When ROI Feels Impossible

In Partnership With

Hey CS Pro,

 Let’s talk about the question every CS team is being asked right now.

How do you prove ROI when your product does not clearly show it?

If you have ever walked into a QBR or renewal knowing the value is there, but struggling to put it into executive language, you are not alone. Dashboards fall short. Metrics feel incomplete. And suddenly all the pressure is on you to justify the relationship.

This week’s episode tackles that exact challenge. I sat down with Natasha Evans, VP of Customer Growth at Hook, to break down how CS teams can communicate real, credible value even when the product is not doing the storytelling for you.

But first, today’s sponsor

↓

Free Customer Success Templates That Prove Value

Customer conversations are stronger when they are grounded in data. Matik’s template library helps CS teams clearly communicate outcomes, impact, and next steps using consistent, data-driven content.

Our most popular CS templates include:

• QBR template

• Renewal deck template

• Customer health score report

• Expansion deck template

• ROI summary

Access Matik’s library of 30+ free templates designed to help CS teams drive clearer decisions and more confident customer conversations.

Why ROI Feels So Hard Right Now

One of the biggest themes from this conversation was something I see every single week.

CS teams are being asked to prove ROI, but their product does not do the storytelling for them.

Dashboards are incomplete. Metrics are fuzzy. And customers are overwhelmed with tools that all claim to save time, money, or effort.

Natasha was very honest about this. Most products do not hand you a clean ROI number. And waiting for perfect data is one of the fastest ways to lose momentum with customers.

The shift we talked about is simple but uncomfortable.

Stop waiting for your product to save you.

Value does not start in dashboards. It starts in conversations. It starts with setting the tone from day one that your role is to understand business outcomes, not just deliver features.

If you do not anchor your relationship around outcomes early, you will get pulled into delivery mode forever.

How to Build a Value Story Without Perfect Data

One of my favorite parts of this episode was how practical Natasha got about ROI.

ROI does not have to be complex. It does not have to be perfect. And it definitely does not have to be scary.

At SalesLoft, her team built simple value narratives around things they could actually measure. Activities. Usage patterns. Time saved.

They focused on a small set of actions inside the product and assigned conservative time estimates to each one. Nothing inflated. Nothing exaggerated.

Then they told a clear story.

Because your team did X this many times, here is the estimated time saved. That time either reduced workload, avoided headcount, or unlocked more productivity.

For some customers, the time saved was enough. For others, that time could be translated into revenue impact.

And here is the key part.

They socialised these estimates with champions before ever taking them to executives.

That one step alone builds trust and avoids awkward pushback later.

What Strong Value Conversations Look Like From Day One

Another big takeaway was how early value conversations need to start.

Strong value articulation does not begin at renewal. It begins in your very first interaction.

Natasha shared something powerful. Before you ask big questions, you need to explain why you are asking them.

Tell your customer you want to understand what will make them look good internally. Tell them you want to measure success together so you can prove the value of the work you are about to do.

That context changes everything.

From there, you anchor on business objectives. Not product adoption. Not usage for the sake of usage.

Business outcomes.

And when the person you are speaking to cannot answer those questions, you adjust. You ask about company priorities, leadership messaging, or what the CEO talks about at all hands.

Value conversations are not about asking harder questions. They are about asking smarter ones, to the right people, at the right time.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow CS Pro who is tired of fighting the ROI battle alone.

Have a listen to the full podcast:

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika