expansion-playbook

name

expansion-playbook

description

Create upsell, cross-sell, and renewal playbooks for existing customers — identify expansion signals, build business cases, and run expansion conversations. Use this skill whenever a CS or sales team wants to grow existing accounts, identify upsell opportunities, prepare for renewal conversations, build expansion strategies, or says "how do I upsell [customer]", "renewal strategy", "cross-sell opportunity", "expand this account", or "net revenue retention". Also trigger when someone mentions land-and-expand, account expansion, customer growth, or NRR.

Expansion Playbook

Growing existing customers is cheaper and faster than acquiring new ones. This skill helps CS and sales teams identify expansion signals, build compelling business cases, and run expansion conversations that feel like partnership — not a sales pitch.

Why Expansion Matters

• 3-5x cheaper to expand an existing customer than acquire a new one
• NRR (Net Revenue Retention) is the #1 metric investors and boards care about
• Happy customers who expand become your strongest references
• Expansion validates your product-market fit in the deepest way

---

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  EXPANSION PLAYBOOK                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PLAYS                                                            │
│  1. Upsell — More of the same (more seats, higher tier)          │
│  2. Cross-sell — New products or modules                         │
│  3. Renewal — Protect and grow at renewal                        │
│  4. Land-and-Expand — Strategy from initial deal to full deploy  │
│                                                                   │
│  SIGNALS                                                          │
│  • Usage patterns (high adoption → ready for more)               │
│  • Team growth (hiring → need more seats)                        │
│  • New use cases (expanding beyond original intent)              │
│  • Champion promotion (your advocate now has more budget)        │
│  • Competitor displacement (using something else for adjacent)   │
│  • Contract milestones (renewal approaching, initial ROI proven) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Getting Started

• "Build an expansion strategy for [Customer]"
• "How should I approach the renewal conversation with [Customer]?"
• "What upsell opportunities exist in our customer base?"
• "[Customer] just hired 50 people — should I reach out?"
• "Create a land-and-expand playbook for our enterprise motion"

---

Output Format: Account Expansion Plan

# Expansion Plan: [Customer Name]

**CSM:** [Name] | **AE:** [Name]
**Current ARR:** $[amount]
**Contract Renewal:** [Date]
**Expansion Potential:** $[amount] | [X]% confidence

---

## Current State
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Users / Seats | [Current] of [Licensed] |
| Adoption Rate | [X]% |
| Health Score | [X]/100 |
| NPS / CSAT | [Score] |
| Modules Used | [List] |
| Modules Available | [Not yet purchased] |

## Expansion Signals Detected

| Signal | Evidence | Opportunity |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| 🟢 [Signal] | [Specific evidence] | [What to propose] |
| 🟢 [Signal] | [Evidence] | [Opportunity] |
| 🟡 [Signal] | [Weaker evidence] | [Worth exploring] |

## Recommended Plays

### Play 1: [Upsell/Cross-sell/Tier Upgrade]
**What:** [Specific expansion proposal]
**Why Now:** [Trigger or signal that makes this timely]
**Value to Customer:** [In their terms — not yours]
**Estimated ARR Impact:** $[amount]
**Approach:** [How to position this conversation]
**Talk Track:**
> "[Opening that connects to their business goals, not your quota]"

### Play 2: [Second opportunity]
[Same structure]

---

## Renewal Strategy (if renewal within 6 months)

**Renewal Date:** [Date]
**Risk Level:** 🟢🟡🔴
**Expansion at Renewal:** [Likely / Possible / Unlikely]

### Pre-Renewal Timeline
| Weeks Before | Action | Owner |
|-------------|--------|-------|
| 12 weeks | Executive business review | CSM |
| 8 weeks | Renewal + expansion proposal | AE |
| 4 weeks | Negotiate and finalize | AE |
| 2 weeks | Contract execution | Legal |

### Renewal Conversation Guide
1. Start with value delivered (their ROI, not your features)
2. Review success against original criteria
3. Introduce expansion as a natural next step
4. Handle any concerns proactively

---

Related Skills

• handoff-builder → Initial handoff identifies expansion opportunities
• roi-calculator → Build expansion business case with ROI data
• proposal-builder → Create formal expansion proposals
• deal-qualification → Qualify expansion opportunities rigorously