B2B revenue teams still over-rotate on the sale and under-invest in what happens next. We celebrate the "hunter," allocate budget to SKOs, and optimize top-of-funnel activity. Then we toss new clients to Customer Success and move on to the next deal.
This is not a transition plan. It is a source of preventable churn.
Contract signature is not the finish line. It is the starting line for retention and expansion. When CS is treated as a support function or cost center, revenue suffers.
In this podcast, I spoke with Emilia D’Anzica, founder of Growth Molecules, about the critical role of Customer Success in driving long-term value. We explored why most CS teams are not set up to drive commercial outcomes and how sales enablement can change that.
Here is how to close the gap between sales and success and turn CS into a true growth function.
Many CS professionals never intended to be in sales. They were hired to support clients, solve problems, and build relationships. Now they are being asked to identify upsell opportunities, carry quotas, and drive expansion without the tools or training to do so.
This approach leads to hesitation, missed conversations, and stalled growth.
Treat Customer Success enablement with the same rigor as sales onboarding
Stop pushing CS into a seller persona. Equip them as trusted advisors who unlock solutions. The growth will follow.
The most common complaint from CS leaders is the lack of context at handoff. Sales closes the deal and moves on. CS walks into a kickoff call unprepared. The client is forced to repeat what they already shared. Trust is lost before value delivery begins.
Create a standardized, enforceable handoff process.
Marketing would never pass an unqualified lead to Sales. Sales should not pass an undocumented customer to Success.
It is a common but costly mistake. Reps are forced to learn in front of the customer. They hear an objection for the first time on a renewal call, freeze, and fumble. Trust is lost. So is the renewal.
Create controlled environments for skill development.
Confidence is not built through observation. It is built through repetition.
Boards do not measure success by NPS. They measure it by Gross and Net Revenue Retention. If CS is delivering high satisfaction but revenue is declining, there is a deeper issue.
Reorient CS performance around financial metrics.
Retention is not about making customers happy. It is about helping them succeed in ways that drive measurable value.
The line between Sales and Success is disappearing. Revenue Kickoffs are replacing SKOs. CROs, CFOs, and CEOs are all asking how to drive growth from the base.
Ray Makela and Phil Putnam go deep on how to build seamless handoffs, enable CS for growth, and make the business case for investing in post-sale roles.
Customer Success is not support. It is not a cost center. It is the function most responsible for protecting and expanding revenue after the deal is signed.
If you want growth from the base, you need to treat CS as a commercial function. That starts with enablement, alignment, and execution.
Revenue does not stop at closed-won. Neither should your investment.