SKO Season is Here: How to Maximize the Power of Having Everyone in the Room

Misalignment among go-to-market teams—Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and others—can slow deal velocity, muddle messaging, and jeopardize customer retention. Despite sharing common goals, siloed strategies and disconnected workflows often hinder revenue growth. The SKO (Sales Kickoff) is your chance to fix this. By bringing everyone into the same room, you can break down barriers, align on strategy, and transform cross-functional collaboration into a competitive advantage. As the SKO season approaches, revenue leaders are busy planning agendas, setting strategic goals, and preparing to energize their teams for the year ahead. While SKOs are traditionally used to align on strategy, conduct training, and…

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December 10, 2024

Churn / Customer Success / Sales / Strategy

Leveraging Kickoffs for Customer Success

The kickoff meeting is a critical step in transitioning from the sales phase to customer success. It’s the moment when the Customer Success (CS) team formally engages with the customer and sets the foundation for the entire relationship. Done right, the kickoff can create clarity, build momentum, and establish trust. It’s where expectations are set, roles are clarified, and success metrics are defined. For complex products or solutions that require detailed implementation, separating kickoffs into Business Kickoffs and Technical Kickoffs can significantly enhance clarity, focus, and effectiveness. In this article, we’ll explore why splitting kickoffs is beneficial for certain engagements,…

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December 10, 2024

Customer Success / Hiring / Strategy

Top Behavioral Traits of a Successful Customer Success (CS) Person: A Guide for Hiring, Coaching and CS Success

In a true customer-centric business environment, Customer Success Managers (CSMs) play a pivotal role in ensuring long-term client satisfaction and retention. The cost of retaining an existing customer is significantly lower than acquiring a new one—research shows that it can be up to five times more expensive to bring in new customers. CSMs, therefore, are critical in maximizing customer lifetime value by fostering strong relationships and solving customer problems before they lead to churn. Beyond technical skills and knowledge of the product, successful CSMs must possess specific behavioral traits that help them build lasting client bonds and contribute to the…

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November 6, 2024

Customer Success

Discovery Skills for Identifying the Root Cause of Churn Risks

When we hear the word “discovery,” it’s usually in the context of sales. But here’s the thing: Discovery is just as crucial for Customer Success—especially when working with existing customers. It’s a skill that often gets overlooked, and that’s a problem. Why Discovery is Critical for Customer Success When a client becomes a churn risk, the first thing you should do is conduct churn risk discovery to understand what’s really going on. But too often, this step gets skipped. Think about it: When a client hints at canceling or hesitates to renew, what happens? Panic mode! Suddenly, it’s all hands…

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October 30, 2024

Customer Success / Sales

Annual Sales Planning: Navigating the Challenges of Revenue Projection

One of the biggest challenges for SaaS companies is accurately forecasting revenue for the next fiscal year. Whether it's from new logos or existing clients, projecting new business, renewals and expansions can be tricky, but it’s far from rocket science - we promise, it’s not as daunting as it seems once you understand what goes into quality annual planning. What it does require is reliable data, a clear methodology, and a realistic understanding of both internal capacity and market conditions. Effective sales planning is crucial for setting achievable revenue targets and aligning sales strategies., After all, leaders will make very…

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October 30, 2024

Thank you!