The CXology Toolkit

Every framework built to be used, not just read. Explore interactively below.

The CS Maturity Curve

Diagnose where your CS team is today — and map the path to strategic growth.

Reactive
Proactive
Strategic

Characteristics

Scrambling to meet needs ad hoc
Churn always feels like a surprise
Expansion is never on the radar
Heroic individual efforts, not systems
No standardized playbooks or plays

Metrics

NRR
< 90%
Churn Predictability
Low
Expansion Revenue
Reactive
Result
High effort, inconsistent results

Characteristics

Teams initiate engagement proactively
Roles defined, processes maturing
Early churn risk spotted via health scores
Interventions deployed to retain revenue
Expansion still reactive, not designed

Metrics

NRR
90–105%
Churn Predictability
Improving
Expansion Revenue
Opportunistic
Result
Stable, but still playing defense

Characteristics

Needs anticipated before they are voiced
Every account follows a defined journey
Expansion managed via pipeline & forecast
CS carries explicit NRR and revenue targets
AI-enabled plays run at scale

Metrics

NRR
110–130%+
Churn Predictability
High
Expansion Revenue
By design
Result
Predictable, compounding growth

The Internal Knowledge Transfer (IKT)

Four questions that power every seamless Sales → CS handoff.

Why?
Why did they purchase?

What is the core business problem they are trying to solve? What pain drove the decision?

Who?
Who are they?

Who are they as a company, and who are the key people inside that the post-sale team needs to know?

What?
What was promised?

What exactly was promised, what did they buy — and more importantly, what didn't they buy?

Win?
What does success mean?

What does "success" look like for them? How will they know when it's been achieved?

The IKT does not need to be a massive bureaucratic hurdle. Four questions, captured before the handoff, give CS everything they need to start the relationship strong.

The Post-Sales Pipeline

Click each stage to explore the actions, goals, and best practices.

1
Identify
2
Align
3
Advocate
4
Intent
5
NRR Close

Stage 1: Identify

Uncover growth opportunities aligned with the customer's original purchase intent and long-term goals. The renewal is always the first identified opportunity — treat it as active pipeline from day one.

Capture sales intel in IKT Clarify goals at Kickoff Monitor 5 Customer Needs Wait for First Value before pitching Document in CRM

Stage 2: Align

Tie your recommendations directly to the customer's short-term priorities and long-term strategic objectives. Goal Facilitation, Sharing Insights, and Alignment Meetings are the three motions of this stage.

Break goals into Value Blocks Send Win Reports Run Alignment Meetings Re-ask the Five Questions Build business case

Stage 3: Advocate

Map stakeholders, find your internal champion, and arm them with proof. Formal stakeholder mapping, scripted communication events, and sharing insights are your tools.

Stakeholder mapping matrix Script communication plan Arm advocate with data Co-present at Alignment Meeting

Stage 4: Intent

Formalize commitment and establish a concrete timeline. Initiate renewal conversations days after kickoff — not 90 days before renewal. Map approval workflows early.

Initiate renewal conversation early Understand budget cycles Map approval workflows Secure verbal commitment

Stage 5: Net Revenue Close

Close with precision, celebrate with the customer, celebrate internally. Immediately make the frictionless ask for a referral, review, or case study while the win is fresh.

Customer celebration Internal win share ONE advocacy ask Launch next pipeline cycle

The Five Questions

Ask these at every Kickoff and every Alignment Meeting. Click each to explore the insight and purpose.

1
What is the one thing we must get right to make this worth undertaking?

Uncovers the single most critical success factor from the customer's perspective.

Why it matters: If you miss this, nothing else you do will feel like success to the customer — no matter how well you execute.

2
How does your organization define success?

Aligns your team's work directly to what the customer's leadership actually measures.

Why it matters: Without this, you might deliver exactly what was scoped and still lose the renewal because you solved the wrong problem.

3
What is our role in achieving that success?

Clarifies expectations and defines boundaries — what is your team responsible for?

Why it matters: This prevents scope creep, misaligned expectations, and the trap of being held responsible for outcomes outside your control.

4
What aspects of the internal culture or environment could put this at risk?

Surfaces hidden blockers — change resistance, competing priorities, internal politics.

Why it matters: These risks are real and often kill implementations from the inside. Naming them early transforms them from hidden landmines into managed risks.

5
Assuming we mitigate that risk — what would exceed your wildest dreams?

Opens the door to expansion by revealing aspirations beyond the initial scope.

Why it matters: The answer to this question is often the next stage of your post-sales pipeline. This is where expansion opportunities are born.

💡

Pro tip: Have the most senior person in the room answer last. Their peers set the context, and their answer carries the most strategic weight.

The Value Blocks Methodology

Click each block to mark it complete — see how small wins stack into a large business objective.

1
First Value — Optimize Profile
~2 weeks · Foundation for lead generation
2
Publish First 3 Content Posts
~2 weeks · Build visibility and engagement
3
Engage Target Account List
~2 weeks · Initiate conversations with prospects
4
Convert First Warm Lead
~2 weeks · Prove the motion works end-to-end
🏁
Business Goal: 5 Warm Leads/Month
Complete the blocks above to reach this outcome
Progress
0 of 4 complete 0%
Delivery Model
I Do
CSM demonstrates the action
We Do
CSM + customer do it together
You Do
Customer executes; CSM observes
The 80/20 Rule
80% of the blocks your customer needs already exist. Reuse the library — don't reinvent.

The 5-Step Insights Formula

Every Win Report, better-practice nudge, and performance update should follow this structure.

1
One-liner
Grab attention immediately. The gist in one sentence.
2
Background
Bring the reader into the fold. Context for the uninitiated.
3
Results
Show the data. Good or bad — show what's possible.
4
Action
Tell them exactly what to do next. Frictionless.
5
Reinforce
Loop back. Tell them what you told them.
Example Win Report

Acme reduced manual reporting time by 6 hours per week. (One-liner)

Last quarter, Acme's ops team was spending nearly a full day each week pulling reports manually across three systems. (Background)

After configuring automated dashboards in Month 2, their team recovered 6 hours per week — equivalent to a $14K annual productivity gain. (Results)

We recommend activating the Advanced Analytics add-on to extend this to all three departments. (Action)

The 6 hours recovered is just the start — with the add-on, Acme could eliminate all manual reporting company-wide. (Reinforce)

Health Score Matrix

Build from your healthiest customers — not from reverse-engineering failure. Focus exclusively on avoidable churn.

Criterion
Category
What it signals
Weight
Score

💡 Rule: A simple live health score always beats a perfect one that never ships. Launch it, validate against reality, then refine.

Capacity Planning Calculator

Replace the $2M ARR/CSM rule with Designed Effort and the 65% Availability Rule.

Your Team

Adjust to model your capacity situation.

5 CSMs
40
80

Capacity Analysis

Available direct hours/week
130 hrs
5 CSMs × 26 hrs (65% of 40hr week)
Estimated hours required/week
118 hrs
Capacity utilization

🎯 The 65% Rule: Target availability = 65% of a 40-hour week = 26 direct hours per CSM per week. The remaining 35% absorbs indirect work, PTO, holidays, and the unavoidable reactive chaos of SaaS.