Most GTM teams chase new customers like it’s the only metric that matters.
And yes, acquisition is important, but if customers aren’t sticking around, nothing else really matters.
Which leads us to this truth: retention is the real game.
Yet most GTM teams have no clue which retention metrics to track, let alone how to use them.
So let’s take a look at the must-track retention metrics for Product, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to help ensure your GTM motion isn’t just about landing customers but keeping and growing them.
Retention isn’t the job of just one team, it’s a GTM-wide responsibility.
The real measure of success isn’t just the number of new customers, it’s how many stay, expand, and become repeat customers who advocate for your brand.
If Marketing is bringing in the wrong customers, retention problems start before Product, Sales, or Customer Success even has a chance to fix them.
So how do you know if Marketing is setting customers up for long-term success?
59% of U.S. consumers will stay loyal to a brand for life once committed. Marketing needs to attract customers who aren’t just interested, but are willing to stay long-term.
39.4% of consumers will pay more for a product even when cheaper alternatives exist, once they’re loyal. Retention-friendly marketing brings in customers who see value beyond price.
37% of consumers require at least five purchases before they consider themselves loyal. Marketing must support ongoing engagement and measure customer retention to ensure repeat purchases, not just the first sale.
CLV by Acquisition Channel
Not all leads are created equal. Some market strategies bring in customers who stay and grow, while others attract high-churn users, impacting the bottom line.
Tracking Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) by channel helps identify which acquisition sources drive long-term retention.
Retention by Persona & Industry
Certain buyer personas, industries, or segments retain better than others.
If some customer types stick around longer, marketing should focus campaigns on these high-value segments to improve retention.
Activation Rate from Marketing Leads
Bringing in leads isn’t enough.
The real question is how many actually start using the product? Low activation rates suggest:
Reallocate ad spend
If paid ads attract low-retention customers but referrals or organic sources bring in long-term users, shift budget accordingly.
Refine messaging
If certain personas retain better, adjust marketing copy to attract more of them and filter out bad fits.
Improve onboarding content
If activation is low, work with Product and CS to refine post-signup education and engagement strategies.
Not all revenue is good revenue. A deal which looks great on paper is actually a loss in the long run if the customer churns quickly.
Sales teams must focus on closing ideal customers who will stay and grow, ensuring a more predictable customer journey and a sustainable GTM strategy.
The average customer retention rate across 10 industries is 75%, but it varies:
For SaaS, a 95% monthly retention rate (5% churn) is considered strong.
Churn Rate by Customer Segment
Which customer types leave the fastest?
Identifying high-churn segments helps Sales qualify better-fit customers and avoid deals that won’t last.
Sales Cycle Length & Churn Risk
Are faster deals more likely to churn?
If customers who move through the sales process too quickly leave soon after, it’s a sign that Sales is closing bad-fit deals instead of focusing on qualified leads who align with the company’s long-term retention goals.
Expansion Revenue %
How much revenue comes from existing customers upgrading or buying more?
A high repeat purchase rate signals strong customer loyalty, while a low rate suggests gaps in expansion opportunities.
Qualify better-fit customers
Use churn data to refine the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and filter out customers who are unlikely to stay.
Reward long-term success
Align commissions with retention by compensating sales teams for deals that stick, not just deals that close.
Prioritize quality over speed
If rushed deals churn faster, adjust the sales process to focus on closing the right customers, not just closing quickly.
In this RevPartners/Clay webinar, learn how Clay helps streamline your GTM efforts by unifying fragmented data, enriching contact records, and automating workflows directly into HubSpot. 👇
Product teams have the biggest impact on long-term retention.
A great sales process can bring customers in, but if they don’t get value from your products or services, they won’t stay. Usage, adoption, and feature engagement are the key indicators of whether customers will stick around or churn.
The average eight-week retention rate across most industries is below 20%, while top-performing products in media or finance achieve over 25%.
In SaaS and e-commerce, an eight-week retention rate above 35% is considered elite.
Customer Retention Rate (CRR)
Measures how many customers stick around over time.
A low CRR means your product isn’t keeping users engaged long-term.
Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
Tracks how much revenue from existing customers offsets churn.
If customers are spending more over time, your product is driving value. If not, they may be disengaging before leaving.
Time to Value (TTV)
Shows how quickly customers experience the product’s core benefit.
The longer it takes, the more likely they are to churn early.
Feature Stickiness
Identifies which features customers use most.
If engagement centers around a few key features, double down on them to improve retention.
Reduce TTV
Improve onboarding and remove barriers so customers see value faster.
Prioritize sticky features
Focus on the features that drive engagement and keep users coming back.
Track NRR closely
If customers aren’t expanding their spend, they may not see enough long-term value; fixing this is key to retention.
Customer Success (CS) helps ensure customers stay, grow, and become advocates.
The best CS teams don’t wait until renewal to act, they track early churn signals, customer feedback, and retention trends to proactively retain customers before they churn.
Strong Customer Success programs can increase CLV and drive up to a 91% ROI through better retention strategies.
Companies that actively track Net Promoter Score (NPS) see 60% higher growth compared to competitors, as high NPS correlates with improved customer retention rate and advocacy.
Customer Health Score
A predictive score that flags at-risk customers based on engagement, support requests, and usage patterns.
First-Year Retention Rate
Tracks how well onboarding prevents early churn as most customers who leave do so in the first year.
Advocacy Rate
Measures how many happy customers refer new customers or leave positive reviews, which is a strong sign of long-term loyalty.
Identify at-risk customers early
Use Customer Health Scores to proactively engage customers before they churn.
Fix onboarding gaps
If first-year retention is low, revamp onboarding to improve adoption and engagement.
Turn satisfied customers into advocates
Encourage referrals, case studies, and testimonials from high-retention users.
Most GTM teams focus on net new revenue. But the best teams focus on how much of that revenue actually sticks.
If retention isn’t a priority across every GTM function, your company likely won't be around for the long haul.
Real, scalable growth can only happen when you stop the cycle of churn and replace, track the right retention metrics, and make them a core part of your GTM motion.