A $1B Acquisition with a Singular Leader for Both Sales and Customer Success

Hello and invited to The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow – publication by 50,000+ to standard their companies and careers. GTMnow shares penetration astir nan go-to-market strategies responsible for explosive institution growth. GTMnow highlights nan strategies, on pinch nan stories from nan apical 1% of GTM executives, VCs, and founders down these strategies and companies.

In 2017, tech leader Vikas Bhambry recovered himself astatine a crossroads. Kustomer, a SaaS startup navigating activity changes, unexpectedly handed him nan reins to some income and customer experience/success. What began arsenic a necessity quickly transformed into a game-changing strategy that catapulted nan institution to a $1 cardinal acquisition by Meta, pinch Vikas astatine nan reigns serving arsenic SVP of Global Sales and Customer Experience.

The accidental find – nan unification of income and customer occurrence – delivered outsized results by creating a cohesive customer journey, aligning soul teams, and driving sustainable growth. Let’s get into it.

3 reasons why a unified income and customer occurrence strategy works

1. Seamless customer journey

Owning nan full customer lifecycle – from acquisition to retention – eliminated disconnects betwixt pre- and post-sales teams. For Kustomer, this alignment was transformative:

“I told customers, ‘Things will hap successful deployment, but erstwhile they do, telephone me. Here’s my number.’ That level of accountability built spot and ensured consistency astatine each stage.”

The dual domiciled provided clarity for customers. They knew precisely who to telephone for immoderate issues.

“Customers appreciated knowing I was nan aforesaid manus to shingle — aliases nan pharynx to choke — if things went incorrect post-sale.”

2. Revenue maturation done focused prioritization

By integrating income and customer success, Vikas could spot nan afloat customer lifecycle and place opportunities to maximize revenue. Whether optimizing for yearly recurring gross (ARR) aliases description , he asked 1 cardinal question: “What are we solving for astatine this stage?”

The dual accountability extended to selecting nan correct customers, ensuring that each imaginable fresh Kustomer’s ICP from some nan short-term and semipermanent to forestall misalignment.

“I didn’t want unhappy customers calling me. That accountability kept america honorable and focused connected acquiring nan correct customers.”

3. Unified messaging and forecasting

Vikas ensured messaging betwixt income and CX was consistent, presenting a unified sound to customers. This attack besides improved forecasting accuracy by combining income and retention data, enabling amended pricing, assets allocation, and merchandise planning.

But, it doesn’t ever work.

When it useful best:

• High alignment betwixt income and customer occurrence goals: If your income and CS teams are already moving intimately together, consolidating activity tin further fortify collaboration.

• Resource constraints: Early-stage companies often don’t person nan fund to prosecute 2 elder leaders, making a azygous GTM leader a pragmatic choice.

• Customer-centric models: If your business exemplary relies heavy connected renewals, description s, aliases upsells, an integrated attack ensures a seamless acquisition for customers.

When it’s not arsenic suitable:

• High complexity successful either function: If your income process aliases post-sales needs are highly complex, they whitethorn require dedicated attraction and expertise.

• Larger teams aliases precocious stages: As companies scale, nan scope of each usability typically grows to nan constituent wherever abstracted leaders are much effective.

The unified strategy isn’t without challenges:

1. Single constituent of failure: Concentrating activity successful 1 personification introduces risk, peculiarly if that leader leaves. “Many companies yet germinate to a CRO exemplary to dispersed responsibilities.”

2. Competing priorities: Balancing income and customer occurrence becomes harder arsenic teams grow. At scale, it’s often much effective to bring successful dedicated leaders for each function.

3. Fit for larger deals: This strategy useful champion for mid-market and endeavor sales, wherever robust onboarding and implementation are critical. For product-led maturation (PLG) aliases smaller woody sizes, nan benefits whitethorn diminish.

The unified income and customer occurrence strategy was nan accidental rocket substance down Kustomer’s growth. You tin perceive to each nan specifications successful this video.

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The GTM Podcast – subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube aliases wherever you listen.

A $1B Acquisition pinch a Singular Leader for Both Sales and Customer Success

Martin Roth is nan erstwhile CRO of Levelset, wherever he led nan institution from its first dollar successful ARR to a $500 cardinal acquisition by Procore successful 2021. Currently, he’s nan laminitis of MartinRoth.com, specializing successful helping startups standard from $1M to $10M successful ARR. Martin brings a wealthiness of acquisition successful building and scaling income teams, processing effective go-to-market strategies, and navigating nan challenges of startup growth.

Covered:

• Martin’s travel from trading flip-flops to starring a $500M exit.

• The challenges and lessons learned successful scaling Levelset from $1M to $25M+ ARR.

• Insights connected building effective income playbooks and squad structures.

• The value of in-person customer interactions successful today’s integer world.

• Debunking myths astir acold outreach and micromanagement successful sales.

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Use cases, from consultants to maturation teams, show its versatility, while nan roadmap targeting AI templates, organization growth, and monetization ensures sustained momentum. Founders Dhruv Amin and Marcus Lowe, pinch stellar way records astatine YouTube and Google Maps, person already scaled Create to complete $1M ARR.

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• Spryng by Wynter: March 24-26, 2025 (Austin, TX)

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This newsletter was wholly written and edited by Sophie Buonassisi and Scott Barker (not AI!).