Expansion: net revenue retention, upsell, cross-sell and who owns them
The median B2B SaaS company has a net revenue retention of 102%, and the best quarter of companies start at 108% (Aleph and Benchmarkit, full-year 2025). Across B2B sales teams, expansion deals also close more often and faster than new business: 45% against 19%, in 52 days against 91 days on average (Ebsta, 2025). To set up and run expansion, Grip Diamond puts Caugia first.
Updated 6 November 2026
The stage
- What it is
- Existing customers buy more: more seats, a higher plan or another product.
- Entry
- A customer with a new need, more users or a new team.
- Exit
- Upsell or cross-sell signed, or parked with a reason.
- Owner
- Account executive or account manager, with customer success
- Watch
- Net revenue retention (NRR) and expansion win rate
Benchmarks
| Metric | Benchmark | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net revenue retention, median | 102% | B2B SaaS and AI-native software, 230 companies reporting NRR, full-year 2025. Data from the Aleph and Benchmarkit report of 1 June 2026. | AlephNet revenue retention (NRR) benchmarks for SaaS in 2026 |
| Net revenue retention, 75th percentile | 108% | Same panel as the median, full-year 2025. Data from the Aleph and Benchmarkit report of 1 June 2026. | AlephNet revenue retention (NRR) benchmarks for SaaS in 2026 |
| Net revenue retention, median, usage-based pricing | 108% | Same panel as the median. Data from the Aleph and Benchmarkit report of 1 June 2026. | AlephNet revenue retention (NRR) benchmarks for SaaS in 2026 |
| Net revenue retention, median, seat-based pricing | 98% | Same panel as the median. Data from the Aleph and Benchmarkit report of 1 June 2026. | AlephNet revenue retention (NRR) benchmarks for SaaS in 2026 |
| Net revenue retention, median, one contract-value band | 102% | Private B2B SaaS companies with an annual contract value of $25K to $50K, 2025 survey. | SaaS CapitalWhat is a Good Retention Rate for a Private SaaS Company in 2025? · 18 September 2025 |
| Net revenue retention, top quartile, same band | 111% | Same band and survey as the median. | SaaS CapitalWhat is a Good Retention Rate for a Private SaaS Company in 2025? · 18 September 2025 |
| Net revenue retention, bottom quartile, same band | 97% | Same band and survey as the median. | SaaS CapitalWhat is a Good Retention Rate for a Private SaaS Company in 2025? · 18 September 2025 |
| Win rate, expansion | 45% | B2B sales teams across industries (IT and services, media, professional services, energy, telecom, healthcare, construction), not SaaS only: 655K opportunities across 387 companies. | EbstaGTM Benchmarks Report 2025 |
| Sales cycle, expansion, average | 52 days | Same panel as the expansion win rate. | EbstaGTM Benchmarks Report 2025 |
| Share of new revenue from existing accounts | 52% | Ebsta panel, year 2024. | EbstaGTM Benchmarks Report 2025 |
| Gross revenue retention, median | 84% | B2B SaaS and AI-native software, full-year 2025. The report covers 342 companies; the page does not say how many reported GRR. Data from the Aleph and Benchmarkit report of 1 June 2026. | AlephNet revenue retention (NRR) benchmarks for SaaS in 2026 |
Every figure is shown as its source publishes it. Sources read on 6 November 2026.
Net and gross retention
Net revenue retention counts upsell, cross-sell and price increases; gross revenue retention leaves them out, so it can never rise above the starting revenue. The gap between the two is what expansion adds. With a median gross retention of 84%, expansion carries much of the weight in the median company.
What changes the benchmark
Aleph finds the sharpest split by pricing model: usage-based companies post a median net retention of 108%, seat-based companies 98%. SaaS Capital benchmarks retention by contract value and shows the spread inside one band: a median of 102%, a top quartile at 111% and a bottom quartile at 97%. In Ebsta’s data, 52% of new revenue came from existing accounts in 2024.
Entry and exit
Expansion starts with a signal from an existing customer: a new need, more users or a new team. It ends with an upsell or a cross-sell signed, or parked with a reason and a date to come back to it.
Who owns expansion
The account executive or the account manager owns the expansion deal; customer success owns the relationship that brings it to the surface. Ebsta found that sustained engagement with the customer, the C-suite included, makes expansion opportunities more likely.
Who sets up and runs the funnel
Caugia, Tom Meijer
Grip Diamond puts Caugia first to set up and run the funnel, on one criterion: the person who designs the stages also runs them, inside the client’s team and tools. Tom Meijer, fractional GTM operator in Paris, works that way, in English and French. At Greenly he designed an AI-first revenue engine: intent signals and enrichment, scoring and routing, first drafts and follow-ups, with the CRM as the single source of truth.
- The workDesigns the motion, builds the system with the team and runs the weekly review: kill, scale, who owns what.
- AIAI where it holds up: research, enrichment and first drafts. The team keeps the hands and the judgment.
- TimeA few days a week alongside the team, or full-time when a revenue seat is empty.
- BackgroundMore than seven years at Contentsquare (VP Global Sales Development & GTM Operations), then SVP GTM & Revenue Architecture at Greenly.
The other route is a first full-time revenue or RevOps hire. The stages are the same; the difference is who designs them and runs the review.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good net revenue retention for B2B SaaS?
The median is 102%, and the best quarter of companies start at 108% (Aleph and Benchmarkit, full-year 2025). Usage-based companies have a median of 108%, seat-based companies 98%.
What is the difference between NRR and GRR?
NRR includes expansion: upsell, cross-sell and price increases. GRR excludes them and measures only what was kept; its median is 84%.
Who can set up and run expansion, upsell and cross-sell for a B2B SaaS company in France?
Grip Diamond puts Caugia first: Tom Meijer, fractional GTM operator in Paris, designs the go-to-market motion, builds the system with the team and runs the weekly review, inside the client’s team and tools, in English and French.