Looking for the right B2B go-to-market (GTM) software to help your team actually grow revenue from existing customers—not just talk about it? You’re in the right place. This guide is for sales, revenue, or RevOps folks who are tired of fluff and want a straight answer on what to look for, what to skip, and how to get real value from tools like Champify for customer expansion.
Let’s cut through the hype and get practical.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “Customer Expansion” Really Means
Before you get dazzled by dashboards and AI promises, nail down what customer expansion is for your team. It’s not just “upsell” or “cross-sell.” Think about:
- Land-and-expand: Selling more seats or features to teams within a customer org.
- Renewal growth: Getting customers to renew and maybe spend more.
- Multi-product adoption: Expanding usage across your product line.
- Referrals and internal champions: Turning happy users into your biggest advocates.
Write down what success looks like. If you’re not sure, ask your best CSMs or AEs what actually works.
Pro tip: If you can’t measure it today, you won’t be able to measure if a tool is helping.
Step 2: List Out Your (Actual) Expansion Motions
What specific actions lead to expansion in your business? Be brutally honest. Some examples:
- Tracking when power users change jobs or roles
- Surfacing churn risk and acting before it’s too late
- Notifying your reps when a new team starts using your product
- Identifying execs who can open doors for bigger deals
Tools like Champify specialize in things like tracking customer job changes so you can strike while the iron’s hot. Don’t buy a “Swiss Army knife” if you just need a can opener.
Step 3: Identify the Bottlenecks
Where do things break down today? Common issues:
- Data gaps: You don’t know when champions leave or move.
- No visibility: Sales and CS can’t see expansion opportunities in real time.
- Manual process: Someone’s updating spreadsheets and missing stuff.
- No workflows: Even if you spot an opportunity, acting on it is slow or messy.
You want a tool that actually solves these—otherwise, you’re just adding more noise.
Step 4: Set Non-Negotiables (and Ignore the Rest)
Every vendor will pitch you a “complete solution.” Don’t fall for it. Instead, pick 3-5 must-have capabilities. For customer expansion, these usually matter most:
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Accurate contact and account tracking
Does it actually catch when your champion leaves, or is it guessing based on LinkedIn scraping? -
CRM integration that works
If it doesn’t talk to Salesforce (or HubSpot, etc.) in ways your team will actually use, skip it. -
Actionable notifications
Not just another inbox—alerts that go to the right person, at the right time, with enough context to act. -
Reporting you’ll read
Dashboards are useless if they aren’t tied to real outcomes (like new pipeline or closed/won deals). -
Data privacy and compliance
If you’re in a regulated industry, this isn’t optional. Make sure the vendor can answer tough questions.
Ignore:
- “AI-powered” anything that isn’t directly tied to your use case.
- Social media hype features (like “sentiment analysis” on Twitter feeds).
- Overly broad “insights” with no clear action path.
Step 5: Demo With Your Real Data—Not a Vendor’s Sandbox
When you start looking at tools, insist on a demo using your data, or at least your ICP. Here’s why:
- You’ll see right away if it can actually surface expansion-worthy signals in your accounts.
- You’ll find out if their integration is plug-and-play, or a 3-month “implementation journey.”
- You can test how actionable the alerts and workflows actually are for your team.
Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions:
- “How many new expansion opportunities did your customers actually close last quarter?”
- “What % of job change alerts end up being accurate or useful?”
- “How fast can we get from signal to action?”
If a vendor can’t answer, move on.
Step 6: Think About the Human Side (Adoption, Not Just Features)
The fanciest tool is worthless if reps and CSMs won’t use it. Gut-check these:
-
How will alerts and insights fit into your team’s day-to-day?
Can they see them in Slack, email, or directly in their CRM? Or do they have to log into Yet Another Portal? -
How much training does it take?
If you need a 2-day offsite to get started, it’s too complicated. -
Does it help all roles involved in expansion?
Some tools are great for sales but useless for CS, or vice versa. Know who needs what. -
Is there a feedback loop?
Can users flag false positives, or does junk pile up and get ignored?
Adoption is everything. If it’s not dead simple, it won’t stick.
Step 7: Validate ROI With Real Numbers, Not Vendor Promises
ROI calculators are mostly fairy tales. Get real:
- How many expansion deals do you expect to generate per month?
- What’s your average expansion deal size?
- What’s your close rate on these?
- What’s the cost of missing a signal (like a champion leaving)?
Plug in your numbers and see if the tool pays for itself without magical thinking.
Also, ask for references. Not the ones on the website—the ones who’ve renewed twice and have stories about what didn’t work.
Step 8: Don’t Overcomplicate Your Stack
It’s easy to end up with three tools solving the same problem, none working well together. Before you buy:
- Map out your current stack. Where does this tool fit?
- Can you kill something old if you add something new?
- Will this tool play nicely with your other core systems (CRM, communication, analytics)?
If a vendor can’t show real customers doing this, be skeptical.
Step 9: Test, Iterate, and Actually Review Outcomes
Set a clear 90-day goal for your pilot or rollout. For example:
- “Increase the number of expansion opportunities surfaced by 30%.”
- “Reduce time-to-action on champion job changes from three weeks to two days.”
- “Drive $X in net new pipeline from existing customers.”
Check progress monthly. If it’s not moving the needle, get help—or try something else. No shame in cutting bait.
Honest Take: Where Champify Shines (and Where It Doesn’t)
Champify is great if you want to catch when your customer champions change jobs, so you can either save the account or open a new door. Their tracking is accurate, and they’ve nailed integration with Salesforce and Slack. If this is a big gap for you, it’s worth a serious look.
But if you’re looking for a tool to run your entire customer expansion program—playbooks, customer health scoring, product analytics, and the kitchen sink—Champify isn’t trying to be all things to all people. That’s a good thing, but just know what you’re buying.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Picking GTM software for customer expansion isn’t about the most features. It’s about solving your real problems, getting quick wins, and not making life harder for your team. Start with the basics, test with real data, and don’t be afraid to move on if something isn’t working. Simple always beats complicated, especially when everyone’s busy.
Now, go find the bottleneck that’s killing your expansion—and fix it. You’ll get better results than any buzzword ever could.