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5) Expansion Play: Use-Case Upsell

Story-led upsell beats SKU-led upsell.

Updated over a month ago

Turn satisfied customers into multi-product champions. The Expansion Play packages a new, adjacent outcome - with proof, steps, and risk controls - so champions can say “yes” without friction.

Who it’s for

  • Customer Success & Account Management

  • Product Marketing / Solutions

  • Existing customers ready for their next win

Why it matters

Story-led upsell beats SKU-led upsell. Show the next outcome, not just the next SKU - and expansion feels like progress, not procurement.

How it works (TOF → MOF → BOF)

TOF (Inspire with peer proof):

Short customer clips that demonstrate the adjacent use case (challenge → result, numbers on screen). Share via email/in-app/Slack. Each links to the Expansion Page.

MOF (On-Site Expansion Page):

A Replay page that includes:

  • Chapters: Before/After → 3 Steps to Launch → Risks & Mitigations → Results Timeline

  • Artifacts: Starter template, checklist, sample data, ROI snapshot

  • Transcript + searchable timeline for stakeholders

  • Role tabs (optional): Exec view (outcomes) · Admin view (setup) · User view (workflow)

BOF (Commitment with safety):

Primary CTAs: “Pilot this use case” (30-day plan) · “See it on your data” (guided demo).
Secondary: “Invite teammates” · “Download the rollout plan.”


KPIs: Expansion opportunities created · Pilot starts · NRR · Time-to-pilot decision


Automation: Two+ visits in 14 days → open expansion task for CSM/AE; clicked Pilot → auto-create plan + assign owner; no activity for 7 days → resend 40-sec results clip + checklist.

Sell the outcome; SKUs follow.

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