Jasmina Raich

Most CSMs will face this awkward moment: You realise you need to reset a customer relationship because you didn’t handle it so well at the start. 😳 Maybe you skipped the goals and priorities conversation at the start. 😳 Maybe you’ve been overservicing and now need to pull back. 😳 Maybe you never captured baseline metrics, and now you’re scrambling ahead of an EBR. So… what do you do in that situation? The best approach is ridiculously simple: Just tell them. Literally. For example: Skipped goals: 💬 “There’s an important discussion we skipped: your goals and priorities. It’s been too long, I’d like us to align now.” Overservicing: 💬 “I leaned in heavily to support your rollout. Now that you’re in a better position, let’s talk about the resources you’ll need to succeed long term.” No metrics of success: 💬 “We never took a baseline of your key metrics. To measure progress, let’s take a look back together. Can you help me with that?” We build these moments up in our minds, convinced they’re bigger than they are. We think the customer will be mad. But guess what? 9 out of 10 times, they won’t. They appreciate the course correction. Yes, ideally, you’d have nailed it the first time. But you didn’t. And that’s okay. We are all learning, and we get better everyday with experience. Missing it because you didn’t know better at the time isn’t the problem. But continuing to miss it because you’re afraid to address it even though you know better is.. 💡 Curious… have you ever had to reset with a customer? How did it go? 💌 For more tips on how to build a super Customer Success engine for your business, sign up to Unconventional Growth [link below]. #customersuccess #csm #cx #revops #relationship #EQ

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42 Kommentare

A CSM looked me in the eye last week and asked: “𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘚 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸?” (Spoiler: If you have to ask, it’s not normal) One week looked like this: → A renewal call (AE’s job) → A no-show training → Back-to-back escalations (zero product support) → A surprise QBR deck (due EOD) → A Friday push to “just get onboarding moving” All while juggling 80+ accounts. Then she said something I’ll never forget: “𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.” That’s not a performance problem. That’s a design flaw. → Bloated books of business → Vague definitions of “success” → No cross-functional air cover And leadership still says: “𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰.” But how? When your calendar’s packed. When “success” means something different to every team. When you’re measured on outcomes but buried in tasks. You can’t be strategic if you’re stuck reacting. You can’t deliver success when no one can define it. So here’s the shift: Log every non-CS task. Block 90 mins a week for real success planning. Loop in leadership on capacity gaps before they explode. This is the new wave of CS. Not burnout. Boundaries. Not “do more with less.” Do what matters. If you’re leading CS right now: → Set account caps → Define what isn’t CS work → Build air cover so your team can focus on impact Because you don’t scale success by grinding your team down. You scale it by designing a job worth doing.

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41 Kommentare

Some companies get stuck because they OVER-index on industry expertise and under-value Customer Success expertise. Yes, in the early days, hiring a subject matter expert can be gold: ✔ Quick rapport with customers ✔ Instant credibility ✔ Easy empathy and value alignment Early in my CS career, I was that SME. I broke into the field because I understood the industry and the product as a former customer. My customers found me relatable, and I was able to deliver value. Thankfully, I also had leaders who did have consulting and CS experience. I spent 5.5 years alongside of them learning the operational side of the craft as I grew up in Customer Success And here’s what I realized as my career evolved: Industry knowledge can be learned. But the ability to build, execute, and scale a proper CS model is what drives growth. As I moved into leadership, it was my CS experience, not my industry knowledge, that got me, my teams, and the companies I worked for a lot further. If you only hire SMEs, you’ll struggle to: ❗ Build repeatable processes ❗ Design coverage and segmentation models ❗ Operationalize adoption, renewal, and expansion ❗ Scale beyond a handful of CSMs without chaos The answer isn’t “either/or”, it’s balance. Augment your team. Diversify skillsets. Pair the SEMs with operators who can deliver a CS model that grows with the business. If you’re only hiring for industry knowledge, you’re building a team that can relate to customers … but not one that can help you retain and grow them.

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33 Kommentare

Customer Success requires 5 c's: 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. What sets the high-impact, curious CSMs apart who can confidently consult with confidence is the knowledge of what is happening in the modern landscape. To stay in the know with the latest tech, techniques & trends, you 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 make it a habit to listen to podcasts every week. On a podcast, I heard about the latest Indeed XML job feed change & had relevant information that impacted my customers to talk about... & that, my friends, is 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. Here is my weekly line up as someone who operates in the Talent Acquisition / Recruiting world:   • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗱 & 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, Chad Sowash & Joel Cheesman - Candid hot takes, interviews, & 'shredded' segment that is a quick (5 min) recap of tech/vendor news   • 𝗥𝗲𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Chris Russell - Short form (10 min or less) Direct, no-fluff news about tech/vendors in the TA/HR space   • 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Matt Alder- He's had this pod for 10+ years & is filled with so much knowledge. Longer form interviews (20-30 min)   • 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Ryan Dull - (25 min interviews) Intriguing & relevant topics with impressive TA leaders   • 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱 - (30 min) Commercial/sales focused to build relationships with integrity Yes, I listen to these every single week. Playing in the background while getting ready for the day, dropping my kid off at daycare, walking my German Sheppard in the evenings -- I dedicate time to stay in tune with the industry & news, you you should too. Keep calm & listen on,  -Allie 👂

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11 Kommentare

Want to be a great CSM? Find a way to get things done. First your workload will increase. Then your frustration will increase as others step out / back. But as you lean in - the tide will turn and you’ll build a reputation as a doer. Then the opportunities and rewards should follow. #customersuccess #b2b

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Why I have my enterprise clients' WhatsApp numbers⁣ (yes, really) ⁣ There are levels to this Customer Success game, and most CSMs are playing at the basic level.⁣ ⁣ Email? That's table stakes in 2025.⁣ Slack? That's better, but still expected.⁣ WhatsApp/iMessage? THAT'S where elite CSMs operate.⁣ ⁣ When a C-suite exec needs immediate help, they're not filling out a support ticket. Or waiting for a Monday morning response to their Friday email.⁣ ⁣ I give my enterprise clients my direct WhatsApp number, and I expect theirs in return. Why?⁣ ⁣ Because I've seen what happens when you don't:⁣ ⁣ • Critical decisions made without you • Competitors sliding into executive DMs • Revenue at risk because your MIA ⁣ I once got a WhatsApp at 11pm from a CTO who needed immediate help before a board meeting the next morning. Two messages later, crisis averted, confidence secured.⁣ ⁣ That's not "above and beyond".... That's the BASELINE for retaining 6 and 7 figure enterprise accounts in 2025.⁣ ⁣ Email is for updates.⁣ Slack is for teams.⁣ WhatsApp is for revenue protection.⁣ ⁣ If you want to be truly integrated into your clients' business, you need to communicate on the channels they use. ⁣ That's why: My clients don't churn, because when they need me; they don't wonder if I'll respond.⁣ ⁣ How accessible are you to YOUR enterprise clients?

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17 Kommentare