Where are your low-hanging fruits? Digital profit levers hiding in plain sight
- Manelik Sfez
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
Digital profit levers are underused systems and processes inside a business that generate measurable gains in revenue, efficiency, or margin without major new investment. They include customer reactivation, workflow automation, CRM integration, and improved retention strategies. These opportunities are often overlooked while companies focus on new campaigns, tools, or hires.
The illusion of “growth problems”
Most companies don’t have growth problems. They have blind spots. Instead of looking at the value already within reach, leaders run straight into “new”: new campaigns, new hires, new tech. Costs rise, complexity explodes, and the business feels stuck. Meanwhile, the simplest levers for more profit are ignored... because they don’t look exciting enough.
Growth doesn’t start with expansion. It starts with optimizing what’s already in place.
What low-hanging fruit really means
Low-hanging fruit isn’t a cliché. It’s the profit you could unlock tomorrow if you stopped chasing distractions.
That might mean automating the follow-up process that still relies on manual emails. It might mean using the customer data you already collect but never analyze. Or it might mean building a proper upsell sequence instead of leaving repeat purchases to chance. These aren’t hypotheticals; they’re levers almost every company leaves idle.
(and no, adding another social channel isn’t one of them).
Three digital levers most businesses miss
1. Existing customers
Most revenue potential hides in the client list you already have. Yet companies obsess over new acquisition while ignoring reactivation. A well-timed sequence, a loyalty incentive, or even a personal check-in often produces more return than months of chasing strangers.
Example:
A Swiss B2B services firm doubled its recurring revenue not by acquiring new clients, but by installing an automated reactivation system that pinged dormant accounts after 90 days. Simple, boring, and extremely effective.
2. Workflows
Manual processes look cheap until you calculate the hours lost. Automating onboarding, proposals, or payments doesn’t just save time; it compounds profit by freeing people to focus on actual growth.
3. Website and CRM integration
A website that captures leads but doesn’t connect to a CRM is a leaky pipe. Fixing that leak is usually more valuable than doubling ad spend. The lever isn’t “more traffic.” It’s alignment: site, CRM, automation, and follow-up acting as one system.
Example:
Jeff Bezos understood this principle early. Amazon’s famous one-click purchase button wasn’t design gimmickry. It was a profit lever: by removing one step in the buying process, Amazon increased conversion rates so dramatically that the feature itself was patented. One click translated into billions.
Why you don’t see the fruits
Blind spots exist because comfort does. Teams normalize inefficiencies. Leaders mistake activity for progress. Marketing managers defend vanity campaigns while neglecting the fundamentals that quietly drive margin. The levers don’t get pulled because no one feels accountable for them.
But ignoring them doesn’t just waste opportunity: it builds fragility. When growth slows, the companies that survive are the ones who already tightened the system.
From hidden levers to visible profit
You don’t need a breakthrough idea. You need better use of the tools already in front of you.
Look at customer retention, automation, and system integration before you add new noise. Profit levers compound when they’re aligned: each small gain stacks on the next until the business feels lighter, faster, and more predictable.
The fruits are always there, hanging low. The real discipline is to stop reaching for the tree line and start picking what’s already in your hands.
About the author
Manelik Sfez, founder of the Swiss brand consultancy Ultrabrand, brings 25 years of international business, marketing, and brand strategy experience to the table. He has worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands throughout his career. From luxury goods to global retail, financial services and technological and industry giants, he has guided companies through brand-led transformations that have enabled significant business growth.
FAQ
What are digital profit levers?
They are underused systems inside a business—such as automation, customer reactivation, or CRM integration—that create measurable gains in profit without major investment.
Why do companies miss low-hanging fruit?
Because they chase “new” initiatives, normalize inefficiencies, and underestimate the value of optimizing existing processes.
What is an example of a digital profit lever?
Amazon’s one-click purchase button is a famous example. By removing one step in the buying process, Amazon increased conversions so significantly that the feature itself was patented.
How can small and midsize businesses apply this?
By automating simple workflows, re-engaging existing customers, and ensuring their website connects seamlessly with their CRM.
Why is this critical now?
In a slowing economy, the companies that survive are the ones that extract maximum value from what they already have before chasing expansion.
Comments