Aligning Goals with Results: Post-Sales Leadership in Action
We’ve all heard the lofty goals that sound great in a boardroom: “Let’s be the best in customer experience,” “We want to lead the market in innovation,” or “Our goal is to delight every customer.” These statements are valuable aspirations and, when paired with SMART principles (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), they can form the basis of meaningful action.
But here’s the catch—while most of us understand the importance of SMART goals, the true impact comes from digging deeper into what these goals look like in action. I want to draw your attention to some of my favourite case studies that have shaped my view of what truly impactful goals look like. These examples highlight how post-sales leaders can align their efforts with specific, measurable goals that drive business success.
1. Revenue Growth
Specific Goal: Increase Net Revenue Retention (NRR) from 110% to 125% within 12 months.
Creative Approach: HubSpot created "Customer Growth Teams" that analysed account usage data to identify upsell opportunities and recommend additional tools aligned with customer goals.
Impact: HubSpot’s focus on customer-driven growth strategies boosted NRR and drove a significant portion of their Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) growth.
Where to Learn More: Search HubSpot’s blog or case studies for “Customer Success Strategy” to find examples of their growth initiatives.
2. Time to Value (TTV)
Specific Goal: Reduce average TTV from 30 days to 14 days for new customers.
Creative Approach: Slack optimised onboarding by combining automation with personalised workshops. Interactive tutorials helped teams integrate Slack into workflows quickly.
Impact: Customers experienced value within days, driving faster adoption and long-term retention.
Where to Learn More: Look for Slack’s onboarding resources or customer success case studies on their website.
3. Churn Reduction
Specific Goal: Decrease churn rate among enterprise clients from 12% to 8% in 6 months.
Creative Approach: Canva used predictive analytics to identify at-risk customers and launched a "Proactive Outreach Program." This included free design workshops and tailored resources to re-engage users.
Impact: Canva successfully re-engaged enterprise clients, significantly reducing churn and increasing customer loyalty.
Where to Learn More: Explore Canva’s enterprise solutions or articles discussing their customer success strategies.
4. Company Valuation Creation
Specific Goal: Achieve a $1.1 billion valuation through improved Net Revenue Retention (NRR).
Creative Approach: Gainsight adopted its own customer success platform to maintain high NRR, showcasing the value of retention to investors. This focus on retention made a clear case for Gainsight’s valuation during its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners.
Impact: Gainsight’s retention-focused approach was pivotal in its $1.1 billion acquisition.
Where to Learn More: Visit Gainsight’s blog or search for their acquisition stories to dive deeper into their strategies.
5. EBITDA Growth
Specific Goal: Improve EBITDA margin by 10% within two years by increasing operational efficiency.
Creative Approach: Zendesk streamlined its post-sales processes by automating repetitive tasks while maintaining high customer satisfaction.
Impact: Automation reduced costs, improved efficiency, and boosted EBITDA growth without compromising customer experience.
Where to Learn More: Check Zendesk’s blog or whitepapers for insights into their operational efficiency initiatives.
6. Reputational Growth
Specific Goal: Increase customer referrals by 25% through advocacy programs.
Creative Approach: Salesforce built its reputation by empowering customers through the Trailblazer community. This initiative encouraged customers to share their success stories, amplifying Salesforce’s credibility and reach.
Impact: The Trailblazer community became a key driver of organic growth and brand advocacy.
Where to Learn More: Explore Salesforce’s Trailblazer community resources online to see how they foster advocacy.
7. Expanding into New Markets
Specific Goal: Drive 30% of new revenue from enterprise clients within 12 months.
Creative Approach: Canva tailored its post-sales strategy for enterprise clients, offering customised onboarding and training programs to meet the needs of larger organisations.
Impact: This strategy enabled Canva to successfully expand into enterprise markets, diversifying its revenue streams.
Where to Learn More: Visit Canva’s enterprise solutions page or look for articles on their market expansion.
8. Customer-Centric Innovation
Specific Goal: Increase adoption of new product features by 25% within six months of launch.
Creative Approach: Atlassian integrated customer feedback into its product development process, ensuring that new features addressed real customer needs.
Impact: This customer-driven approach resulted in 98%+ retention rates and a loyal customer base.
Where to Learn More: Check Atlassian’s blog or product launch case studies for insights into their innovation strategies.
9. Reducing Customer Effort
Specific Goal: Improve first-time resolution rates to 85% within three months.
Creative Approach: Dropbox introduced a self-serve customer success model for smaller accounts, reducing the effort required by customers to find help. This freed up resources to focus on high-value accounts.
Impact: Self-serve support improved efficiency and customer satisfaction across all user segments.
Where to Learn More: Search Dropbox’s customer success initiatives or self-serve support strategies for more details.
Final Thoughts
Post-sales leaders play a pivotal role in aligning their teams with the goals that truly matter. By focusing on specific, measurable outcomes like reducing churn, improving TTV, or driving NRR, they can deliver measurable impact to the business. These case studies demonstrate the power of creative thinking and strategic alignment in achieving results that move the needle.
Which of these strategies resonates most with your business? Let’s discuss how you can implement similar initiatives to drive results.
Additional information on the referenced programs:
1. HubSpot’s Customer Growth Teams: Scaling Customer Success with HubSpot
2. Slack’s Onboarding Approach: How Slack Helps Onboard New Employees
3. Canva’s Enterprise Strategy: Canva’s Subscription Renewal Strategy & Canva’s Growth Strategy
4. Gainsight’s Retention Strategy: Vista Acquires Gainsight for $1.1B
5. Zendesk’s Operational Efficiency: Zendesk Workflow Automation & Automations and How They Work
6. Salesforce’s Trailblazer Community: Trailblazer Community Advocacy & What is the Trailblazer Community?
7. Atlassian’s Customer-Driven Innovation: Using Customer Feedback to Inform Product Decisions & Culture of Innovation at Atlassian
8. Dropbox’s Self-Serve Model: Dropbox Self-Serve Business Model Analysis