Setting Customer Success Metrics Like a Sales Leader
By Kristen Hayer
Customer Success teams are measured constantly. Health scores, renewals, adoption, expansion, risk flags. Yet many CS leaders still treat metrics as something that happens after the work is done, rather than as a planning discipline that shapes behavior.
Sales leaders think about metrics differently. They use numbers to forecast, to set direction, and to drive performance. CS leaders who borrow this mindset build teams that are more focused, more confident, and more accountable.
Why CS Leaders Should Think Like Sales Executives
Sales executives live inside their numbers. Quotas, pipeline coverage, close rates, and forecasts are not abstract concepts. They are the language of decision-making.
In contrast, CS metrics are often introduced as operational reporting or post-hoc analysis. They explain what already happened, but they do not always help the team understand what to do next.
When CS leaders approach metrics the way sales leaders do, as forward-looking tools rather than backward-looking reports, metrics become motivating instead of intimidating.
Forecasting in CS: An Educated Guess, Not a Crystal Ball
Forecasting makes many CS leaders uncomfortable, largely because it is imperfect. That discomfort is misplaced. Sales leaders know something CS leaders sometimes forget: forecasting is never about certainty.
A forecast is an educated guess based on historical data, observed patterns, and assumptions about what is likely to happen next. It will change. It should change. The value is not in being exactly right, but in being directionally useful.
Eleanor Roosevelt captured this idea simply when she said, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” Forecasting forces teams to plan instead of hoping outcomes work out on their own.
Strong CS forecasting borrows directly from sales best practices:
Confidence ranges instead of single-point predictions
Regular re-forecasting as new information emerges
Clear assumptions that can be challenged and refined
Used this way, forecasts guide priorities and resource allocation. They are tools for action, not promises etched in stone.
Setting Targets That Stretch Without Breaking Trust
Sales leaders understand that targets shape behavior. Too conservative, and performance plateaus. Too aggressive, and credibility erodes.
CS metrics should follow the same logic. Targets should feel challenging but achievable. The team should be able to look at the numbers and understand what would need to change to hit them.
A useful test is this question: If the team missed this target, would you know why? If the answer is no, the metric may not be well designed.
Belief matters. When a team believes a target is grounded in reality and supported by leadership, performance follows. When they believe the number was handed down without thought, disengagement sets in quickly.
Testing Metrics Before Locking Them In
One of the most effective practices sales teams use is iteration. Forecasting models, probability assumptions, and quotas are refined over time.
CS leaders should take the same approach. New metrics should be tested over one or two quarters before being treated as permanent. During that time, leaders should watch for:
Unintended behaviors
Confusion about how the metric is influenced
Early signals of whether it predicts outcomes that matter
Iteration is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of discipline. Metrics that evolve become more accurate and more trusted.
Communicating Metrics to Drive Performance
Metrics fail most often at the communication layer. When numbers are introduced as surveillance, teams react with fear or avoidance. When they are introduced as tools for improvement, teams engage.
Sales leaders regularly review numbers in ways that emphasize learning. Trends matter more than single data points. Wins are discussed alongside misses. Context is always provided.
CS leaders can adopt the same approach by:
Reviewing metrics consistently, not only when there is a problem
Connecting daily work to the numbers that matter
Being transparent about what the team controls and what it does not
Metrics should create momentum, not anxiety.
Action Items for CS Leaders
Review your current CS metrics through a sales lens. Which ones help plan forward, not just explain the past?
Clarify the assumptions behind your forecasts and make them visible to the team.
Pilot one new metric over the next quarter before rolling out multiple changes.
Adjust targets based on what you learn, rather than locking them in prematurely.
Change how metrics are discussed in meetings so they signal progress and possibility.
Why This Matters
Metrics shape behavior. They influence how teams prioritize, how they feel about their work, and how they define success.
When CS leaders treat metrics with the same rigor, flexibility, and respect that sales leaders do, they elevate the entire function. Forecasting becomes a planning discipline. Targets become shared commitments. Metrics become tools for growth.
Customer Success does not need fewer numbers. It needs better ones, used thoughtfully and communicated well.
The Success League is a boutique Customer Success training and consulting firm. Learn about our suite of training and certification offerings, both live and on-demand, for CSMs and CS Leaders here.
Kristen Hayer - Kristen is the Founder & CEO of The Success League, a global, customer-focused consulting and training firm. Kristen’s background includes leading award-winning sales, marketing, and customer success teams in early and growth-stage tech companies. She is the host of several podcasts on CS and leadership, and has written over 100 articles on the field of customer success. The book she recently co-authored with 5 other CS thought leaders - The Customer Success Talent Playbook - recently hit #1 on Amazon in 5 categories. Kristen received her MBA from the University of Washington and splits her time between San Francisco and San Felipe, Mexico.