Build Customer Loyalty in the First 30 Days

3 ways that you can build customer loyalty in the first 30 days

Hello and welcome to The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow - read by 50,000+ revenue professionals weekly to stay up-to-date and scale their companies and careers. GTMnow is the media brand of GTMfund - sharing go-to-market advice from the top 1% of revenue operators including the 350 executives behind the fund, news, and our viewpoints from working with hundreds of portfolio companies.

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Product 💚: Vanta

Your deal is almost closed, and all that’s left is the security review. But when it comes to those lengthy security questionnaires, the endless back and forths between you, your security team, and the customer can often cause deals to stall out, leaving your deal at risk and dollars on the table. With Vanta Questionnaire Automation, go-to-market teams can complete security reviews up to 5 times faster, helping you close deals in less time than ever. Over 8,000 global companies like ZoomInfo, SmartRecruiters and Noibu use Vanta to streamline security questionnaires and close deals fast. Visit vanta.com/gtmnow to learn more about Questionnaire Automation.

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Build Customer Loyalty in the First 30 Days

In the wake of election season, one principle stands out: the power of a loyal base. For B2B SaaS companies, building a base of advocates - customers who champion your brand can be a pivotal go-to-market advantage. Before you can rally these advocates, however, you need to establish a foundation of customer loyalty. The first 30 days are critical for establishing a foundation of trust. These are three ways that you can build customer loyalty in the first 30 days - let’s get into it.

1. Deliver value early – both in and beyond the product

The concept of delivering value early isn’t just idealistic; it’s measurable through Time to Value (TTV). Efficient TTV highlights an optimized onboarding experience and provides a clear indicator of early product satisfaction. Here’s how to drive early value effectively:

• In-product value

  • Measure TTV: Set a quantifiable benchmark for how long it should take a new user to reach their first “aha moment.” Tracking this helps pinpoint onboarding bottlenecks, such as overly complex sign-up flows or unclear UX.

  • Iterate Based on Insights: Continuously analyze TTV to identify and eliminate any friction points in the onboarding journey, enhancing the path to value.

• External value beyond the product
  Building loyalty means going beyond functional benefits. Examples include:

  • Thought Leadership: Actively source and share opportunities for customers to showcase their expertise. This could mean speaking engagements, guest posts, or industry panels.

  • Personalized Event Recommendations: Demonstrate a deeper understanding of customer needs by recommending relevant events that align with their growth goals.

  • Proactive Network Introductions: Use your network to make valuable connections, reinforcing your commitment to your customers’ success beyond the product itself.

Combined, these approaches create a loyalty loop.

2. Provide a flawless onboarding experience

First impressions matter, and onboarding is where that impression solidifies. A seamless onboarding process sets the tone for the entire customer relationship. To achieve this, focus on:

• Create an exceptional first experience

  • Each interaction within the onboarding process needs to feel cohesive and intuitive. Use analytics to continuously monitor engagement, identify friction points, and optimize each touchpoint to reinforce customer confidence.

• Every touchpoint counts

  • Prioritize a user-centric design that feels tailored to customer needs. Pain points in onboarding can quickly lead to frustration, so optimize continuously by treating onboarding as an iterative process based on user feedback and analytics.

• Data-driven optimization

  • Use data to measure success at every step. For instance, tracking sign-up completion rates or first-week activity can highlight areas needing improvement. A flawless onboarding experience requires meticulous planning and regular refinement to align with user expectations.

A seamless onboarding experience builds loyalty by ensuring customers feel confident in their decision to adopt your product.

3. Build a relationship beyond the transactional

Loyalty is built on relationships, not transactions. Here are ways to cultivate a deeper connection that transcends the typical onboarding experience:

• Thoughtful Gestures
  Small, personalized touches go a long way. For example, sending a kickoff gift tailored to a customer’s recent experiences or interests shows you’re paying attention and invested in their journey. For instance, if a customer mentions a recent trip to NYC, sending them Levain cookies creates a memorable connection. Personal touches make interactions feel more genuine and build rapport.

• Face-to-Face Engagements
  For high-value accounts, in-person visits (or video calls if distance is a factor) can be transformative. They put a face to your brand and underscore a commitment to the customer’s success. Even a brief in-person meeting can reinforce a strong working relationship.

Building a relationship that’s personal and meaningful makes customers feel valued, fostering loyalty that lasts.

Establishing customer loyalty early is essential for long-term growth. Customer advocacy is about turning your customers into champions for your brand. Engaging customers as advocates informs your roadmap, strengthens your brand, and accelerates decision-making among new prospects. Once loyalty is in place, rallying a “base” of advocates transforms them from users to champions, amplifying your go-to-market impact.

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👂 More for your eardrums

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

GTM 120: Avoid the AI Sales Skills Atrophy Trap with Peter Kazanjy

Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. He currently leads Atrium, makers of sales performance management software to help organizations measure and improve sales performance. Previously, he founded TalentBin, a talent search engine and recruiting CRM that was acquired by Monster Worldwide in 2014. Pete also authored Founding Sales, a startup sales handbook, and established Modern Sales, the nation’s largest community for sales operations, leadership, and enablement. Modern Sales is an invite-only community with over 30,000 members from 10,000+ sales organizations focused on peer education in sales operations and management.

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Is customer success COGS or OpEx? Understanding gross margins. This article covers everything that makes up gross margins with a particular focus on customer success.

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🚀 Startups to watch 

Owner - overall demonstrating tremendous growth with another “double double” month, at double digits ARR. The team is growing too - one role highlighted below and many more being hired for.

Marqii - announced an additional $10 million in funding, bringing the total raised to $20M. The new funding will accelerate product development for the hospitality industry, with continued innovations in review management and digital guest experiences.

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🔥 Hottest GTM jobs of the week

1. Business Operations & Strategy Analyst, GTM at Owner (Remote - US/Can)

2. Director of Demand Generation at OfferFit (Remote - US/Can/Latam)

3. Product Marketing Manager at Vanta (Remote - US)

4. Senior Growth Marketing Manager at UserEvidence (Remote - US)

5. Enterprise Account Executive at Document Crunch (Toronto, Can)

See more top GTM jobs on the GTMfund Job Board.

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🗓️ GTM industry events

Upcoming go-to-market events you won’t want to miss:

• Spryng by Wynter: March 24-26, 2025 (Austin, TX)

• Pavilion CMO Summit: April 17, 2025 (Atlanta, GA)

• 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!).

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