Storylane for Account expansion

Why it matters

Expanding within existing accounts is typically more efficient than acquiring new customers, yet many organizations struggle to effectively communicate additional value to stakeholders or reach new decision-makers. Interactive demos enable champions to easily share your product's value across their organization without requiring technical expertise or extensive time investment.

Storylane influenced 17% of our upsell revenue last year. Interactive demos were critical in our biggest expansion deals. helping champions explain our value to executives who don't have time to explore the actual product.

Andrea Coloma

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Dreamdata

Key takeaways

Create executive summaries - Build 3-5 minute demos specifically designed for busy C-level stakeholders
Enable champion sharing - Provide demos that internal advocates can confidently distribute across their organization
Show complementary use cases - Demonstrate how additional features solve adjacent problems for current users‍
Include ROI visualization - Embed clear metrics and impact data to help stakeholders quantify expansion value

Implementation guide

Cross-team value demonstration

Develop role-specific demos showing relevance to departments not currently using your product
Create demos showcasing how additional features solve adjacent problems for existing users
Include ROI visualization with clear metrics and impact data for business decision-makers
Weave relevant customer success stories throughout demos showing similar organizations benefiting from expansion

Stakeholder-specific content

Build executive summary versions for time-constrained C-level decision-makers
Create technical deep-dives for IT stakeholders evaluating implementation requirements
Develop business case demos focusing on outcomes rather than features for budget approvers
Include competitive differentiation relevant to their current evaluation process

Internal advocacy

Break expansion demos into focused modules that champions can share based on colleague roles
Provide pre-built email templates and talking points to support internal advocacy efforts
Create "show, don't tell" experiences that replace static presentations with interactive engagement
Enable easy sharing through multiple formats adapted to different communication preferences

Stakeholder engagement

Allow executives to experience product value without setup, onboarding, or learning curve investment
Use dynamic variables to incorporate customer's terminology, data examples, and specific use cases
Structure demos to highlight most relevant expansion opportunities based on current implementation
Include seamless paths for requesting detailed information or scheduling expansion discussions

No-setup evaluation

Enable decision-makers to understand expansion value without requiring hands-on product exploration
Provide guided exploration that highlights opportunities relevant to their current platform usage
Include personalized relevance using customer-specific examples and terminology
Create continuity between current product experience and expansion demo content

Engagement analytics

Track which expansion demos generate most engagement to refine account-based approach
Monitor when content is shared internally to understand buying committee expansion
Use engagement patterns to customize follow-up conversations and proposal content
Identify high-intent signals that indicate readiness for expansion conversations

1. Create expansion-focused demos

Develop interactive experiences specifically designed to drive account growth:

Complementary use cases: Create demos that showcase how additional features or modules solve adjacent problems for current users, highlighting the value of expanding their implementation.
Cross-team value: Develop role-specific demos that demonstrate relevance to other departments not currently using your product, focusing on their unique needs and workflows.
ROI visualization: Include clear metrics and impact data directly in demos to help stakeholders easily quantify the value of expanding their investment.
Success storytelling: Weave relevant customer success stories throughout the demo to show how similar organizations have benefited from expanded usage.

2. Enable internal champions

Equip your advocates with tools to drive adoption across their organization:

Shareable modules: Break expansion demos into focused modules that champions can easily share with specific colleagues based on their role or needs.
Executive summaries: Create abbreviated demo versions (3-5 minutes) specifically designed for busy executives who need to quickly understand value without diving into details.
Champion toolkits: Provide champions with pre-built email templates, presentation materials, and talking points to support their internal advocacy efforts.
"Show, don't tell": Enable champions to share interactive demos instead of static materials, giving stakeholders a true-to-life product experience without requiring setup or onboarding.

3. Engage decision-makers

Efficiently communicate value to key stakeholders:

No-setup evaluation: Allow executives to experience product value through demos without investing time in account creation, data setup, or learning curves.
Personalized relevance: Use dynamic variables and customization to incorporate the customer's terminology, data examples, and specific use cases in expansion demos.
Guided exploration: Structure demos to highlight the most relevant expansion opportunities based on the customer's current implementation and growth areas.
Seamless next steps: Include clear paths for stakeholders to request detailed information, schedule discussions, or activate additional features/seats.

4. Learnings and best practices

Maintain brand consistency between the customer's current experience and expansion demos
Reference specific successes the customer has already achieved with your product
Focus demos on outcomes rather than features to appeal to business decision-makers
Create expansion bundles that group related features for easier consideration
Use progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming stakeholders with too much information
Track which expansion demos generate the most engagement to refine your approach

Examples and inspiration

Use case library by Dreamdata

Product tours by SentinelOne

Advanced strategies

Reference current successes - Include specific achievements the customer has already realized with your product to build expansion credibility
Maintain brand consistency - Ensure expansion demos feel connected to their current product experience and established relationship
Focus on outcomes over features - Emphasize business results and impact rather than technical capabilities to appeal to decision-makers‍
Create expansion bundles - Group related features and capabilities for easier consideration and decision-making

Storylane forAccount expansion