Case Study: From Lead Volume to Pipeline Power

The Australian Institute of Management (AIM) is one of Australia’s most recognised education providers, known for its industry-leading Short Courses, MBAs, and executive training programs.

Together, we’ve helped AIM evolve from a challenger brand into a national category leader.

With Connected driving performance marketing, AIM has turned media into a core business growth engine.

But with scale comes complexity — and a new kind of challenge.

OUR APPROACH - CASE STUDY

Challenge

As lead volumes surged, so did pressure on AIM’s inbound sales team. The business was generating more leads than ever — but not all of them were sales-ready.

The risk? Operational strain. Inefficient spend. Stalled growth.

It was time to shift from volume-based marketing to value-based demand generation — optimising not for traffic, but for actual revenue outcomes.

Objectives

To protect ROI and support sustainable scale, we realigned success metrics with the sales funnel — and worked across teams to redefine performance.

Core KPIs:

• Reduce cost per Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL)

• Increase monthly Sales-Accepted Leads (SALs)

• Improve ROI through better attribution and offline alignment

Strategy & Execution

We expanded performance reviews to include the CMO, CFO, creative leads, and even the CEO — turning marketing data into a business-wide growth discussion.

Then we rebuilt the performance engine.

Key strategic shifts:

• Relaunched Performance Max to capture full-funnel demand

• Integrated CRM stages and assigned monetary values to SQLs/SALs

• Imported offline conversions for value-based bidding

• Worked hands-on with the sales team to overhaul tracking and ensure CRM accuracy.

Instead of bidding toward empty leads, we optimised for those that drove real pipeline progression — and ultimately, revenue.

RESULTS

Outcomes

• 19% drop in cost per SQL

• 49% increase in Sales-Accepted Leads

• 29% ROI uplift, driven by better data, targeting, and alignment

"The work we've done with Connected Media has changed how we think about performance marketing. It’s not just about volume — it’s about value. Together, we’ve built a model that aligns sales and marketing around commercial outcomes. Their ability to translate complexity into clarity — and action — is what makes them a true strategic partner. Our teams are more aligned than ever, and we’re seeing the results where it matters." — Sevag Sarkissian, Australian Institute of Management (AIM)