Sales teams wake up every morning fighting a war against the "Status Quo."

They have to convince a prospect that the pain of staying the same is greater than the risk of buying something new.

But in Customer Success, the status quo is your best friend.

We often make the mistake of treating a renewal like a new sale. We try to re-pitch the value proposition or "resell" the dream.

That is usually a mistake.

Tim Riesterer calls this the "Incumbent's Advantage."

Your goal isn't to disrupt the customer's thinking. It’s to reinforce it. You want to remind them that change is expensive, risky, and exhausting.

You can leverage this bias by changing how you structure your business reviews. Instead of a generic status update, focus on three specific anchors.

Anchor to Sunk Costs

Remind the customer of the time, energy, and political capital they have already invested to get your platform running. Humans hate wasting effort. Show them that leaving means flushing that investment down the drain.

Anchor to Realized Impact

Don't talk about generic ROI. Show them exactly how the project has impacted their specific business unit and their personal strategic goals. Make the progress tangible.

Anchor to Peer Benchmarks

You have data they don't have. Show them where they sit compared to similar companies and where the market is going. This positions you as a partner rather than a vendor.

When you do this, you aren't just selling a renewal. You are making the alternative look dangerous.

Don't disrupt your own customers. Make it easy for them to do what they naturally want to do anyway.

Stay put.

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