How CS Pros Can Drive More Revenue Without Becoming Sales

Have you ever heard, “You need to be more commercial,” and immediately felt your stomach drop

Or had a leader ask, “Why did you not spot that upsell sooner,” and suddenly it feels like you are secretly being moved into sales

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone.

In customer success, revenue can feel like a loaded word. Many CSMs and CS leaders hear “commercial” and instantly picture cold calls, hard closes, and aggressive pitches that are completely misaligned with how they like to work with customers.

Here is the truth.

You do not need a quota to be commercial as a CSM.

You do not need to pitch products to drive growth.

Commercial customer success is simply the skill of aligning your day to day work with business outcomes and revenue impact, so that growth becomes a natural result of the relationships you build. In this episode, and in this blog, we are unpacking why CS is being asked to drive more revenue, what blocks most teams, and a simple framework you can use to drive growth without feeling like a salesperson.

If you are a CSM, CS lead, or VP of CS who wants a more strategic, revenue driven team that still feels customer first, keep reading.

Why Customer Success Is Under Pressure To Be More Commercial

Across SaaS, the era of growth at any cost is over. Leaders, boards, and investors now want efficient growth. That means:

1. Better margins

2. Clearer profitability

3. Every single function contributing to revenue

It is no longer only sales and marketing that are expected to drive revenue. Product, support, engineering, and of course customer success, all sit under the microscope.

The problem is that many CS teams freeze when they hear the word “revenue.” They associate it with pushy tactics and sleazy selling, so they resist the commercial conversation completely.

Yet, if you look at where revenue truly comes from in a subscription business, CS is often closer to it than anyone else. You are the one who:

1. Keeps customers adopted and engaged

2. Protects renewals by driving outcomes

3. Spots expansion opportunities first, long before a contract conversation

In many ways, the modern CSM is more of a revenue leader than a traditional seller. The issue is not whether CS drives revenue. You already do. The issue is whether you recognise it, talk about it, and are rewarded for it.

Four Mistakes That Make Commercial CS Feel Salesy

If commercial CS feels uncomfortable, there is usually a pattern underneath it. Here are four common mistakes that cause resistance.

Mistake 1: Believing “commercial” equals “sales”

When you think commercial means pitching and pushing, of course you will resist. Commercial customer success is not about forcing features on customers. It is about aligning your work to business outcomes.

If you can help a customer close more deals, reduce cost, remove risk, or increase their own revenue, you are already commercial, even if you never “sell” something new.

Mistake 2: Waiting for sales to own everything

Too many CSMs wait for an account executive or account manager to start conversations about renewal or expansion. By the time that happens, it is often too late.

You are the one closest to the account, the one who hears the first signs of growth or risk. When you wait for someone else to “own revenue,” you leave opportunities on the table and stay stuck in a reactive support role.

Mistake 3: Tying value to features instead of outcomes

If your customer sees value only when a specific feature ships, you are in a fragile position. Roadmaps change. Priorities move to other segments. Suddenly the feature does not land, and you are in a churn conversation.

When value is tied to business outcomes, not features, it becomes much easier to justify renewals, price increases, and expansions because you are talking about results that matter to the organisation, not just product usage.

Mistake 4: Avoiding money talk completely

Money talk can feel awkward, even in our personal lives. So it is no surprise that CSMs often avoid it with customers.

But strategic customers want you to talk about:

1. Cost savings

2. Return on investment

3. Risk reduction

4. Revenue impact

Financial conversations are not sleazy when they are rooted in real value. They are what earns you executive trust.

A Three Part Framework To Drive Revenue Without Selling

So how do you actually become more commercial without turning into a seller you do not recognise

Use this simple three part framework.

Part 1: Curiosity driven discovery

Revenue starts with better questions, not better pitches. Early in the relationship and throughout the lifecycle, go deeper than “What are your goals” and “Which features do you want to use”

Ask questions like:

1. What business outcomes are you targeting this year or this quarter

2. How will your leadership team measure success

3. What keeps your executive team up at night

4. What happens if you do not solve this problem in the next six months

These questions build trust, uncover real priorities, and surface both risk and growth opportunities. Curiosity is the bridge between good account management and commercial impact.

Part 2: Connect value to ROI and business impact

Once you understand the outcomes that matter, your job is to connect your product to those outcomes in clear, simple language.

Instead of saying, “You are using more features,” say something like:

“Before we worked together, onboarding delays were slowing down your sales cycle. Now that your team is live with our tool, your deals are closing about fifteen percent faster. That gives your team more revenue, faster.”

You did not pitch anything. You translated product usage into business impact. That is commercial CS.

Part 3: Use expansion triggers instead of hard pitches

You do not need to close every deal, but you do need to surface signals. This is where expansion triggers come in.

Look for signs like:

1. New teams starting to use your product

2. Customers hiring more users or entering new regions

3. Stakeholders asking about features outside their current plan

4. New pain points or use cases that your product can solve

When you see these, document them. Open an opportunity, log a note, or raise a flag in your CRM. Then partner with your sales counterpart to move the conversation forward.

You are not “being salesy.” You are connecting the dots between customer growth and product value.

Key Takeaways

If you only remember a few things from this episode and blog, make it these.

1. Revenue is not a dirty word for CS. It is simply the language of business impact.

2. Commercial does not equal pushy selling. It means aligning your work to the outcomes your customer and your company care about.

3. Avoid the four traps. Do not hand everything to sales, do not tie value only to features, and stop dodging financial conversations.

4. Use the three part framework. Curiosity driven discovery, clear value and ROI storytelling, and expansion triggers give you a practical way to drive growth without feeling like a salesperson.

5. Practice with one account this week. Pick a customer, look for one expansion trigger, and take one small step. Send a follow up email, share a relevant feature, or flag the opportunity internally. The goal is not to sell. The goal is to signal.

Over time, these small signals turn into bigger renewals, stronger expansions, and a much more confident commercial mindset. You do not need to become a seller. You do need to become a strategic partner who can talk about value and revenue with confidence.

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: 

🔹 YouTube

🔹 Spotify

🔹 Apple Podcasts

Want to Take Your CS Career to the Next Level?

CSM RevUP Academy – My coaching program for ambitious CS professionals.

The CS Promotion Tracker – Learn how to track your wins and communicate your value.