/expansion-signals

name: expansion-signals
description: Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities through usage patterns, growth signals, and account behavior analysis
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: ClawFu
  version: 1.0.0
  mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills"

Expansion Signals

> Detect opportunities for account expansion by analyzing usage patterns, growth indicators, and behavioral signals that predict readiness to buy more.

When to Use This Skill

• Monthly expansion pipeline review
• Identifying upsell candidates
• Prioritizing CSM expansion efforts
• Building expansion playbooks
• Forecasting expansion revenue

Methodology Foundation

Based on **Lincoln Murphy's Expansion Revenue Framework** and **Gainsight Expansion Playbooks**, focusing on:

• Usage ceiling signals
• Growth triggers
• Buying intent indicators
• Timing optimization

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Identifies expansion signals | Which opportunities to pursue | | Scores expansion readiness | Pricing and packaging | | Suggests conversation openers | Relationship approach | | Prioritizes opportunities | Resource allocation | | Calculates potential value | Discount/incentive offers |

What This Skill Does

1. **Signal detection** - Identify expansion indicators 2. **Opportunity scoring** - Rank expansion readiness 3. **Sizing estimation** - Potential expansion value 4. **Timing recommendation** - When to engage 5. **Conversation guidance** - How to approach

How to Use

Analyze expansion signals for:

Account: [Company Name]
Current Contract: $[ARR]
Products: [What they have]
Contract End: [Date]

Usage Data:
- Seats: [Used] / [Licensed]
- Feature usage: [Which features, how much]
- Usage trend: [Growing/Flat/Declining]
- Power users: [How many, what they do]

Account Context:
- Company growth: [Hiring, funding, news]
- Stakeholder changes: [New decision makers]
- Requests: [Feature requests, complaints about limits]

Available Expansion:
- Additional seats: $[Price]
- New modules: [List with prices]
- Higher tier: $[Price difference]

Instructions

Step 1: Identify Expansion Signal Categories

**Usage Ceiling Signals (Strong):** | Signal | What It Means | |--------|---------------| | >90% seat utilization | Need more licenses | | Hitting API limits | Need higher tier | | Feature requests beyond plan | Ready for upgrade | | Workarounds for limitations | Pain = opportunity | | Power users maxing features | Champions for expansion |

**Growth Triggers (Strong):** | Signal | What It Means | |--------|---------------| | Company hiring | More seats needed | | New office/location | Geographic expansion | | Funding announcement | Budget available | | New initiative/project | New use case | | M&A activity | Integration opportunity |

**Behavioral Signals (Medium):** | Signal | What It Means | |--------|---------------| | Admin exploring pricing | Active evaluation | | Repeated feature inquiries | Interest in upgrade | | Reference/case study request | Happy, expandable | | Executive engagement increase | Strategic priority | | QBR agenda on "next steps" | Open to discussion |

**Timing Signals:** | Signal | Best Timing | |--------|-------------| | Budget cycle approaching | 30-60 days before | | Contract renewal | 90 days before | | Just hit milestone | Immediately after | | Competitor mentioned | Defensively, now |

Step 2: Score Expansion Readiness

**Expansion Score (0-100):**

| Factor | Weight | Scoring | |--------|--------|---------| | Usage ceiling | 25 | >90% = 25, 80-90% = 15, <80% = 5 | | Growth triggers | 20 | Strong = 20, Some = 10, None = 0 | | Feature requests | 15 | Multiple = 15, Some = 8, None = 0 | | Relationship health | 20 | Healthy = 20, OK = 10, At-risk = 0 | | Timing fit | 20 | Perfect = 20, Good = 12, Poor = 5 |

**Readiness Bands:** | Score | Status | Action | |-------|--------|--------| | 75-100 | 🔥 Hot | Engage this week | | 50-74 | 🟢 Warm | Engage this month | | 25-49 | 🟡 Nurture | Build toward expansion | | 0-24 | ⏸️ Wait | Focus on adoption/health |

Step 3: Size the Opportunity

**Expansion Sizing:**

Potential Value =
  (Additional Seats × Seat Price) +
  (Module Upgrade Value) +
  (Tier Upgrade Delta)

Example:
- 20 additional seats × $100/month = $24K ARR
- Premium module = $12K ARR
- Potential: $36K ARR (20% of base)

Step 4: Plan the Approach

**Conversation Starters by Signal:**

| Signal | Opening | |--------|---------| | Seat ceiling | "I noticed you're at 95% capacity. Your team must be growing!" | | Feature requests | "You've asked about X a few times. Let me show you how our [upgrade] handles that." | | Company growth | "Congrats on the Series B! How is that affecting your team structure?" | | Power users | "Sarah has become a real power user. Have you considered our advanced features?" |

Examples

Example 1: Expansion Analysis

**Input:**

Analyze expansion for DataFlow Inc:

Current: $48K ARR (50 seats @ $80/seat/month)
Products: Core Platform only
Renewal: 8 months away

Usage:
- Seats: 48/50 (96%)
- Core features: 85% adoption
- API calls: 92% of limit
- Power users: 12 (doing advanced workflows)

Context:
- Just raised Series A ($15M)
- Hiring 20 engineers this quarter
- VP Data asked about analytics module 3 times
- NPS: 9

Available:
- Additional seats: $80/seat/month
- Analytics module: $15K ARR
- API tier upgrade: $6K ARR
- Enterprise tier: +$20K ARR (includes above)

**Output:**

## Expansion Analysis: DataFlow Inc

### 🔥 Expansion Score: 88/100 - HOT

**This account is primed for expansion.**

---

### Signal Analysis

| Signal | Strength | Points |
|--------|----------|--------|
| 96% seat utilization | 🔥 Strong | 25/25 |
| Series A + hiring 20 | 🔥 Strong | 20/20 |
| Analytics requests (3x) | 🔥 Strong | 15/15 |
| NPS 9 + healthy | 🔥 Strong | 18/20 |
| 8 months to renewal | 🟡 Medium | 10/20 |
| **Total** | | **88/100** |

---

### Opportunity