The most underrated channel for startup growth - customer success?!

A CSM was our first hire at Univid, and we have never looked back. Customer success is IMO one of the most underrated channel for growth - here is why.. 👇

A lot of startups underestimate CS in their growth equation and only look at growing top funnel through the usual suspects like email, paid, content, etc..

Except the obvious upsides with customer success, like reduced churn, increased win-back and upselling - here are 5 ways we have used CS as a growth channel:

Have customers spread your word. People talk if they think something is really bad, or really good. Rarely if it’s just an OK experience. So make sure it’s 10X what they’re used to.

Some organic mentions of Univid on LinkedIn the latest week

Build features only when you need them and know they’re valuable. Before - do some of it manually behind the scenes. This is a win-win, as you can make sure the customer get what they need, even if it’s custom requests - and you can automatize as you see the need.

Review sites such as G2, Capterra, HubSpot Marketplace, etc. becomes increasingly important in a world of reviews and transparency. Whether it’s choosing the next movie to watch on Netflix, or your next CRM - people will look for transparent input and compare. That's where your business need to have a presence.

Check out Univid on G2 for a live example - currently with 32 reviews.

Tip: If you haven’t read The Transparency Sale by Todd Caponi - check out my summary

You saying that you have the best product, honestly doesn’t mean much.. But if the top influencers and industry leaders all saying they love the tool - people will buy. Trust is everything in B2B sales and marketing. So by sharing customer cases and stories that your ICP relate to - despite you having the weaker brand initially, your solution can suddenly seem like the obvious alternative.

Tip #1: Include the role of the customer giving the quote and their picture - to make it personal and hit home with your ICP.

Tip #2: Make people look good - give them a reason to want to be seen with you and your brand. It helps having other high profile customers being ambassadors already - so build this out with time.

Here is what the Univid customer stories section look like, if you want a live example.

The best new 10x ideas often come from your customers. Having your ear to the ground, with a community that cares - allows you to build a word class product, niche down on ICP, make fast decisions, and improve your offer every day.

What’s the best ways you have used CS function to grow? Will it be more of priority going forward?

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