8 Ways to Turn QBRs into Revenue Drivers

I didn't think much about QBRs during the first phase of my BD career. I led new business teams of “new logo hunters” and existing accounts weren't my domain unless a client issued a new RFP. Annual client planning happened, sure, but that belonged to the account teams.

Then I started leading teams that did both: new business and expansion. And what I found, looking at them through a hunter's lens, was that most of them were box-checking exercises – meetings to review data and to touch upon upcoming planned projects. Nobody left energized. Nobody left with a next step. Or at the worst extreme, the account leads didn’t schedule them at all.

So, as a team, we changed our approach. We stopped presenting data and started generating insights that sparked discussion. After that, almost every QBR led to a new opportunity.

In my role now as a BD consultant and sales enablement specialist, I often talk with prospective clients who know they need to do the hard work (i.e., create or refine strategy, hunt for “whale” clients, expand into new markets, etc.), but also really need some smaller wins along the way to help fund the bigger strategic work in both financial and psychological ways. The best way to find low-hanging fruit in sales is to seek to broaden work with current clients. They already know and trust you – and you’re already approved in their accounts payable system, too! When seeking to expand work with current clients, rethinking the box-checking exercise of a QBR is a great place to start.

Here are eight ways we shifted our thinking around QBRs:

1. Hold yourself accountable.

Many account leads don't want to do QBRs because they're afraid of being held accountable to KPIs. If the numbers aren't great, own it. Work with your client to figure out what to optimize. It's rare that any program launches and hits every target without adjustment — and clients know that. What they don't forget is who showed up honestly and who deflected. Show them you care about results. Someone on their side definitely does.

2. Position the QBR as beneficial for your client contact.

Clients skip QBRs because they think they'll be pitched, bored, or both. Change the framing. Ask your contact what would make them look good to their boss — and then deliver that. Bring up topics your contact wants addressed but feels awkward raising with leadership themselves, then give them the credit for surfacing it. When your contact feels like you're an asset to their career, not just their account, they'll start inviting decision-makers into the room and trusting you even more.

3. Plan ahead — further than you think.

The people you want in the room are busy. Allow 3–4 months of lead time. Use that runway to build real insights, not just slides. Work with your contact on agenda topics, emerging trends they're watching, and who else should be included. The planning conversation is often as valuable as the meeting itself.

4. Look back, look ahead, and look around.

If your QBR is just a recap of completed work, don't be surprised when only one or two semi-distracted people show up from the client side. The real value is in insights your client can't get anywhere else. Teach them something. Spark a conversation. When you invest in their thinking, they'll start sharing things you never would have learned otherwise. That's where the good stuff lives.

5. Get the right people in the room.

Bring colleagues who can genuinely add to the conversation, not just fill seats. Tell your client why you're bringing them and what value they'll add. Then work with your contact on who should attend from their side and what they'll get out of it. Everyone in the room should have a reason to be there and everyone you invite should have a critical role to play.

6. Promote discussion.

Plan questions in advance, ideally in collaboration with your client contact during the prep process. Then protect time for the conversation to actually happen. Resist the urge to over-present, and definitely resist the urge to get deep in the weeds on methodologies (unless they ask for it). A QBR where the client talks more than you do is usually the best one. It’s also a win if you don’t get to all your slides because the conversation was so rich.

7. Make the ask the right way.

If you're paying attention, you'll hear challenges you didn't know about. My favorite framing for this, which I learned from Mo Bunnell at Bunnell Idea Group, is five simple words:

"Would it be helpful if…"

This phrasing allows the client evaluate the idea on its merits rather than feeling like they're being sold to, burdening you with an unpaid task or greenlighting a project. If the answer is yes, you can figure out together whether it's a value-add, a small project, or the start of something bigger. One more thing: book the next meeting before you leave. The scheduling email chain is where momentum goes to die.

8. Follow up – fast.

This sounds obvious. It isn't. Client service is full of tasks, and the ones without hard deadlines tend to slip. Send a follow-up email within hours of the QBR and include any follow-up materials or items of interest to the client based on the conversation – and cite specific things people said so they know you paid attention. Be specific about next steps. Be enthusiastic — getting a follow-up meeting was the goal, after all. A well-crafted follow-up keeps the energy going and sets the tone for everything that comes next.

Annual planning meetings are essential, and QBRs do not replace them. But QBRs are something different: dedicated time to reflect on what's worked, what hasn't, and how to turn insights into advantages.

Done well, that's not even selling. That's just helping. And clients tend to pay for help that actually helps.