MarketStar Blog | Customer Success (2)

When I first got started in Customer Success (CS), I was over a large US-based organization where we had roughly 60 Fortune 500 companies as customers. These customers represented a large recurring revenue stream for our organization, and it was imperative that we retained more than 95% of our revenue (ARR) and it was more important that we retained logos.   

The overall success of any sales and marketing initiative ultimately hinges on customer success. It’s one thing to complete a sale or close a contract, but the ultimate goal is to ensure that the customer receives maximum value from the sale or engagement. Turning a sale into a successful engagement means happy customers, which translates into additional sales to those customers and reduced customer churn.

Closing the deal is only the first step of a successful sale. Once the contract is signed, you have to ensure a smooth transition from prospect to satisfied customer. That is the essence of solution selling: ensuring customer success.

When you understand that customer success is the end game, you can take steps to guarantee that the customer gets maximum value from the contract, starting with a smooth transition from prospect to customer. When you develop an onboarding strategy that focuses on the customer’s needs and on developing a path to solve their problem, you promote greater customer loyalty and increased renewals.

You are being measured. How do you stack up? Are you proving your client’s return on investment (ROI)?

With more companies looking to create recurring revenue models based on subscription sales, the impact of customer churn is higher than ever. The only way that a recurring revenue business model becomes sustainable is if you have happy customers who continue to buy what you have to sell. What we have learned is that having a Customer Success team as part of MarketStar’s Sales as a ServiceⓇ offering is essential to reducing customer churn.

As business solutions grow increasingly complex, some buyers require additional assistance to successfully introduce new products or services into their companies. It’s no longer enough for business-to-business (B2B) sales organizations to sell a product or service and leave the customer to their own devices—today they need support and knowledge over the long haul. 

The need for longer-term success is why Customer Success teams are becoming increasingly common in B2B sales organizations. However, it’s important for sales leadership to understand that Customer Success is not the same as other sales functions. Here, we take a look at the key ways in which these two roles are different and why a Customer Success team may be exactly what your organization needs.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an incredible impact on a variety of industries around the globe. There’s no doubt that it’s been a challenging year, and we’re still not out of the woods. 

But that means this summer is a great time to reassess your sales approach, determine what’s working and not working, and consider what your customers need, both now and in the future. 

As the economy regains focus amid and after COVID-19, Customer Success in particular should be part of your plan. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of a Customer Success team and how to best implement one in your company.

Sales as a ServiceⓇ continues to grow in popularity, with more and more companies outsourcing key sales processes to help meet their goals. Still, some sales leaders are hesitant to consider it, especially to support their inside sales needs.

We’ve noticed over the years that there are a few common myths about outsourcing inside sales—objections that many sales leaders seem to share. But we’ve seen for ourselves that these myths aren’t true. And for companies that are already leveraging Sales as a Service, these myths have been debunked in the form of a growing pipeline and increased revenue.

Times of uncertainty present challenges to all of us, but they also present new opportunities. During a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is anxious about their health, their family, their job, their company, and the future. 

No one can predict what’s coming, but you can help secure your company’s future by solidifying your brand reputation. It’s an excellent time to build brand recognition and customer loyalty.