Efficient Growth: What's Really Expected from Your Startup Right Now and How to Position Your Company Accordingly

About this episode

The era of "growth at all costs" is over. Since the market has turned, the focus is now on efficient growth. But what does this mean concretely for your startup, and how do you position your company accordingly? Michael Jäger from Cremanski & Company brings valuable insights as a B2B sales expert who has supported numerous B2B unicorns.

Customer Acquisition in the Current Market Environment

Customer acquisition has fundamentally changed. Instead of focusing on quick deals, today it's about building sustainable customer relationships. This means: less focus on the sheer number of leads, more focus on quality and long-term customer value.

Holistic Approach: Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success in Harmony

Efficient growth only emerges when all departments pull in the same direction. Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success must pursue common metrics and develop coordinated strategies. Particularly important are:

• –Unified definition of qualified leads
• –Shared responsibility for Customer Lifetime Value
• –Coordinated communication throughout the entire customer journey

The Right KPIs for Current Times

Many customers' objectives have shifted. Instead of aggressive expansion, they're focusing on profitability and efficiency. You should adjust your KPIs accordingly:

Focus on Sustainability:

• –Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) instead of just new customer acquisition
• –Net Revenue Retention (NRR) as an indicator of organic growth
• –Payback period for customer acquisition costs

Understanding Customers Faster and Better

Time-efficient work begins with deeper customer understanding. Instead of having superficial conversations, you should:

• –Ask targeted questions about real pain points
• –Understand the decision-making process at the customer's end
• –Clarify budget and timeline early on

This helps you avoid long sales cycles and concentrate on promising opportunities.

Deal Closures: Quality Over Quantity

The temptation to generate deals at any cost is strong. But this backfires in the long run. Customers won only through massive discounts or pressure often have low retention rates and low CLV. Better approach: focus on customers who see real value in your solution.

Discount Strategies: Low-Price vs. High-Price

Discounts don't work equally across all price segments. In the low-price sector, discounts can indeed be effective since the absolute savings accelerate the decision-making process. For high-value B2B contracts, however, other factors take precedence:

• –ROI and business case
• –Long-term partnership
• –Trust and expertise of the provider

Optimizing CLV and NRR: The Key to Sustainable Growth

To optimize your Customer Lifetime Value and Net Revenue Retention, you should:

For CLV:

• –Perfect onboarding processes
• –Implement regular health checks
• –Operate proactive customer success

For NRR:

• –Approach upselling and cross-selling strategically
• –Systematically collect customer feedback
• –Align product development with customer needs

Successfully Coordinating Organizational Units

The biggest obstacle to efficient growth is often poor coordination between teams. To avoid this:

• –Establish regular cross-team meetings
• –Define clear handoff processes between Marketing and Sales
• –Implement shared reporting dashboards
• –Create incentives for cross-team collaboration

Conclusion: The Path to Sustainable Success

Efficient growth is not a sprint, but a marathon. It requires a strategic realignment of your entire company – from customer acquisition through KPI definition to organizational structure. Companies that successfully master this transformation will be the long-term winners.

With the right approach and suitable metrics, you lay the foundation for sustainable, profitable growth – even in challenging market conditions.