Most companies approach growth as a simple equation: acquire more customers, keep them happy, and hope they stay. But companies that truly scale don’t just retain customers—they grow them. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is the total revenue a customer generates while they remain your customer. If you want to increase LTV, you have two levers: […]
Build a Social Proof Machine: Consistently Generate Real Advocates at Scale
October 25, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
As a Head of Customer Success, you’ve heard the benefits of advocacy. You get that it’s somehow the golden ticket—a game-changer that’s supposed to turn the business flywheel faster than ever. But somehow, the magic hasn’t happened for you. Your advocacy program is more of a flicker than a flame, and you’re wondering if the […]
The Untapped Potential of Social Proof through Earned Advocacy
October 19, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Hold on a second. You’re smart; you’ve got your finger on the pulse of Customer Success, and you’re up to your ears in metrics, strategies, and buzzwords. But let’s cut through the noise for a moment. If you’re not focusing on genuine, earned customer advocacy, you’re leaving an unparalleled opportunity on the table. You know […]
From KPIs to Connection: Transforming Metrics Into Meaningful Relationships
October 12, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Customer Success isn’t a monolith; it’s a symphony of moving parts. Think of it as a well-oiled machine with gears both large and small. The larger gears—your customer-level KPIs—offer those broad-stroke indicators that often make you nod in satisfaction. “Yes, we’re on the right track,” they seem to say. Then there are the smaller, more […]
Every Department Must Recognize the Value of Customer Success
October 6, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Customer Success teams continually strive to advocate for their significance, often finding themselves undervalued by other departments. Heads of Customer Success are no strangers to this feeling, and while the importance of their roles is crystal clear to them, they sometimes feel isolated in this perspective. This sentiment isn’t a reflection of their desire to […]
Retention: Shifting from Reactive to Proactive to Stop Chasing and Start Leading
September 24, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Let’s get real. You’re swamped, your team is overwhelmed, and you’re juggling the constant demands of retaining customers while chasing that elusive long-term success. You’re in firefighting mode—again. You know you need to shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one. Deep down, you feel the urgency, but the ‘how’ eludes you. It’s like […]
Why High Usage Doesn’t Guarantee Customer Success
September 6, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
You’re feeling pretty good about your customer engagement metrics. The data shows that users are logging in daily, clicking around, and seemingly making the most of your platform. But hold on. Your churn numbers are still concerning. Contraction at renewal is creeping up. And expansion is way lower than it should be. Something doesn’t add […]
Scaling Your Customer Success Team Without Losing Control
August 30, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
You’ve built your Customer Success team from the ground up, and you’re rightfully proud of it. You’ve always had your hands on the steering wheel, ensuring smooth rides for your clients. But now your team is growing. The very thought of scaling conjures up fears of losing that intimate control you’ve had—over your team and […]
The Art and Science of Continuous Goal Alignment in Customer Success
August 23, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Every Customer Success Manager (CSM) and Head of Customer Success has felt it at some point: the nagging sense that although Goal Discovery is essential, something is missing in the process of keeping those goals continually aligned. You know it’s important, but somehow staying in-sync with your customer’s evolving goals seems elusive. Perhaps it’s the […]
Goal Discovery: The Essential Task You Never Had Time for (Until Now!)
August 16, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
You get it; Goal Discovery is essential. It’s not just another buzzword or a fleeting trend in Customer Success. It’s the foundation of everything we aim to accomplish with our clients. But here’s where the frustration mounts: you have clients to manage, meetings to attend, fires to put out, and an inbox that never seems […]
Aligning Customer Success and Sales: Bridging the Great Divide
August 9, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
You know the feeling – it’s a shared frustration among many in Customer Success. Another seemingly ‘bad fit’ customer is passed to us, and we’re left questioning the Sales team’s understanding of what a good fit really is. It’s easy to think: “Why can’t they just get it right?”. But perhaps we’re addressing this from […]
Motivating Action: The Hard Truth of Driving Customer Engagement
August 2, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Every Customer Success Manager (CSM) knows the struggle: you have an incredible product that can truly enhance the work of your customers, but they resist. They feel overwhelmed, underprepared, or simply unwilling to take on the new responsibilities that come with implementing your product. Sound familiar? Then buckle up. We’re going to unpack the challenges […]
Customer Retention: Proactive, Reactive, and At-Risk Analysis
July 31, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
How often have you found yourself scrambling at the last minute to save an at-risk account, pouring time and resources into what could often be a losing battle? You’re not alone. Many Customer Success Managers (CSMs) fall into the trap of reactive retention. It feels like part of the job, right? The truth is, there’s […]
Navigating Partner Success in a Multi-Channel World
July 26, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Customer Success Management (CSM) is challenging enough when you’re dealing with direct customer relationships. But when partners are brought into the picture, it adds a whole new layer of complexity to the process. As CSMs, how can we navigate the intricacies of partner success in a multi-channel landscape? That’s the question we will answer today, […]
Unlocking Potential: How to Allocate Customers to CSMs
July 20, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Any seasoned leader in Customer Success knows that balancing the right resources and setting the proper groundwork is crucial to effective customer management. As a newly appointed head of Customer Success, you might be asking yourself, “What should I consider when allocating customers to my CSMs?” While seemingly straightforward, there are many layers to this […]
AX-Based Coverage Segments: Customer Success Evolved
July 17, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
The only universal truth in Customer Success is that it’s always evolving. If you’re using the strategies and tactics popular even 3 years ago, you’re being left behind. The more contact our ideas, frameworks, and methodologies have with customers, the more we learn, and the more things need to evolve. And over the past few […]
RevOps Evolved: The Key to Rapid, Exponential Revenue Growth (2024)
July 13, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
The essence of successful business lies in the ability to unlock consistent, efficient growth. But amidst the pressures of targets, competition, and shifting market dynamics, the struggle to optimize revenue operations and foster seamless alignment between Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing can feel like an uphill battle. If you’ve been juggling these challenges, feeling the […]
Understand, Classify, and Effectively Analyze Churn
June 22, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Understanding customer churn can be one of the most challenging, yet essential elements for the success of any SaaS business. Knowing why customers leave, how to anticipate these departures, and ultimately, how to prevent them, can make the difference between a business that thrives and one that merely survives. In this blog post, we delve […]
Customer Negotiation: Discounts, Retention, and Value
May 31, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Are your customers frequently requesting discounts? Are you left wondering if reducing your prices is the only way to retain their business? If you’re a Customer Success Manager (CSM) or a Head of Customer Success, you’ve undoubtedly encountered these dilemmas. Fear not; there’s much more to customer negotiations than yielding to price reduction demands. This […]
The Art of Objection Handling in Customer Success
May 11, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Imagine this: You’re all set for a critical meeting with a customer, the agenda is clear, and you’re brimming with solutions. But the customer postpones. Or worse, they decline the meeting altogether. It’s not an uncommon scenario in the world of customer success. But what if we told you that this roadblock could be transformed […]
Driving Exponential Growth: The Art of Selling to Existing Customers
May 4, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
In the rapidly evolving business world, the focus is often skewed towards acquiring new customers. However, the real magic happens when we tap into the potential of our existing customer base. Welcome to the realm of ‘Selling to Existing Customers,’ an arena that has the power to catapult your business towards exponential growth, if maneuvered […]
Growth Unlocked: The Key to Exponential Account Expansion
February 18, 2023 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Expansion – not simple renewal – is the ultimate indicator of a successful customer.
Achieve Exponential Growth by Focusing on CAC Efficiency
September 11, 2019 Article by Lincoln Murphy
If you can convert more customers, faster, AND increase what they pay you initially, you’re on your way to much improved CAC efficiency.
TTFV as a Sales KPI to Drive Engagement and Expansion
September 5, 2019 Article by Lincoln Murphy
Time to First Value (TTFV) is a commonly used Customer Engagement metric to measure the efficiency of the customer Onboarding process, but not generally a Sales KPI. But it should be.
