggers a re-engagement email.
- The win back is specific and value led, not we miss you.
- A trial ending email spells out exactly what is lost.
- The trial ending email lets a user upgrade in one click.
- Win back sequences stop once a user returns or converts.
- You measure how many expiring trials the win back recovers.
- Lapsed users keep their data so returning is frictionless.
- You review which triggers convert best every month.
That is thirty. Most teams can tick fewer than half on the first pass, which is exactly where the easy wins are. ConversionCRM ships the email and scoring half of this list prewired, so starting free ticks a dozen boxes at once. The reasoning behind the list is in the operating system whitepaper.