The competitive landscape in SaaS is ruthless, with rivals actively targeting your existing customers who already have budget allocated and pain points identified. Customer Success teams must develop competitive awareness to avoid being blindsided at renewal time.
• Competitors view your customers as prime targets since they've already secured budget and demonstrated willingness to invest
• CSMs often operate with less competitive awareness than sales teams, leaving them vulnerable to blindside attacks
• One flagship enterprise account maintained perfect usage while secretly implementing a competitor for an entire year
• Warning signs included missed meetings, vague reassurances, and non-committal responses about renewal intentions
• Customers using competitor-specific terminology ("Alphabet Soup") signals they're engaging with competitive materials
• First-year customers are at highest risk since competitors know exactly when your renewal is approaching
• Some competitors use underhanded tactics like offering free first years with NDAs to prevent head-to-head comparisons
• Drastically cutting prices can backfire, causing prospects to question the value of your solution
• Monitor community forums like Reddit where users anonymously discuss their experiences with various solutions
• When a customer says "you shouldn't be concerned," that's precisely when you should be most concerned
For more resources on customer success, connect with Christy on LinkedIn or visit her website at christyfalt.com where she shares free resources for customer success professionals.
🎙️ Guest: Kristi Faltorusso
📣 Find Kristi:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/
Website & Newsletter: https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/

📚 Resources & Mentions:

• ClientSuccess – https://www.clientsuccess.com
• KristiFaltorusso.com – Newsletter, resources, and CS thought leadership

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https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/

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