500 Startups Growth Handbook

Create customer onboarding path and plant the seed for upselling

How you do it

- Even if a deal is closed, a contract is signed or a first check arrives, your work is far from done. Now you have to keep the customer’s faith in you/your product throughout the onboarding process. If you’re not careful during this process,your client may doubt you and your company.
- Creating an onboarding path is also the best way to set up future expansion. You want to pay attention to any questions that are asked during onboarding and set up because these questions are clues to how confident the client is in your product.
- Create an onboarding program by working through a checklist of all of the actions that need to happen to ensure the customer is successful. Also as you story-board these actions, you need to identify where you can plant seeds for growth in the account.
- You’ll also want to establish cadence with the decision maker if they have handed you off to a different daily contact. Ask them how frequently you can check in, do quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with them, or keeping them engaged during the initial roll-out process. Communication and following up is key.

Common Mistakes Founders Make

- Most founders miss a significant cue during onboarding. Often the decision maker who has bought your software is not the same person as the manager who will be your point of contact. This hand-off might seem subtle because your new point of contact’s boss has bought your tool, but this person can be a huge advocate for you or also a total shit disturber if they don’t like your solution. Take this cue and do a modified demo with this person so they know what the pain and corresponding features that were discussed with their boss. Then ask what needs they have in using your tool. This should set the relationship off to make sure that feedback comes directly to you rather than as a complaint to the purchaser.

Examples

Ex: if they are buying 20 seats/licenses but have 200 people at their firm, then as you provision the users make sure you share how easy it is for the others to join later and ask how the first 20 were chosen.

Related Keywords

Customer Onboarding, Client Success, Upselling Software