Fast Abstract: Buyer success remains to be seen as much less helpful than gross sales, reveals new analysis. CS leaders can shut the notion hole by telling a transparent income story, incomes possession of enlargement, and exhibiting how CS straight fuels gross sales success.
Earlier this summer time, we fielded a brand new survey to CSMs wherein we requested whether or not their firm values buyer success extra, much less, or the identical as gross sales.
Almost six in ten (59%) stated their buyer success workforce is much less valued than their gross sales workforce. One other 34% felt the 2 groups are valued equally, whereas simply 6% stated CS is valued extra.
This notion hole means that, regardless of the essential function of buyer groups in retaining and increasing income, many organizations nonetheless prioritize new enterprise over buyer outcomes.
Why would buyer success be much less valued than gross sales?
Given the significance of buyer retention in compounding development and firm valuation, what’s occurring? And what can buyer leaders do about it?
1: Income visibility bias
Gross sales wins are tangible, time-bound, and celebrated: closed offers have a transparent greenback worth and a date hooked up. CS contributions, together with renewals, expansions, and churn prevention, are equally necessary however tougher to attribute, and are sometimes much less seen exterior the CS org.
“I don’t assume that we, as CS leaders, have all the time achieved a great job of drawing the road between the work we do and the income it produces,” says The Success League’s Kristen Hayer. “Your workforce doesn’t should promote to provide income, however you, as a frontrunner, have to determine and quantify the areas the place your workforce delivers worth to your organization.”
2: Carryover from the “growth-at-all-costs” period
Legacy SaaS playbooks emphasised new brand acquisition over buyer lifetime worth. Even with in the present day’s retention focus, that bias persists in management habits.
Your management workforce might spend extra time on pipeline opinions than on retention or enlargement metrics, for instance. Gross sales compensation plans usually tend to be aggressive and celebrated, whereas CS comp is tied to softer or shared metrics—all of which depletes the perceived worth of CS.
3: Price range and headcount allocation
In tighter markets, corporations nonetheless have a tendency to guard and even develop gross sales funding, whereas CS groups might face price range freezes or diminished instruments/coaching. Whereas leaders might say that retention is essential, operational follow-through on devoted assets, strategic planning, and government sponsorship can lag behind, sending an unstated sign about priorities.
“If CSMs really feel undervalued or unsupported, buyer expertise will inevitably endure,” says Techtonic Raise’s Naomi Aiken. “Simply as neglecting gross sales workforce assets can be unthinkable, so too ought to proactive consideration to CSM well-being be a high precedence, moderately than a response to a crumbling basis. Because the every day level of contact on your prospects, the significance of your CSMs is on par with another revenue-generating workforce, requiring the identical stage of funding in instruments and coaching to drive constructive outcomes.”
What do CSMs say?
We adopted up our preliminary query with an open-ended query asking why CSMs answered the best way they did. A pattern of those that stated CS was much less valued than gross sales:
“We aren’t trusted to be accountable for income. Nonetheless, we glance in spite of everything the present prospects. It doesn’t actually make sense.”
“More cash goes into enablement of gross sales than on a lot of the rest. There may be an inner battle over who owns income, and the CSM workforce is new to proudly owning income.”
“Gross sales sells a product that isn’t a great match. Buyer success will get blamed when these prospects churn.”
What ought to buyer leaders do?
“Firms ought to view buyer success as a income engine, not only a assist perform.” says Sabina Pons of Development Molecules.” CS is essential for driving retention, enlargement, and long-term buyer lifetime worth, particularly in recurring income fashions like SaaS.”
If your organization doesn’t see issues that manner but, take into account these three methods.
1: Equip CS with a transparent “income story”
Report on renewals, expansions, and churn prevention in the identical language and cadence as gross sales pipeline updates. Use board-level KPIs—internet income retention (NRR), gross income retention (GRR), lifetime worth (LTV)—and present how your buyer workforce’s actions transfer them. Put a greenback worth to “saves” similar to you do for brand new offers, and practice your CS workforce to attach their every day work to monetary outcomes to make retention income as seen as new gross sales.
“By teaming up with gross sales and finance leaders, you’ll be able to construct the bridges it takes to be seen as a contributor of income,” agrees Kristen Hayer. “Generally that additionally means taking a robust stance about how your workforce is offered in management and board conferences. Your contribution must be highlighted to senior leaders and traders for the corporate to see and acknowledge the worth of CS.”
2: Earn the possession of enlargement income.
Solely 43% of CS groups personal enlargement income, regardless of having the client relationships, insights, and know-how to drive enlargement thoughtfully. Too usually, it’s because CS lacks a repeatable enlargement course of, says Rod Cherkas, writer of The REACH Framework.
Adopting a course of like REACH (relationships, engagement, actions, worth, and horizons), which is designed to leverage the client belief earned by way of your teaching and partnership, might help your CS workforce personal or co-own enlargement with confidence. You’ll be able to all the time begin small, show worth, and use it to construct momentum step by step.
3: Seize and talk how CS helps gross sales.
Even when you don’t personal enlargement income, don’t neglect the large worth your workforce can carry to the gross sales group, writes Marley Wagner.
CS buyer insights play a essential function in figuring out your organization’s ICP and refining its focusing on and messaging. You’ll be able to assist gross sales enhance upsell alternatives with well timed, certified leads and a greater understanding of buyer outcomes. You may as well assist gross sales perceive which product capabilities really drive success, resulting in more practical gross sales pitches that concentrate on the complete answer, not simply options.
Need to know extra concerning the survey?
The 2025 CSM Confidential Report is an annual survey of CSMs designed to assist buyer leaders retain, practice, and nurture their groups. This yr’s report focuses on getting forward in CS, with an in-depth have a look at CSM’ profession targets and the way they match 2025’s financial actuality, alongside actionable ideas from 5 buyer success consultants. Discover extra findings from the 2025 CSM Confidential Report right here.
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