In recent years, companies have increasingly hyper-focused on tying every activity to a specific revenue metric, believing that clear attribution will drive performance and accountability. However, this intense focus often leads to paradoxical outcomes: it can hurt both revenue and employee morale. By prioritizing individual (or functional) contributions over collective success, organizations inadvertently foster internal competition, misaligned efforts, and duplicated work, ultimately undermining the collaborative environment necessary for sustainable growth and customer satisfaction. Here’s how this scenario often plays out–we’ll use Alex, the customer marketer; Bailey, the CSM, and Corey, the Sales Manager as examples.
Alex’s Perspective
Alex is determined to prove the value of Customer Marketing and Advocacy by launching targeted campaigns aimed at upselling additional products to existing customers, while also driving customer advocacy. Each campaign is meticulously tracked, emphasizing direct revenue generated and the creation of customer advocates. Alex’s primary metrics might include some of the following:
Campaign Engagement Rates
Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)
Direct Revenue from Upsells
Number of Customer Advocates and their proof points (reference calls, reviews, referrals, case studies)
Bailey’s Perspective
Bailey is equally driven to showcase the importance of Customer Success by ensuring high customer satisfaction and retention. Bailey’s team invests in proactive outreach, regular check-ins, and personalized support. Bailey focuses on:
Customer Renewal Rates
Customer Satisfaction Scores
Retention-Driven Revenue
Account Health Score
Corey’s Perspective
Corey, the Sales Manager, aims to demonstrate the sales team’s impact on revenue through closing new deals and expanding existing accounts. Corey’s focus is on:
New Customer Acquisition
Sales-Driven Revenue
Account Expansion Metrics
The Infighting Begins
Conflicting Efforts: If these three people (and their respective teams) aren’t in sync, Alex’s marketing campaigns will likely overlap with Bailey’s customer success initiatives and Corey’s sales efforts. For example, Alex might launch a promotional email about an upsell opportunity right after Bailey’s team has addressed a critical support issue (e.g. the account is angry–not a good time to be approaching them about buying more) and just before Corey plans to discuss a new product offering. The customer, bombarded with mixed, and multiple messages, feels overwhelmed and confused.
Competing for Credit: During quarterly reviews, Alex, Bailey, and Corey vie for recognition. Alex claims credit for revenue spikes following marketing campaigns, Bailey argues that without the groundwork laid by Customer Success, such upsells would never be possible, and Corey contends that it was their negotiating effort that got the contract over line, and moreover, without the initial sales effort, the customer wouldn’t even be in the pipeline. This competition fosters resentment and hampers cooperation, especially when there is ongoing pressure for each person to “prove their value”.
Duplicated Work: In their efforts to independently prove their worth, all three teams duplicate efforts. Alex’s team spends resources on customer data analysis, which Bailey’s and Corey’s teams have already conducted. Instead of pooling resources, they operate in parallel, wasting valuable time and effort.
The Impact on the Company and Customers
Customer Confusion and Frustration: Customers receive inconsistent and sometimes conflicting messages, leading to frustration. For instance, Dina, a developer from FlashCon who just resolved an annoying technical issue with Bailey’s team, receives an upsell email from Alex’s team and a call from Corey about a new product the following day, causing confusion about the company’s priorities. Dina starts to wonder if InnovateX really has all their ducks in a row, and starts researching alternative vendors…just in case.
Missed Opportunities: The lack of coordination means missed opportunities for tailored upsell and cross-sell strategies. A customer who could benefit from an additional product feature doesn’t receive a cohesive message that ties their success with the upsell, because there was no communication between Alex and Bailey about the account’s readiness.
Internal Morale: The infighting and lack of cooperation affect team morale. All three teams feel siloed, underappreciated and overworked, leading to decreased job satisfaction and productivity. Additionally, the fight for credit makes each team more territorial over “their” customers, making sharing data about an account even less likely.
The Turning Point: Realizing the Value of Shared Credit
After a particularly tense quarterly review, InnovateX’s leadership steps in. Recognizing the detrimental effects of the turf wars, they initiate a series of changes to foster a collaborative, customer-centric culture. They commission a customer centricity audit, which, among other insights, shows where a common set of goals and metrics can help these three departments become more collaborative and aligned with customer needs.
Steps Towards Collaboration
Unified Goals: Leadership sets unified, big-picture goals that all three teams are responsible for. Metrics such as overall customer lifetime value (CLV), combined upsell and cross-sell revenue, and integrated customer satisfaction scores become the new focus.
Shared Success Metrics: Instead of attributing revenue to specific activities, InnovateX introduces shared success metrics. For example, if an upsell occurs, marketing, customer success, and sales all receive shared credit. When the deal closes, everyone involved gets a public shoutout on the company Slack channel and the next all-hands meeting.
Integrated Planning: Alex, Bailey, and Corey’s teams start conducting joint planning sessions. They align their strategies to ensure that marketing campaigns support ongoing customer success initiatives and sales efforts.
Centralized Data and Insights: InnovateX invests in a centralized CRM system, enabling all teams to access and share customer insights. This system includes notes from customer interactions, campaign touchpoints, and satisfaction scores, providing a holistic view of each customer’s journey.
The Benefits of Sharing Credit
Enhanced Customer Experience: With the three functions all more aligned, customers receive consistent, timely, and more relevant messages that align with their needs and experiences. For example, a customer who shows high satisfaction after a successful support interaction is then targeted with a relevant upsell offer that ties directly into their positive experience, followed by a sales call from Corey that further solidifies the value proposition.
Increased Revenue: The alignment of efforts leads to more effective upsell and cross-sell strategies, driving higher revenue. Customers are more likely to engage with offers that are well-timed and contextually relevant.
Improved Team Morale: With shared success metrics, all teams feel valued and recognized for their contributions. This fosters a collaborative spirit, enhancing job satisfaction and productivity.
By fostering a culture of shared credit and unified goals, companies can break down silos as well as enhance both customer satisfaction and revenue growth. Let Alex, Bailey, and Corey’s journey inspire your organization to break down silos and work together towards shared success.
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