Conversion Events
A conversion event is the outcome that calibration treats as "this lead converted." It's the ground truth kenbun uses to figure out which scoring rules actually predict success and which ones are just noise. Picking the right conversion event is the most important decision you'll make in the calibration setup.
Why It Matters
Calibration only works if you tell kenbun what "good" looks like. Without a conversion event, every lead looks the same and there's nothing to calibrate against. With the right one, kenbun can tell you which rules are pulling weight and which need adjustment.
Different teams care about different outcomes. A startup with no closed-won data yet still needs a useful definition of conversion; a mature ABM team running through Salesforce wants pipeline-grade definitions. kenbun supports both, and a few options in between.
The Six Options
You'll choose one of these on the conversion definition picker:
Closed-won Deal
What it means: A deal in your CRM reached a closed-won stage. When to use it: You have a connected CRM with deal data, and your sales cycle is short enough that you have at least 30-50 closed-won deals in the last 90 days. What it requires: A connected HubSpot or Salesforce integration.
This is the gold standard. If you have it, use it.
Deal Stage Reached
What it means: A deal in your CRM advanced to a specific pipeline stage you choose (e.g., "SQL", "Demo Booked", "Proposal Sent"). When to use it: You have CRM data but your sales cycle is too long to wait for closed-won. Picking a mid-funnel stage gives you faster signal. What it requires: A connected HubSpot or Salesforce integration. You'll select which stage(s) count as conversion.
A good middle ground for B2B teams with 6+ month cycles.
Specific Event Type
What it means: A lead fired a particular event type — e.g., "Demo Request", "Pricing Form Submit", "Trial Started". When to use it: You don't have CRM data, or you want to optimize scoring for a specific high-intent action that happens before any CRM record exists. What it requires: Nothing extra — just the event flowing through kenbun.
Great for self-serve and PLG motions where the conversion happens entirely in-product.
Engagement Persistence (Default)
What it means: A lead came back and engaged again after a delay (e.g., visited again 7+ days later). The signal: they didn't bounce. When to use it: You're new to kenbun and don't yet have CRM-grade conversion data. This option works on day one with zero integrations. What it requires: Nothing — works out of the box with the events kenbun is already collecting.
This is the default for new accounts. It's intentionally conservative and produces useful (if not pipeline-grade) calibration even before any integration is connected.
Manual Labels
What it means: You manually set each lead's disposition (converted / not converted / unknown). When to use it: You have a small, curated set of leads you want to use as ground truth. Useful for sales teams that triage leads by hand and want to feed that judgement back into scoring. What it requires: A team workflow for marking leads.
Best for teams with a hands-on motion and high-touch deals.
Sales-accepted Lead
What it means: A lead was accepted by a sales rep into pipeline. When to use it: You have an SDR/AE handoff process and you want to optimize scoring for "leads sales actually picks up." Status: Coming soon. This option is disabled in the picker for now.
The Lookback Window
In addition to picking the event itself, you'll set a lookback window — how far back kenbun looks when measuring conversions. The default is 90 days.
| Sales cycle | Suggested lookback |
|---|---|
| Self-serve / PLG | 30 days |
| Mid-market B2B | 90 days (default) |
| Enterprise / long cycles | 180 days |
Shorter windows react faster to changes in your funnel; longer windows give more stable estimates with bigger sample sizes. If you change your ICP or pricing, expect about one full lookback window to pass before calibration fully reflects the new reality.
Configuring Your Conversion Event
- Navigate to Govern > Org Units.
- Open the organizational unit you want to configure.
- Find the Conversion Definition section.
- Pick one of the six options above.
- For CRM-based options, select the pipeline and stage(s).
- For event-type options, select the event type from the dropdown.
- Set the lookback window (default 90 days).
- Save.
Your next calibration refresh will use the new definition. Suggestions you see in rule slideouts will update on the next scheduled refresh.
Troubleshooting
"The CRM options are disabled." You don't have a HubSpot or Salesforce integration connected for this organizational unit. Connect one in Govern > Integrations, then return to the conversion definition picker.
"My pipeline stages don't appear." The integration is connected but hasn't synced your pipeline metadata yet. Wait a few minutes, or trigger a manual sync from the integrations page.
"I changed the conversion event but suggestions look the same." Calibration recomputes on a schedule (weekly by default). Suggestions will refresh on the next run.
"I'm not sure which option to pick." Start with the default — Engagement persistence. It works without integrations and gives reasonable results. Once you have CRM data flowing and 30+ closed deals in your lookback window, switch to Closed-won deal or Deal stage reached.