Sales does not end with the deal: Why customer success is also sales

Sales does not end with the signature - it just begins there on a new level.

In a world where new customer acquisition is expensive and customer loyalty is worth its weight in gold, one role is becoming increasingly important: the Customer Success Manager (CSM) .

But in many companies, customer success is more like a customer hotline where customers submit complaints. This makes customer success a fire extinguisher, but certainly not a growth lever.

What is customer success anyway

Customer success is more than just support. It's not just about reacting to problems, but proactively ensuring that customers work successfully with the product or service - and therefore stay longer and buy more.

• According to Gartner, an increase in customer loyalty of just 5% can increase profits by up to 25-95%.
• According to Marketing Metrics, an existing customer has a purchase probability of 60-70%, a new one only 5-20%.

Customer success is therefore not just a "service" issue - it is a strategic component of the sales process. Because satisfied customers buy more, more often and for longer.

Why customer success often fails

In reality, however, the picture is often quite different:

I've said it all before...

Why doesn't the CSM know anything about our last use case?

I have to start all over again every time.

It is not uncommon to hear these sentences. Although companies use CRM systems, notes and tools, the customer success team often lacks a real connection to customer reality.

Why?

Data is there - but not being used. Entries in the CRM are often not "actionable" - i.e. data is collected but not used proactively in day-to-day business.

Silo thinking. Sales, implementation, support, success - often separate departments with fragile handovers.

No real customer journey view. The CSM often does not have a clear overview of where the customer stands - neither emotionally nor strategically.

The result? A missed opportunity not only to retain customers in the long term, but also to create targeted added value - through cross-selling and upselling at the right time.

A playbook with digital sales guidelines

Customer success needs an overview. This is exactly where Linkando Playbooks come into play.

Digital sales guides for the CMS contain all the information they need to start the conversation immediately. Strategically relevant content is also displayed during the conversation.

At the right time, the CMS can use a cross-selling or upselling playbook. A sales guide can qualify the customer for the new product and demonstrate use cases.

Playbooks are much more than just a notepad. They are already a guide for CMS, which they use to solve problems, strengthen customer loyalty and increase sales.

🔁 What this actually makes possible:

• The CSM knows exactly where the customer stands - and what comes next.
• Cross-selling and upselling are strategic, not opportunistic.
• The customer feels heard and understood because they are not starting from scratch.

In this way, Customer Success not only becomes a consultant, but also an architect of growth - and the company builds long-term, profitable customer relationships.

📣 Rethinking sales - beyond the deal

Customer success is not an appendage of sales, but its natural extension. Those who invest in strong relationships benefit in multiple ways - through higher satisfaction, lower churn rates and more sales per customer.

Want to know how sales playbooks work? Try it out for free at linkando.com/playbooks.