The One Question That Changed Our Renewal and Expansion Outcomes

If you're working with mid-size to Enterprise customers, there’s one simple question that can significantly improve your renewal and expansion success:

“When does your budget planning cycle begin?”

That’s it. That one question changed the game for my team.

Why It Matters More Than You Think

Over the years, I can’t count how many times Customer Success Managers would join our 1:1s feeling defeated. They had lined up growth opportunities, had their expansion forecasts locked and loaded… only to hear from their customers:

“This wasn’t in our budget.”

Oof. It’s one of the most frustrating — and most avoidable — blockers in Customer Success.

Sure, there are those golden customers who proactively reach out and say, “Hey, I’m doing budget planning and want to make sure we allocate for your platform next year — let’s talk.”

But let’s be honest: those customers are unicorns. That level of foresight isn’t the norm.

Timing Is Everything

Let’s break it down with a real-world example.

Say your customer’s renewal is in February.

Their budget planning starts October 1.

If your CSM reaches out September 1 — not to talk about renewal, but to check in on their upcoming budget cycle and initiate the conversation around value, growth, and what's next — they’ve just given that customer the ability to plan for expansion.

That single shift in timing creates space.

Space to position growth initiatives.

Space to validate continued investment.

Space to course-correct if there are risks.

And space to secure budget before it’s already been spent.

No More Surprises

This level of proactive planning removes the drama from the renewal conversation.

You're not catching the customer off guard. You're not scrambling at the finish line. And even if the customer is unhappy or unsure about continuing, you're learning that months in advance — giving you time to fix it.

Build It Into Your Process

If you're not already asking about budget cycles during your onboarding or EBRs, it’s time to build it in. Treat it like any other critical milestone.

When you know how and when decisions are made, you can show up earlier, tailor your message, and align your asks to match their timeline — not yours.

This one shift in intentionality?

It changes everything.