If you’re responsible for growing revenue from existing customers, you already know it’s usually easier (and cheaper) than landing brand new logos. But finding real expansion opportunities—ones that actually close—can be messy. Random product usage stats, gut feels from reps, and exported CSVs don’t cut it. This guide is for anyone who wants to use Pocus to get a clear, practical view of expansion potential hiding in their current accounts. If you’re tired of hype and just want the steps, read on.
Why Expansion is Worth the Effort (But Often a Slog)
Selling more to customers you already have just makes sense. They know you, (hopefully) like you, and don’t need a whole education on what you do. But finding out who is ready for more—extra seats, new features, an upgrade—rarely feels simple:
- Data is scattered across tools.
- Signals are subtle, not screamingly obvious.
- Sales teams often just chase the “squeaky wheel” instead of real potential.
Pocus promises to pull all this together and surface real expansion signals. Let’s walk through how to make that actually happen, step by step, and call out what’s useful vs. what’s just noise.
Step 1: Get Your Data House in Order
Before you can spot expansion opportunities, you need a full, accurate picture of how your customers are using your product.
What matters:
- Who’s using what: Active users, feature usage, seat counts.
- How often: Daily/weekly/monthly usage.
- What they’re not using: Unused features, low adoption in certain teams.
- Account details: Current plan, renewal dates, historical spend.
With Pocus:
- Connect product data (databases, analytics tools, or product event trackers).
- Connect CRM data (Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever you’re using).
- Pull in billing/subscription data if you want to track upsell/cross-sell potential.
Pro tip: Don’t obsess over perfect data. Start with what you have, get the basics flowing, and improve over time. If you wait until everything’s “clean,” you’ll never start.
Step 2: Define What “Expansion” Means for You
Not all expansion is created equal. Before you start chasing random signals, get clear on what you actually want:
- More seats/users?
- Upgrades to higher plans?
- Add-ons or new products?
- Wider adoption within subsidiaries or departments?
In Pocus: - Set up clear “expansion playbooks” or flags. Example: “Account with >50% seat utilization and >3 power users but not on enterprise plan.” - Avoid setting up too many plays. Focus on a handful of high-impact scenarios first.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by every small uptick in usage. Set thresholds that are meaningful to your business, not just “activity for activity’s sake.”
Step 3: Build Simple, Useful Views and Alerts
The biggest mistake people make is trying to boil the ocean with dashboards. You don’t need 15 widgets and a daily email digest—just clear signals.
What works:
- Account-level dashboards: Show usage trends, seat utilization, and plan vs. actual usage.
- Expansion signal lists: A prioritized list of accounts that match your “expansion” criteria.
- Alerts: Set up notifications for key triggers (e.g., usage hits 80% of current seat limit).
With Pocus:
- Use their “Leaderboard” or “Signal” features to rank accounts by expansion potential.
- Set up Slack or email alerts for your sales or CS team—but only for real signals, not every small blip.
Pro tip: If your reps ignore your alerts, you’ve set up too many or the wrong ones. Less is more.
Step 4: Dig Deeper—Validate the Signals
Not every “expansion signal” is worth chasing. Once you have a list, sanity-check it before you start blasting emails.
How to validate:
- Check recent activity: Is usage trending up, or did they spike for a week and disappear?
- Talk to the CSM or AE: Any context the data misses? (Maybe they’re about to churn, not expand.)
- Look for blockers: Is there a technical or budget roadblock that makes expansion unlikely?
- Cross-check with support tickets: Lots of support issues? Maybe now’s not the time.
With Pocus:
- Use account timelines and notes to give context to each signal.
- Tag accounts or add notes so your team knows what’s already been tried.
What to ignore: Don’t blindly trust automation. It’s great for surfacing leads, but a quick human check saves a lot of wasted effort.
Step 5: Take Action—Personal, Not Robotic
Expansion plays work best when they don’t feel like a mass campaign. Armed with real data, reach out in a way that shows you actually understand the customer.
What to do:
- Reference the specific usage pattern: “Hey, noticed your team is bumping up against your seat limit…”
- Suggest the right next step: Don’t pitch an upgrade if what they need is just a few more seats.
- Bring in CSMs if you have a complex product or the account is sensitive.
With Pocus:
- Use their engagement tracking to see if customers are opening your messages or clicking links.
- Log outcomes so you can tweak your playbooks over time.
What doesn’t work: Spray-and-pray emails. Customers can tell when you haven’t done your homework.
Step 6: Learn and Iterate—Don’t Set and Forget
The best expansion teams treat this like an ongoing experiment. Not every play will work, and that’s fine.
Keep it real:
- Review which signals actually led to closed deals.
- Drop triggers that just generate noise.
- Ask your sales/CS team what’s useful and what isn’t.
With Pocus:
- Use analytics to see which signals drive results.
- Tweak playbooks and scoring models as you learn what actually predicts expansion.
Pro tip: Sometimes, the best signals come from talking to your team, not just the dashboard. Don’t ignore their gut checks, especially when the data is fuzzy.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
It’s easy to get caught up in shiny dashboards and AI-powered “intent” scores. Here’s what you can safely skip:
- Overly complex scoring models: If your reps can’t explain why an account is flagged, you’ve gone too far.
- Vanity metrics: “Logins” don’t mean much. Focus on usage that predicts value for the customer.
- Alerts for every little thing: You’ll just train people to ignore them.
What actually works? Simple, actionable signals, sanity-checked by humans, followed up with a personal touch.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Spotting expansion opportunities with Pocus isn’t magic—it’s about getting the right data in one place, defining what matters, and acting on clear signals. Don’t get stuck hunting for perfect data or building the fanciest dashboard. Start small, learn what works, and adjust as you go. Expansion is a process, not a one-time project. Keep things simple, listen to your team, and let the results guide your next move.