A $1B Acquisition with a Singular Leader for Both Sales and Customer Success

Hello and welcome to The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow – read by 50,000+ to scale their companies and careers. GTMnow shares insight around the go-to-market strategies responsible for explosive company growth. GTMnow highlights the strategies, along with the stories from the top 1% of GTM executives, VCs, and founders behind these strategies and companies.

A $1B Acquisition with a Singular Leader for Both Sales and Customer Success

In 2017, tech leader Vikas Bhambri found himself at a crossroads. Kustomer, a SaaS startup navigating leadership changes, unexpectedly handed him the reins to both sales and customer experience/success. What began as a necessity quickly transformed into a game-changing strategy that catapulted the company to a $1 billion acquisition by Meta, with Vikas at the reigns serving as SVP of Global Sales and Customer Experience.

The accidental discovery – the unification of sales and customer success – delivered outsized results by creating a cohesive customer journey, aligning internal teams, and driving sustainable growth. Let’s get into it.

3 reasons why a unified sales and customer success strategy works

1. Seamless customer journey

Owning the entire customer lifecycle – from acquisition to retention – eliminated disconnects between pre- and post-sales teams. For Kustomer, this alignment was transformative:

“I told customers, ‘Things will happen in deployment, but when they do, call me. Here’s my number.’ That level of accountability built trust and ensured consistency at every stage.”

The dual role provided clarity for customers. They knew exactly who to call for any issues.

“Customers appreciated knowing I was the same hand to shake — or the throat to choke — if things went wrong post-sale.”

2. Revenue growth through focused prioritization

By integrating sales and customer success, Vikas could see the full customer lifecycle and identify opportunities to maximize revenue. Whether optimizing for annual recurring revenue (ARR) or expansion, he asked one key question: “What are we solving for at this stage?”

The dual accountability extended to selecting the right customers, ensuring that every prospect fit Kustomer’s ICP from both the short-term and long-term to prevent misalignment.

“I didn’t want unhappy customers calling me. That accountability kept us honest and focused on acquiring the right customers.”

3. Unified messaging and forecasting

Vikas ensured messaging between sales and CX was consistent, presenting a unified voice to customers. This approach also improved forecasting accuracy by combining sales and retention data, enabling better pricing, resource allocation, and product planning.

But, it doesn’t always work.

When it works best:

• High alignment between sales and customer success goals: If your sales and CS teams are already working closely together, consolidating leadership can further strengthen collaboration.
• Resource constraints: Early-stage companies often don’t have the budget to hire two senior leaders, making a single GTM leader a pragmatic choice.
• Customer-centric models: If your business model relies heavily on renewals, expansions, or upsells, an integrated approach ensures a seamless experience for customers.

When it’s not as suitable:

• High complexity in either function: If your sales process or post-sales needs are highly complex, they may require dedicated focus and expertise.
• Larger teams or advanced stages: As companies scale, the scope of each function typically grows to the point where separate leaders are more effective.

The unified strategy isn’t without challenges:

1. Single point of failure: Concentrating leadership in one person introduces risk, particularly if that leader leaves. “Many companies eventually evolve to a CRO model to spread responsibilities.”
2. Competing priorities: Balancing sales and customer success becomes harder as teams grow. At scale, it’s often more effective to bring in dedicated leaders for each function.
3. Fit for larger deals: This strategy works best for mid-market and enterprise sales, where robust onboarding and implementation are critical. For product-led growth (PLG) or smaller deal sizes, the benefits may diminish.

The unified sales and customer success strategy was the accidental rocket fuel behind Kustomer’s growth. You can listen to all the details in this video.

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👂 More for your eardrums

The GTM Podcast – subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

A $1B Acquisition with a Singular Leader for Both Sales and Customer Success

Martin Roth is the former CRO of Levelset, where he led the company from its first dollar in ARR to a $500 million acquisition by Procore in 2021. Currently, he’s the founder of MartinRoth.com, specializing in helping startups scale from $1M to $10M in ARR. Martin brings a wealth of experience in building and scaling sales teams, developing effective go-to-market strategies, and navigating the challenges of startup growth.

Covered:

• Martin’s journey from selling flip-flops to leading a $500M exit.
• The challenges and lessons learned in scaling Levelset from $1M to $25M+ ARR.
• Insights on building effective sales playbooks and team structures.
• The importance of in-person customer interactions in today’s digital world.
• Debunking myths about cold outreach and micromanagement in sales.

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• SaaStr Annual: September 10-12 (San Francisco, CA)
• Pavilion GTM Summit: October 14-16, 2025 (Austin, TX)
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This newsletter was entirely written and edited by Sophie Buonassisi and Scott Barker (not AI!).