Manan M.’s Post

Wow, what a journey it's been at Cohesive—almost 9 months in, and hitting profitability a few months back with Kevin Zhang. It's been quite a ride! Here are some key lessons and missteps I've come to understand deeply along the way: 1️⃣ Building customer trust is just as crucial as finding product-market fit. While everyone talks about chasing PMF, I've learned firsthand that trust is equally—if not more—important. It's one thing to have a solution for a problem, but convincing others to trust and adopt your solution is a whole different challenge. There are always alternatives out there, so it's not just about having the best solution on paper—it's about getting others to believe in it too. 2️⃣ Starting with a fully managed service is often easier than launching a product outright. People don't just want tools; they want solutions. By offering a hands-on, personalized service that tackles their challenges directly (even if it doesn't scale initially), you can gain invaluable insights. Later on, you can leverage this understanding to develop a product that truly meets those needs. Bonus: This approach often leads to developing a product that solves your own operational challenges—something that's uniquely valuable. The pic below shows how the usage of our internal tool grows over time to meet increasing demand for our service. 3️⃣ Not all revenue is created equal. Early on, we made the mistake of not qualifying prospects based on our strengths. While revenue was booming initially—growing 25-50% week over week—we soon realized we were spreading ourselves too thin. This rapid growth led to customer churn and taught us a tough lesson: focusing on what we excel at is key to sustainable success. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today, our growth is fueled by our dedicated team at Cohesive, who handle our internal sales operations (we treat ourselves as our own customer!). This keeps us focused on delivering real value where it matters most.

Why Customer Success is the new frontline of revenue generation – move over Sales, it's time to redefine your strategies. Gone are the days when sales teams solely drove growth. It’s time to redefine your strategies and embrace the power of Customer Success! Here’s why: 1️⃣ Retention Over Acquisition: It’s often said that acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing one. A strong Customer Success strategy ensures your clients are not just satisfied, but truly engaged and loyal. 2️⃣ Upselling Opportunities: Happy customers are your best advocates. By focusing on their success, you create natural opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, leading to increased revenue without the hard sell. 3️⃣ Feedback Loop: Customer Success teams gather invaluable insights that can drive product innovation and enhance user experience. This alignment not only improves your offerings but also fosters a community of advocates. 4️⃣ Long-term Relationships: Building lasting relationships transforms your clients into partners. When they succeed, you succeed—and that’s a win-win! Let’s shift the focus from just closing deals to ensuring our customers thrive. It’s time to invest in Customer Success and watch your revenue soar! 🌟

🤔 Let’s talk about something that can sneak up on any business: losing customers faster than you’re gaining them. Here’s the deal—if you’ve noticed any of these signs, your customer retention might need some TLC: 1️⃣ Customers Vanish After Signup: If they’re leaving faster than they arrived, your onboarding process might not be showing them the value you promised. 2️⃣ Nobody’s Coming Back: Low repeat business? That’s like hosting a party where no one comes back for round two. You might not be keeping your customers engaged enough to stick around. 3️⃣ Crickets in Your Inbox (or DMs): If they’re not opening your emails or interacting with your posts, it’s a sign they’ve checked out—mentally and maybe financially. 4️⃣ Feedback Feels Harsh: Getting more complaints or lower ratings than you’d like? That’s a clear SOS from your customers that something’s not clicking. 5️⃣ Confused Newbies: If first-time customers are struggling to understand how your service helps them, they won’t stay to figure it out. 💡 Here’s the Fix: Start by listening. Talk to your customers, check your reviews, and figure out what’s making them leave. Then, create a clear plan to show them they’re in the right place—before they even think about leaving. 👉 Remember: Happy customers stay longer, spend more, and tell their friends. Start small, fix the cracks, and watch your funnel flow smoother than ever! Have you noticed any of these signs? Drop a comment or shoot me a message—I’d love to help you figure it out. 💬 #CustomerRetention #BusinessGrowth #FinancialServices #KeepYourCustomers #RetentionTips #SalesFunnels #ChurnRate #CustomerSuccess #MarketingSimplified #WeGrowTogether

80% of future revenue will come from 20% of your current customers. 🤯 Want customers who buy from you again and again? Start with trust. Here’s what I know: Driving revenue isn’t about closing a sale, it’s about opening a relationship where customers feel valued and understood. Personalization is the key 🔑and it’s simpler than you think! 🔹 Listen More, Talk Less Listening lets you uncover what really matters to your customers. Take time in every interaction to genuinely listen and respond to your individual customer’s needs. 🔹 Use Their Language Customers connect when they feel understood. Use their words and industry terms to make them feel seen and heard. Not fluent in their language? Do your research- it’s amazing how much this speeds up trust. 🔹 Follow Up Thoughtfully Send personalized follow-ups that show you remembered details and value their business. This extra step can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal customer. 🔹 Customize Solutions Instead of a one-size-fits-all offer, tailor solutions that fit each client’s specific goals and challenges. Our study showed that 92% of buyers are more likely to buy when sales are personalized. When customers trust that you see them as more than a number, the connection strengthens. And the best part? Trust leads to loyalty—and loyalty leads to growth. It’s as simple as that. 📌 What’s one new strategy you can apply to generate customer loyalty? Share below! ====== 👋🏼 I’m Leslie, your strategic sales coach. If you're ready to transform your business with a team that’s equipped for growth, DM me, and let’s explore how we can achieve your vision together.

They say the best things in life are free. And so is customer retention. That's the mantra for this year.  In this tough economic climate, our clients are cutting budgets across the board.  But we know the secret of how to survive during these tough times: - Keeping customers happy Customer retention is cheaper than marketing and lead gen tactics. This means we can save money by retaining clients instead of constantly searching for new ones. By focusing on what brings in revenue and optimising our budget accordingly, we can ensure the success of our business. It’s not about who we work with. It’s about what we do for them. They’ll stay, and we’ll grow together.

The future of Customer Success is here, and it's signal-based! Gone are the days when Customer Success was just about onboarding and education. Today, it's a vital commercial function often providing a significant channel for increasing revenue, but many teams are still missing the essential tools and data to truly mobilise this function. Enter Cor. Cor provides Customer Success teams with the insights and tools they need to drive tangible business outcomes. It's a transformative step for those aiming to enhance their strategy and impact. Want to see it in action? Book a demo and experience Cor for yourself! A huge shoutout to Mantas A., Co-Founder of Cor, for spearheading this revolution in Customer Success. https://lnkd.in/gQbjKbJY

80% of future revenue will come from 20% of your current customers. 🤯 Want customers who buy from you again and again? Start with trust. Here’s what I know: Driving revenue isn’t about closing a sale, it’s about opening a relationship where customers feel valued and understood. Personalization is the key 🔑and it’s simpler than you think! 🔹 Listen More, Talk Less Listening lets you uncover what really matters to your customers. Take time in every interaction to genuinely listen and respond to your individual customer’s needs. 🔹 Use Their Language Customers connect when they feel understood. Use their words and industry terms to make them feel seen and heard. Not fluent in their language? Do your research- it’s amazing how much this speeds up trust. 🔹 Follow Up Thoughtfully Send personalized follow-ups that show you remembered details and value their business. This extra step can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal customer. 🔹 Customize Solutions Instead of a one-size-fits-all offer, tailor solutions that fit each client’s specific goals and challenges. Our study showed that 92% of buyers are more likely to buy when sales are personalized. When customers trust that you see them as more than a number, the connection strengthens. And the best part? Trust leads to loyalty—and loyalty leads to growth. It’s as simple as that. 📌 What’s one new strategy you can apply to generate customer loyalty? Share below! ====== 👋🏼 I’m Leslie, your strategic sales coach. If you're ready to transform your business with a team that’s equipped for growth, DM me, and let’s explore how we can achieve your vision together.

Unlocking Revenue Potential: The Power of Customer Success 🌟 In the journey of revenue generation, the path doesn't end at the initial sale; it begins anew with every satisfied customer. Here's the secret: happy customers aren't just one-time buyers; they're your most valuable asset for ongoing revenue streams. Before the initial sale, it's the sales team that paves the way, identifying needs, showcasing value, and closing deals. But the story doesn't end there. Customer Success takes the lead, providing ongoing support, and nurturing relationships that extend far beyond the first transaction. Happy customers don't just disappear into the sunset; they come back. They come back for renewals, expansions, and referrals. They come back because they trust our commitment to delivering value and supporting their success. #CustomerSuccess #RevenueGeneration #Loyalty #Partnerships

“My customers won’t churn!” How do you know? “Because they’re really happy.” Repeat after me. It’s. Not. My. Job. To. Make. Customers. Happy! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve got that reply from customer success managers. And, this is me asking them about their top 10% accounts. Customer happiness is not only an impossible metric to track (even if we wanted to) but it’s a useless one. There are too many other variables at play. Retaining customers is key to revenue growth in any company. Understanding how to retain those customers should be top of mind for every business owner. So how do you retain them? Simple - make sure they are achieving success with your product or service. And, ask for feedback. Often! 🔔 Follow me to receive more customer retention insights. ✅ Subscribe to my newsletter for actionable steps to improve retention - link in the comments

Here's a question to ask your customers during your next check-in: "How much money would it cost to be able to continue operations without our product/service for a month/year?" If that number is low, you know you've got some work to do. We talk about “opportunity cost” a lot in our prospect and client conversations, but these metrics get discounted and overlooked more often than acknowledged. There is a cost associated with everything you rollout, but what most folks fail to calculate is how much it’s costing them during rollout and ramp. Not to mention failed attempts and replacement of resources. In this day and age, value is key and you’d better deliver a high number so that your value is felt if a client leaves. And it’s vital that you understand who sees and experiences the value. We generate millions of dollars of pipeline for our clients and leadership teams enjoy our work because it’s strategic, customized, collaborative, and agile, but if their sales team isn’t executing the value becomes diminished; even though the cost of being out of market is greater than they could inagine, but the cost of rebuilding sales is unimaginable and we all know (I can say this because my heart is in sales and will forever be), that if a lead doesn’t close today (overdramatic), the lead wasn’t good and we need to adjust. But leads, most of them, are not designed to close overnight. The key to development is in the name, “development”. You must develop leads, contacts, relationships, value, need and then you can start to see the results and the value. Outreach should never be an overnight success and if it is (aka lightening in a bottle), you shouldn’t expect for that success to be repeatable and scalable. Find your value and build on it, ask the hard question; “what would it cost you if we weren’t here?” #CustomerValue #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerExperience