Reference file

Expansion/PLG scoring

expansion-plg-scoring.md

Instructions

Drives expansion prioritization. Trial accounts route here because the underlying frame is the same as customers — usage depth replaces engagement depth; expansion headroom is the same question.


Step 1 — Assess engagement depth (Q1)

Judge depth by deliberate, post-onboarding behavior only. What counts as depth:

  • Integrations or connections configured beyond onboarding defaults → deliberate setup effort.
  • Workflows, automations, or features activated beyond what setup creates automatically → genuine building behavior.
  • Usage volume above baseline → real operational reliance.
  • Multiple team members actively using the product.

Calibrate "deliberate vs incidental" by judgment based on what's known about the product and the org's use case. Org-specific definitions come from Setup.

Signal stack for post-conversion context (ranked):

  1. Product depth signals above.
  2. Meeting completed — extract: expansion topics, new departments mentioned, budget conversations.
  3. Post-signup website visits — pricing pages signal upgrade intent; docs signal active usage.
  4. Conversational interactions — advanced questions signal depth.
  5. Social engagement — advocacy or deepening relationship signal.

Step 2 — Assess expansion potential (Q2)

Research the account. Compare current product usage against total addressable usage within the account. The key question: how much headroom is left?

Expansion headroom = the gap between current product footprint and total addressable usage within the account — additional seats, teams, divisions, or use cases not yet covered.

Research explicitly:

  • Team size relevant to the product's use case — how many people at this org could plausibly use the product?
  • GTM maturity signals — funding rounds, relevant tools in tech stack, leadership present (seniority of active users and stakeholders), growth trajectory.
  • Teams or divisions not yet using the product.
  • Growth signals — recent hiring, funding, expansion into new markets.

Form a judgment on expansion potential; org-specific thresholds from Setup sharpen this.


Step 3 — Apply the scoring frame

Use the parent's 2×2, adapted for post-conversion:

  • Deep usage + Large expansion headroom → Gold
  • Deep usage + Small expansion headroom → Silver
  • Shallow usage + Large expansion headroom → Silver
  • Shallow usage + Small expansion headroom → Bronze

Return to parent

Return:

  • Tier
  • Mode (Expansion/PLG)
  • Signal stack, ranked strongest first
  • Persona quality (most senior active user or stakeholder)
  • Deal size / expansion assessment (one sentence)
  • Reasoning applied
  • Change delta (prior expansion score if one exists in memory, or N/A)