CRM & Lifecycle Marketing · Braze Expert

Customers leave quietly. I build the systems that bring them back.

Retention, win-back, onboarding and lifecycle programs that grow repeat purchase and LTV — I shape the strategy and build it hands-on in Braze, Klaviyo, Salesforce MC and beyond.

10+ years · 15+ brands · US & EU markets · Miami, FL / Remote
See my work Let's talk
keeps them coming back ✦
strategy + hands-on build
retention = revenue ↑
0%↑
retention lift across lifecycle programs
0%↑
repeat purchase revenue
0%↓
churn reduction
2×
trial-to-paid conversion
Sound familiar?

If any of this is happening, CRM is your growth lever.

Most brands spend heavily on acquisition and quietly leak revenue after the first purchase. That leak is exactly what I fix.

retention
People buy once and never come back.
I build post-purchase & repeat-purchase journeys that turn one-time buyers into habits — replenishment triggers, cross-sell logic, milestone moments.
lifecycle
We send emails, but nothing really changes.
Batch-and-blast isn't a strategy. I replace it with behavior-triggered lifecycle programs — the right message reacts to what each user actually does.
platform
We bought Braze and use maybe 10% of it.
I run a CRM audit, fix the data foundation, and set up canvases, segments and experiments so the platform finally earns its license fee.
churn
Subscribers churn faster than we acquire them.
I catch decline signals early and build save & win-back programs — measured against holdout groups, so the impact is real, not vanity.
What I do

I work across the entire lifecycle.

From first touch to win-back — every program maps to a revenue outcome, not just an engagement metric. Tap any to see how I approach it.

Before building anything, I map what you have: data quality, segmentation, current flows, channel mix, and where revenue leaks. You get a prioritized lifecycle roadmap — what to fix first, what it's worth, and how we'll measure it.

  • Full-funnel CRM audit
  • Lifecycle stage mapping & RFM segmentation
  • Channel & frequency strategy
  • KPI framework: LTV, repeat rate, churn

The first days decide everything. I build journeys that move new users to their first moment of value fast — before they churn. Behavior-triggered, multichannel, A/B tested against clear activation metrics.

  • Welcome & setup series (email, push, in-app)
  • Trigger logic on real product events
  • Trial-to-paid conversion flows
  • Activation metric definition & testing

Keeping a customer is cheaper than winning a new one — but most teams only react once someone's already gone. I build always-on systems: habit loops, milestone triggers, and early-decline signals that catch churn before it happens.

  • Repeat purchase & replenishment programs
  • Engagement scoring & at-risk detection
  • Loyalty moments & milestone campaigns
  • Retention is a system, not a campaign

A lapsed user isn't a lost user — they already know your product, which makes them far cheaper to win back than a stranger. I build graduated win-back programs that add value at each step, not just "please come back" — measured against holdout.

  • Lapse definition & churn-reason analysis
  • 30/60/90-day graduated sequences
  • Incentive ladders that protect margin
  • Holdout measurement — real incremental lift
Work

What the work actually looks like.

CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE — EVERY STAGE HAS A JOB New Active At-risk Lapsed Wonback back into the habit loop ↺ onboardingfirst value habit loopscross-sell decline signalssave offers win-back 30/60/90incentive ladder Goal: move users left — and keep them there. Each transition is a triggered program, not a one-off blast.
Lifecycle strategy
The lifecycle map

The core artifact of every engagement: each stage gets defined entry/exit criteria, owned metrics, and an always-on program working that transition.

Foundation of every program
WIN-BACK CANVAS — GRADUATED, NOT DESPERATE Trigger30 days inactive Holdout 10%no messages ← proves real lift Email · Day 0what's new / value Push · Day 4social proof Email · Day 9soft incentive still inactive? Final offer · Day 16best margin-safe incentive Converted ✓exit → nurture Each step adds a different reason to return. Anyone who converts exits immediately. Incentives escalate — margin protected.
Reactivation
Win-back program

A graduated sequence for lapsed customers — value first, incentive last, always measured against holdout.

Repeat purchase revenue +30%
ONBOARDING — SIGNUP TO FIRST VALUE, FAST Signupevent: created Welcome · 0hone clear next step Nudge · Day 1push, if no setup first valuethe “aha” everything aims here ↑ Activated ✓→ habit-building track Stuck?barrier-specific rescue Triggered on real product events — not a fixed calendar. Every branch is A/B tested against the activation metric.
Activation
Onboarding journey

An event-triggered welcome track that routes every new user to first value, with rescue branches for those who stall.

Trial-to-paid conversion 2×
RETENTION CURVE — BEFORE vs AFTER LIFECYCLE PROGRAM 100%50%0 W0W4W8W12W16 before: batch & blast after: lifecycle program +45% churn −25% repeat rate +30% LTV growing
Measurement
How impact gets measured

Cohort retention curves, holdout groups and revenue-per-user — I report lifecycle work in numbers a CFO accepts, not opens and clicks.

Retention lift +45%

✳ All examples above are concept illustrations of my methodology — real client programs, data and creative are under NDA. I'm happy to walk through the specifics live on a call.

How we work

From audit to live program in four steps.

No black box. You always know what's being built, why, and what it's worth.

Audit

Data, segments, current flows, channel mix. Where revenue leaks — and what it costs you.

Strategy

Lifecycle map with priorities: which programs to build first and the metric each one owns.

Build

Hands-on setup in your platform — segments, canvases, copy, QA. I build it myself, no hand-offs.

Measure

Holdouts, A/B tests, cohort reporting. Programs iterate — impact is proven, not assumed.

Platforms

One platform deep. Many platforms fluent.

Braze is my home base — architecture, canvases, migrations, the works. But the fundamentals travel: the right data, the right segments, the right message at the right time.

Brazedeepest ✦ Klaviyo Salesforce Marketing Cloud HubSpot Iterable Segment mParticle
Alexandra Varakina photo goes here ✦
(save it as alexandra.jpg)
About

Marketing brain. Technical hands.

I'm Alexandra — a CRM and lifecycle marketing consultant based in Miami. My strength is working across both sides of CRM: I shape the marketing strategy and then build it myself — segments, journeys, triggers, copy, experiments.

Over 10+ years I've worked with 15+ brands across the US and Europe — e-commerce, subscription and SaaS, agency-side and in-house, from full re-platforming to building lifecycle programs from scratch.

I use AI tools daily to move faster on production — without cutting corners on strategy or quality.

Miami, FL ☀️ US & EU markets agency + in-house retention nerd

Let's make your customers stay.

Open to new projects and collaborations — drop me a line, and let's talk CRM.

aleksandra.var@gmail.com LinkedIn