How to pick a success metric a plant will actually accept
If the metric needs a meeting to explain, it is not a trial metric. Pick one number both sides can read without you in the room.
The First Yes Desk
Editorial
A trial with two success metrics is a trial with none. When the result comes back mixed, nobody has to decide. That is how pilots die politely.
A metric a plant will accept
- Named method (ASTM, ISO, EN, or their in-house protocol, written down).
- Treated versus untreated on the same substrate, same day, same operator if you can.
- A number with units. Not "better water resistance." "Water uptake cut 50% versus control."
- A pass/fail line agreed before material ships.
If they already run a QC test on that line, use that test. Do not invent a prettier one.
Metrics that sound smart and fail
"Sustainability impact." "Customer perception." "Overall performance." "A 20% improvement across durability, cost, and throughput." Nobody can call that on a Tuesday.
How to negotiate the line
Ask what would make them reorder. That sentence is the metric. If they say "if it matches our current sealer and does not change color," those are two metrics: match performance, no color delta. Write both as pass/fail. Do not add a third.
Write it on the one-pager
"Success: ASTM C1585, treated vs untreated, water uptake reduced at least 40%, no visible color shift on the production mix." If you cannot fit it in one line, you do not have a trial yet.
The score will show whether you even have a method. Fill that gap before you ask for the line day.
Put it to work
See how close you are to a first paid pilot.
The score is free and takes two minutes. It scores you on the four things a buyer checks first.
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