Introduction
Evaluating closed expansion deals provides valuable insights into what drives successful expansions and what challenges lead to lost opportunities. By analyzing past deals, CS teams can refine their approach, improve forecasting, and increase expansion success rates. This article outlines how to review won and lost expansion deals to continuously optimize expansion strategies.
Step 1: Review Closed-Won Expansion Deals
Understanding what worked in successful expansions helps refine future strategies.
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Analyze common characteristics of won deals: Use Reports and Dashboards to track key trends, such as product adoption patterns, engagement signals, and decision-maker involvement.
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Assess the role of CS in expansion success: Evaluate how customer interactions, QBRs, and advocacy efforts influenced deal closure.
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Identify repeatable best practices: Document winning strategies, such as early expansion discussions, executive buy-in tactics, or feature adoption milestones, to apply to similar accounts.
Step 2: Identify Trends in Closed-Lost Deals
Reviewing lost opportunities helps identify gaps and areas for improvement.
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Log key reasons for lost expansion deals: Capture customer objections, pricing concerns, or feature gaps in Timeline for future reference.
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Analyze common themes in unsuccessful deals: Use surveys, post-deal retrospectives, and Sales-CS debriefs to understand why deals were lost.
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Adjust expansion playbooks based on findings: If deals frequently fail due to budget constraints or misalignment with customer goals, refine messaging and positioning strategies accordingly.
Step 3: Improve Expansion Forecasting and Execution
Leveraging insights from past deals ensures better alignment and execution moving forward.
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Refine expansion qualification criteria: Adjust CSQL scoring and lead prioritization based on the most predictive success factors using CSQL tracking.
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Improve Sales-CS collaboration based on deal analysis: Share insights with Sales leadership to refine expansion handoff processes and execution playbooks.
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Use past deal insights to enhance customer conversations: Train CSMs to proactively address objections, showcase ROI early, and position expansions based on what has historically worked.
What’s Next
Refining expansion strategies through deal analysis improves future success rates, but continuous learning is key. The next steps involve iterating on expansion playbooks and enhancing cross-functional collaboration to drive revenue growth.
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