Introduction
Successful expansion planning requires seamless coordination between Customer Success and Sales. Ensuring both teams align on customer goals, expansion signals, and revenue targets enables a smooth transition from identification to execution. This article outlines how to establish structured collaboration between CS and Sales to drive expansion success.
Step 1: Create a Shared Expansion View for Sales
Providing Sales with clear expansion insights ensures proactive engagement.
-
Use Scorecards to track expansion readiness: Configure Scorecards to assess accounts with growing adoption, health improvements, and potential whitespace opportunities.
-
Build expansion-focused dashboards: Use Dashboards to highlight expansion-ready accounts based on product usage and engagement trends.
-
Log key customer insights in Timeline: Capture expansion discussions and relevant touchpoints in Timeline to ensure Sales has visibility into CS-led engagements.
Step 2: Implement a Structured CSQL Handoff Process
A well-defined Customer Success Qualified Lead (CSQL) handoff process ensures expansion signals are efficiently routed and actioned.
-
Track and manage CSQLs efficiently: Use CSQL tracking to define clear lead qualification criteria and document expansion opportunities.
-
Set up automated lead notifications: Configure CTAs to automatically notify Sales when a high-potential expansion lead is identified.
-
Ensure timely follow-up through structured meetings: Schedule regular CS-Sales syncs to review CSQL pipeline progress, address follow-up needs, and refine outreach strategies.
Step 3: Measure and Optimize Sales-CS Expansion Collaboration
Tracking Sales engagement and revenue impact ensures continuous improvement.
-
Monitor CSQL conversion rates: Use Dashboards and Reports to track how many CSQLs progress to closed-won opportunities.
-
Assess the impact of expansion initiatives on ARR growth: Compare pre- and post-expansion revenue contributions to measure success.
-
Refine collaboration strategies based on feedback: Conduct post-expansion reviews to adjust qualification criteria, optimize CSQL handoffs, and improve CS-Sales alignment.
What’s Next
Aligning CS and Sales on expansion opportunities ensures effective execution, but engaging customers in strategic discussions is equally important. The next article will cover how to assess expansion potential through customer strategy discussions.
Explore More