"We're not salespeople."
Have you heard that one before? If you're in Customer Success, you probably have. For years, the CS profession has defined itself largely by what it is not.
This has led many CS organizations to position themselves as "Switzerland" — staying neutral and redirecting commercial conversations to Sales or AMs.
But in today's economy, can CS afford neutrality when every function must prove ROI?
The uncomfortable truth: Customer Success that doesn't actively contribute to revenue growth is becoming a luxury.
It's time for a mindset shift.
The "Switzerland approach" has valid origins — building trust, focusing on outcomes, and differentiating from sales.
However, neutrality has consequences: difficulty proving ROI, disconnected customer experiences, missed expansion opportunities, and budget vulnerability.
In the current business climate, CS must evolve from trusted advisors to trusted advisors who drive measurable business growth.
The most successful CS teams have shifted from asking, “How do we stay separate from revenue conversations?” to “How do we participate in value creation in a way that serves the customer?”
Ironically, CSMs are ideally positioned to influence revenue — they have more profound product knowledge, stronger relationships, and more customer credibility than anyone else.
Research from Forrester found that customers are five times more likely to buy more when they see more value from investments. Who better than the CSM to highlight that value?
The "trust advantage" allows CSMs to have commercial conversations grounded in genuinely understanding the customer's needs.
Here are approaches that forward-thinking CS teams are implementing to drive revenue while maintaining trust:
Instead of immediately handing off upsell opportunities, leading CS teams own expansion conversations for current products. The CSM is the perfect person to guide customers in adopting more modules/features they can already access.
Okta's CS team implemented a structured approach to capacity expansion conversations, monitoring usage patterns to identify customers ready for additional licenses. Their tiered customer success offerings include proactive expansion planning as part of their core model.
The artificial separation between "relationship management" and "commercial conversations" creates a disjointed customer experience at renewal time.
MongoDB has integrated renewal management into their customer success function, where CSMs handle both the relationship and standard renewal conversations. This approach has contributed to creating a more seamless experience for customers (and, ultimately, high gross retention).
Customer advocacy shouldn't just produce case studies — it should drive pipeline. Build formal programs where CSMs nurture advocates to generate new business leads.
HubSpot's CS organization operates a formal customer referral program where CSMs identify and nurture potential advocates. As they've publicly shared, this program includes incentives for both customers and CSMs, helping turn successful customer outcomes into new business opportunities through structured advocacy.
Many CSMs already conduct QBRs, but leading organizations are transforming these into value-realization workshops designed to identify expansion opportunities.
Salesforce offers "Value Assessment" workshops and "Accelerators" as part of their paid success offerings. These structured services help customers quantify realized value and identify opportunities for further value creation — often uncovering expansion needs in the process.
Beyond tiered CSM support, innovative companies are packaging specialized CS expertise (e.g. advanced adoption planning) as standalone offerings.
Slack offers monetized "Enterprise Success" packages that include implementation consulting, advanced training, and strategic adoption planning. These premium services are prominently featured on their website as part of their enterprise offering, demonstrating how CS expertise can be effectively monetized as a value-add.
Customer education doesn't have to be a cost center. When positioned correctly, it becomes a powerful revenue stream.
Snowflake operates a robust certification program that includes role-based credentials for platform users and administrators. These certifications are offered as premium services alongside their free training options, creating a community of experts while generating additional revenue from customers seeking to validate their skills.
Customer advisory boards shouldn't just inform product direction — they should create commercial opportunities.
Zoom utilizes customer advisory boards to gather feedback and identify new product opportunities. Their expansion beyond meetings into phone, webinar, and contact center offerings has been publicly attributed to insights gathered from their most engaged customers.
Progressive CS organizations are creating account growth plans with specific revenue targets that CSMs co-own with Sales, identifying upsells based on usage/goals.
Atlassian's Technical Account Managers develop structured account plans that align adoption metrics with growth opportunities. Their proven expansion motion within existing accounts is supported by CS professionals who help identify upsell opportunities based on actual usage patterns and customer goals.
The industry expertise CSMs develop can become a revenue stream when properly packaged — offer premium, industry-specific solutions or accelerators based on CS expertise.
ServiceNow offers industry-specific accelerators, including solutions for financial services, healthcare, and public sector customers. These specialized packages include pre-built workflows, compliance frameworks, and implementation guidance tailored to specific vertical needs, creating both better outcomes for customers and incremental revenue.
Will focusing on revenue compromise advocacy? Not if aligned correctly:
Align incentives with customer lifetime value, not transactions. Reward multi-year growth, not quarter-end pushes.
Maintain health metrics as non-negotiable guardrails. Healthy customers grow; unhealthy customers churn regardless of short-term revenue.
Create clear rules of engagement between CS and Sales. Know exactly when to bring in deal specialists.
Train CSMs in value-based conversations that focus on outcomes, not features or discounts.
Build a culture where recommending less is celebrated when it's right for the customer. This paradoxically drives more revenue long-term.
When done right, CS-led commercial initiatives often boost satisfaction by aligning customer outcomes with company success.
The most strategic CS leaders recognize that in today's environment, the choice isn't advocate or revenue generator; the mandate is both.
By directly contributing to revenue growth while maintaining their trusted position, CS teams secure their strategic importance and create more value for:
Customers: Who receive more aligned recommendations and consistent experiences
The company: Which captures more revenue opportunities
CS professionals: Who gain broader impact, career growth, and job security
The future belongs to CS organizations that confidently drive measurable revenue because they create measurable value.
Moving from neutral territory to value-creation partners isn't just good for business — it's essential for elevating Customer Success as a strategic function.
Are you still playing Switzerland, or are you embracing your commercial impact?
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We’re grateful you choose to read each week.
When you’re ready for more, there are a couple ways we can help:
» Cover Your SaaS is a financial literacy course for go-to-market leaders. Grab your copy here.
» Promote your product and services to over 4,000+ senior SaaS Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success pros by sponsoring our twice-weekly newsletter and podcast.
