“You have to know your numbers.”
It’s a simple truth that permeates leadership roles across industries and professions. As Jay Nathan explains in his SaaS Financials course (if you’re a leader in a SaaS business, it’s a “must do”—check it out here), knowing the key numbers that drive business decisions is a leadership essential.
Over the years, post-sales and customer success teams have become more focused on identifying, documenting, and measuring customer value as a key bridge to the those key business metrics. And as highlighted in an Appcues blog (“18 SaaS metrics you should be tracking”), there are many metrics that can be used to quantify value and help customers see the ROI for their investment.
With so much pressure to prove ROI, we need to be able to articulate precisely how our products and solutions drive success at a business level. But as I reflect on this, I think we’ve been missing something: the value we provide to individual people within those customer organizations.
Let me explain.
I remember talking with a customer success manager who was laser-focused on showcasing how their solution increased efficiency and decreased costs for one of their clients. The numbers looked good, the charts were great, and the story was compelling.
However, just when it mattered most, at the point where this CSM needed the customer to act, they encountered roadblocks. They couldn’t gain buy-in from the company's end users and decision-makers. Why? The numbers, charts, and success stories were too focused on company-level benefits and not enough on the individuals who made up that company.
While companies obviously care about value, we can’t forget that real people are behind every business decision. And those people? They want the same things we want.
Think about it—what motivates you in your role?
I’d guess it’s a combination of a few things:
- Helping your company win.
- Impressing your peers and gaining recognition for your efforts.
- Delivering results for your managers or leadership team.
- Earning a raise, promotion, or new growth opportunities.
- Going home at the end of the day to enjoy a meal and time with the people who matter most to you.
Sound familiar?
Your customers’ employees want the same things. They’re not just thinking about business objectives. They’re thinking about how to win personally. They want to be seen as valuable team members and contribute to their company’s success.
And yes, they want to leave at a reasonable hour to have dinner with their family or friends.
Too often, when we think about customer value, we stop at the business level. But to create long-term relationships and be seen as trusted partners, we must zoom in on the individuals we serve. It’s not just about the dollar amount we save them or the time efficiencies we create for their company. It’s about how our solutions help them shine in their roles, reduce stress, and enable them to meet their professional and personal goals.
Once, I spoke with a customer struggling to convince their leadership team to renew a contract. Our instinct was that there was a value issue. But when we dug in, we realized it wasn’t that leadership didn’t see the value—they did.
The people using the solution daily weren’t getting enough personal benefits. Once we pivoted our strategy to show how our product could support those individuals' goals—things like saving time on their daily tasks, making it easier to share insights with their managers, and ultimately giving them more time to focus on higher-impact work—the conversation shifted. The renewal happened.
What’s the takeaway here? We need to think about value on two levels: yes, at the business level, but equally at the individual level. Because, in the end, the business doesn’t make decisions—people do.
And what do people want? The same things you do: to win, to be seen, to grow, to be rewarded, and to spend time with the people they love. If we keep that in mind and show how our solutions help the company and the individual, we’ll build deeper, more meaningful customer relationships.
At the end of the day, whether it’s us or our customers, we’re all striving for those same five things. The more we understand that, the more value we’ll be able to deliver.
🤘
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