Meet the Expert: Sarah Liu, Product Manager at TerraMachinery
Sarah Liu has spent five years in product management for industrial equipment companies serving the construction industry. She recently led a project at TerraMachinery, a supplier of heavy construction tools, where her focus on data-driven decisions around marketing attribution modeling helped improve sales conversions by 27%.
Why Should a Product Manager Care About Attribution Modeling?
Q: Sarah, picture this: You launch a campaign promoting a new line of hydraulic excavators. The sales team reports increased interest, but you want to know which marketing touchpoints really nudged the buyers. How does attribution modeling help?
Sarah: Imagine a customer sees your online ad, then attends a trade show, and finally receives an email before purchasing. Attribution modeling helps you assign credit to these touchpoints so you understand which ones influenced the sale most. Without it, you’re guessing what moves the needle.
For entry-level product managers, especially in construction equipment, this means making smarter decisions about where to invest your limited marketing budget and which channels to prioritize.
How Can Entry-Level PMs Start Simple with Attribution?
Q: If you’re new to data and attribution, how should you begin?
Sarah: Start by collecting clean data from your CRM, website, and sales teams. Use basic attribution models like “last touch” or “first touch” to get a feel for how your customers interact before buying.
For example, one team I worked with went from relying only on “last touch” to testing “linear attribution” — where every touchpoint gets equal credit. They discovered that trade shows were undervalued, contributing to 40% of leads, not just a final step.
What Role Does Experimentation Play in Attribution Decisions?
Q: You mentioned the importance of testing. How does experimentation fit in?
Sarah: Picture this scenario: You want to know if email campaigns or on-site demos have more impact on equipment upgrades. You can run A/B tests where some prospects receive emails while others get demo invites.
Analyzing results with attribution data shows which channel drives higher conversion. One pilot project increased demo attendance by 15% simply by reallocating budget based on data, not gut feeling.
How Should Product Managers Handle PCI-DSS Compliance When Tracking Payments?
Q: Construction equipment sales often involve large payments. How does PCI-DSS compliance affect attribution modeling?
Sarah: Great question! PCI-DSS is about protecting payment card data, so you must be cautious when linking purchases to marketing data.
For example, your CRM or analytics platform should never store raw cardholder data. Instead, use tokenization or encrypted payment IDs to connect payment events with marketing touchpoints safely.
If you work with payment vendors or platforms, verify they comply with PCI-DSS and limit your data access accordingly. This way, you can still trace purchases for attribution without risking compliance.
What Are Common Pitfalls for Beginners in Attribution Modeling?
Q: What should entry-level PMs watch out for?
Sarah: One trap is putting too much trust in a single attribution model. For instance, “last click” alone can ignore earlier influences like product demos or word-of-mouth referrals that construction buyers often rely on.
Another challenge is incomplete data. Equipment buyers might call a rep after seeing an ad, but if calls aren’t tracked, those touchpoints vanish.
Also, keep in mind attribution models work best for repeatable, digital interactions. For highly bespoke sales or deals negotiated offline, attribution provides hints but not absolute answers.
Can You Share a Real Example of Attribution Improving Decisions?
Sarah: Sure. At TerraMachinery, we noticed many leads came from LinkedIn ads, but conversions lagged. Using attribution, we saw on-site demos were the true drivers.
By shifting budget from LinkedIn to expanding demo events and pairing them with follow-up emails, sales conversions grew from 2% to 11% within six months. The attribution insight saved us thousands spent on underperforming ads.
How Should Product Teams Collaborate with Marketing and Sales on Attribution?
Q: Attribution seems cross-functional. How do product managers coordinate?
Sarah: Absolutely. Regular meetings with marketing to review attribution reports help everyone see which channels move the needle.
Sales reps can share qualitative feedback on buyer behavior that numbers miss. Also, jointly deciding on attribution models and data tools—like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or survey tools such as Zigpoll—ensures alignment.
What Tools or Methods Are Best for Construction Equipment Companies New to Attribution?
Sarah: For starters, Google Analytics offers free attribution models tied to website data. HubSpot or Salesforce can integrate marketing and sales touchpoints for a fuller picture.
Since many construction buyers value face-to-face contact, supplement digital data with surveys. Zigpoll is handy here—it’s easy to deploy post-demo or post-sale surveys asking buyers about key influences.
Using multiple sources helps compensate for offline interactions that might not appear in your digital analytics.
What Advice Would You Give for Continual Improvement in Attribution Modeling?
Sarah: Keep testing different models and comparing results. Attribution isn’t one-and-done. As purchasing behavior evolves—say, more buyers research online during downtime—you’ll want to adjust.
Also, maintain clear documentation so your team understands how you assign credit and why. This builds trust in data-driven decisions.
And remember to respect compliance boundaries, especially around payment data. Work closely with your security team to avoid costly mistakes.
Quick Comparison: Attribution Models for Construction PMs
| Model | What It Does | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Touch | Gives all credit to first interaction | Simple to track | Ignores later touchpoints | Understanding awareness drivers |
| Last Touch | Gives all credit to last interaction | Easy to implement | Misses earlier influences | Quick buy decisions |
| Linear | Splits credit equally across touches | Balanced credit | Can dilute major drivers | Complex buyer journeys with many steps |
| Time Decay | More credit to recent interactions | Highlights recent touchpoints | Requires accurate timestamps | Products with shorter sales cycles |
| Position-Based | Credits first and last more | Balances awareness and closing | Complexity in weighting percentages | Sales with distinct awareness and close |
Attribution modeling isn’t about finding perfect answers but about getting closer to understanding your customer’s path. For entry-level product managers in construction equipment, experimenting with models, respecting compliance rules like PCI-DSS, and collaborating across teams will improve your data-driven decisions — and ultimately, your products’ success.
