Rod Cherkas has led post-sales teams for 20+ years at several of Silicon Valley’s most customer-centric companies, including three that achieved successful >$1 billion IPOs or exits (RingCentral, Marketo, Gainsight). He’s a featured member of Vitally's Success Network and the author of REACH: A Framework for Driving Revenue Growth From Your Existing Customers. Today, you’ll find him leading HelloCCO, a premier consulting firm for Chief Customer Officers, CEOs, and their Post-Sale leaders. 

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MEDDIC. The Challenger Sale. SPIN Selling. The Sandler Selling System.

You likely recognize these sales frameworks. Nearly every sales organization I’ve encountered relies on one to bring structure, consistency, and predictability to their processes. 

I admire the leaders who’ve created these systems. While no framework is perfect, the value they provide is clear:

⚙️ Process: They introduce rigor and repeatability.

🔁 Consistency: They create uniformity in approach, regardless of the customer.

📈 Measurability: They tie actions to outcomes.

So why haven’t Customer Success organizations adopted a similar approach to drive repeatable growth from their existing customer base? Your executive teams would love for you to contribute more to top-line revenue growth, particularly during times when it is harder and more expensive to acquire new customers. What’s holding you back?

The Truth: Many CS Teams Lack a Structured Expansion Framework

When I work with Chief Customer Officers (CCOs) and post-sale leaders, I often find that while they excel at managing renewals and improving retention, their expansion efforts feel ad hoc. They leave growth opportunities on the table worth millions of dollars because they lack a systematic way to identify and capture them. That doesn’t need to be the case anymore. 

But Wait — CSMs Aren’t Sellers!

You’re right. I don’t advocate for CSMs to act as traditional sales reps. Their role is different. What I do recommend is training CSMs to develop the ability to recognize expansion opportunities when they arise naturally from their ongoing interactions with their customers.

This isn’t about pushing products the customer doesn’t need or want. It’s about connecting the dots — proactively identifying ways your solution can deliver additional value and presenting those opportunities in a way that feels consultative, not sales-y.

That’s why I created REACH™, a framework designed to make post-sale expansion intentional and mutually beneficial.

‍What Is REACH™?

REACH™ is a framework I developed to help Customer Success teams approach expansion in a way that’s structured and scalable. It enables you to easily prioritize your accounts by growth propensity and predictably uncover expansion opportunities from your customer base. Here are the REACH™ factors:

• Relationships: Strength of connections with stakeholders, allies, and advocates that builds trust and unlocks growth potential.
• Engagement: Consistency of product use that contributes to high-impact outcomes for the business and positive sentiment from key stakeholders.
• Actions: Proactive steps customers take that indicate a readiness to deepen their investment and expand the use of your solutions.
• Customer Value: The ability of customers to consistently recognize and measure the strong value delivered by your solutions.
• Horizons: Assessment of future growth opportunities that consider new business units, regions, and the impact of strategic, financial, or organizational changes.

Let’s break it down in a bit more detail. 

Relationships 

Strong relationships are the foundation of expansion. They go beyond ensuring strong account health and renewals. They create champions who advocate for your solution across their organization. Ask yourself:

• Are your advocates vocal within their teams and with other departments?
• Would they confidently recommend your solution to additional business units or regions?
• Have you identified key stakeholders who influence budget and strategy?

Proactively building and nurturing these relationships transforms your advocates into growth partners, paving the way for expansion opportunities.

Engagement 

Customer engagement isn’t just about usage. It’s about meaningful adoption that drives measurable outcomes. High engagement shows your product is delivering value. Without it, growth is impossible. Consider:

• How frequently is your solution being used?
• Is it being used for multiple use cases? How could it be used more broadly?
• Is your customer leveraging many of your current features, capabilities, and benefits?
• What is the customer’s general sentiment about your solutions and your company in general?

Actions 

Every customer journey is full of pivotal moments. Identifying these opportunities and acting with precision can remove barriers and create momentum. Consider the following:

• What proactive steps has your customer taken that indicate an interest in a deeper investment?
• Does the customer have a history of growing their spending with you?
• Is there an upcoming renewal that creates an opportunity to discuss growth opportunities?

Expanding customer relationships isn’t about luck — it’s about showing up at the right time, with the right solutions.

Customer Value: The Key to More Investment

Customers won’t expand their investment unless they see clear, measurable value. But seeing value isn’t enough. They also need to articulate it within their organization. Ask yourself:

• Can customers quantify the ROI they’ve achieved with your solution?
• Do they have the data and stories to support your value proposition?
• Are they equipped to share this success with internal stakeholders?

Your job is to make the impact of your solution undeniable and to arm your champions with the tools to share that story.

Horizons: Shaping the Future Together

Great CS leaders don’t just solve today’s problems — they help customers envision a brighter future. Expansion opportunities lie in aligning your solutions with their long-term strategy. Consider:

• Are you discussing how your solution supports their future growth goals?
• Are there regions, teams, or business units where your product could add value?
• Are you helping them navigate financial or organizational challenges to unlock new opportunities?

When you anticipate what’s next, you position yourself as a strategic partner, not just a vendor.

How REACH™ Drives Growth

The power of REACH™ is in its ability to transform inconsistent efforts into a deliberate, predictable process. When implemented effectively, it ensures that every touchpoint, interaction, and insight contributes to a customer’s growth — and, by extension, your own.

For CS leaders, this shift isn’t optional. In today’s climate, post-sale teams are expected to contribute to revenue growth alongside retention. Without a clear process like REACH™ in place, you risk falling behind.

Ready to Transform Your CS Team?

Are you ready to transform your Customer Success team into a growth engine? My REACH™ workshops and rollout programs are designed to help CS leaders and their teams implement a proven framework for scaling expansion efforts. Together, we’ll align your strategy, boost efficiency, and drive measurable results.

Let’s equip your team to go beyond retention and unlock the full potential of customer growth.

Contact me to learn how REACH™ workshops can empower your team to deliver greater impact and contribute meaningfully to top-line revenue growth.