Upselling is a powerful growth lever for Australian SMEs, but too often it’s left on the table. The key to unlocking consistent upsell revenue isn’t just about having a great product or a slick sales pitch; it’s about seamless alignment between your sales and customer success teams. We’re seeing a shift towards a more collaborative model, and businesses that embrace this will see significant gains.
Historically, these teams have operated in silos. Sales focuses on acquiring new customers, while customer success concentrates on retention and satisfaction. But upsell opportunities emerge *within* existing customer relationships. To capitalise on these, we need to break down those walls. Here’s how to do it effectively.
- Shared Customer View: Implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that both teams can access and contribute to. This isn’t just about contact details; it’s about recording usage data, support interactions, and, crucially, identified needs and future goals. A single source of truth is essential.
- Trigger-Based Upsell Pathways: Don’t rely on random ‘check-in’ calls. Instead, define specific triggers within the customer journey that signal an upsell opportunity. For example, a customer reaching a certain usage threshold, completing a key milestone, or expressing interest in a related feature. Customer success should flag these to sales.
- Value-Based Conversations, Not Just Feature Pushes: Sales needs to understand the value the customer is *already* getting from your product. Customer success is best placed to provide this context. Upsells should be framed as solutions to evolving needs, not just as ‘add-ons’.
- Joint Revenue Targets: Consider incorporating upsell revenue into both sales and customer success team targets. This incentivises collaboration and shared ownership of growth. It’s about rewarding teams for expanding customer lifetime value, not just closing initial deals.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, this alignment will become even more critical. Customers are increasingly sophisticated and expect a personalised, proactive experience. Siloed teams simply can’t deliver that. By fostering a collaborative relationship between sales and customer success, you’ll not only increase upsell revenue but also build stronger, more loyal customer relationships.
The first step? Schedule a workshop with both teams to map out your current customer journey and identify those key upsell triggers. This collaborative exercise will lay the foundation for a more unified and effective approach to growth.
