Top Growth Tactics and Levers by Business Model: Proven Strategies to Drive Sustainable Success

Source: Yi Lin Pei

Growing a business involves much more than a great product or a motivated sales team. It requires a strategic blend of tactics aligned across different business models and customer acquisition stages. Whether a company is sales-led, marketing-led, or product-led, understanding how to optimize each growth lever can be the difference between steady expansion and stalled momentum. In this guide, we’ll break down growth tactics by acquisition stage, retention strategy, and monetization opportunity, highlighting actionable insights for founders and leaders of private companies.

The Building Blocks of Growth Tactics

Growth tactics can be broadly categorized by business focus: Acquisition, Retention, and Monetization. Within each focus, companies can adopt approaches tailored to whether they are sales-led, marketing-led, or product-led:

1. Sales-Led: Growth driven by direct customer interactions and personal connections.
2. Marketing-Led: Growth driven by brand, content, and digital campaigns.
3. Product-Led: Growth driven by user engagement with the product itself, with minimal direct sales or marketing efforts.

Understanding where your company’s strengths lie within these approaches can help you prioritize resources effectively.

Acquisition Tactics: Filling the Sales Funnel

Acquisition tactics vary by the funnel stage: Top of Funnel (TOFU), Middle of Funnel (MOFU), and Bottom of Funnel (BOFU).

TOFU: Building Awareness

The top of the funnel is all about creating awareness. For sales-led companies, this involves Sales/SDR prospecting to identify and qualify leads. Marketing-led approaches include brand campaigns, inbound marketing, and paid media to build interest in the brand and drive traffic. Product-led companies often rely on viral loops (like referral programs) to spread awareness organically.

MOFU: Engaging Potential Customers

The middle of the funnel focuses on building relationships and offering value. Sales-led companies can benefit from live demos and account-based marketing to deepen engagement. Marketing-led businesses often drive engagement through product launches and competitive campaigns. For product-led models, product tutorials and user-generated content can create a sense of community and reinforce value.

BOFU: Converting Leads to Customers

At the bottom of the funnel, tactics focus on proving the product’s value to close the sale. Sales-led businesses might conduct site visits and provide proof of concept demonstrations. Marketing-led companies focus on case studies and sales collateral to reassure prospects, while product-led businesses offer interactive demos and trials to let potential customers experience the product firsthand.

Retention: Keeping Customers Engaged and Satisfied

Retention is critical to reducing churn and increasing customer lifetime value. Here’s how each model approaches it:

• Sales-Led: Personal touchpoints like quarterly business reviews and 1:1 customer success check-ins foster loyalty.
• Marketing-Led: Retention tactics include winback campaigns and email nurtures, ensuring customers feel valued and informed.
• Product-Led: Continuous product improvements, betas, and push notifications help maintain user interest and drive long-term engagement.

Monetization: Maximizing Revenue

Once customers are acquired and retained, monetization tactics help increase the revenue per customer.

• Sales-Led: Techniques like deal structuring and upsells encourage higher spending from satisfied clients.
• Marketing-Led: Discounts and promotional campaigns are common ways to encourage larger purchases.
• Product-Led: Freemium models, in-product upgrades, and periodic pricing updates allow companies to convert free users to paying customers and increase average spend.

Choosing the Right Tactics for Your Business

Not all tactics will suit every business. For CEOs and COOs of mid-sized private companies, focusing on the tactics most aligned with your growth model and customer acquisition process will yield the best results. Consider these scenarios:

1. If You’re a Sales-Led Business: Invest in strong, relationship-based tactics like SDR prospecting, personalized customer reviews, and structured upsell conversations. These will leverage your team's strength in building and nurturing personal connections.
2. If You’re a Marketing-Led Business: Your success lies in brand visibility and strategic campaigns. Prioritize inbound content, regular email marketing, and competitive campaigns that drive value and loyalty.
3. If You’re a Product-Led Business: Focus on creating a seamless product experience that encourages organic sharing and easy upgrades. Viral loops, freemium models, and in-product nudges are critical here to drive user engagement and spending.

Conclusion: Leveraging the Right Growth Tactics with Expert Financial Guidance

Choosing the right mix of growth tactics is essential, but knowing when and where to allocate resources requires in-depth financial insight. At Capstone CFO, we help private companies like yours develop next-generation financial visibility to make informed, data-driven growth decisions. With our expert guidance, you can optimize every stage of your growth model—from acquisition to monetization—ensuring sustainable, profitable expansion.

Ready to see how strategic financial insights can elevate your growth approach? Connect with Capstone CFO today, and let’s drive your business forward.