5 Lessons From my First 5 Years in Customer Success

In July 2018, a young 25-year-old who was unsure about his professional future accepted his first CSM role. He was a recent college grad, didn't have much professional experience, and didn't have a good enough GPA to get into grad school.

It was a Client Advocate role at a social media marketing company in Scottsdale, Arizona. The main client base for this firm was automotive dealerships. Social media marketing in the automotive space was nothing short of a baptism by fire into the world of Customer Success.

In case you aren't aware, that unsure 25-year-old was me. And even since I accepted that Client Advocate role, it's been a roller coaster of a career journey ever since.

But in a great way, of course.

Customer Success is still a new space but has definitely matured and gained its walking legs since I started in 2018. It also has gone through its fair share of trials since I started.

From the pandemic, to 2022-2023 layoffs, to AI, and beyond, it's been nothing short of an incredible experience being a part of it all.

I know this sounds like a "Walter Cronkite" style departure speech but it's not. I promise. It's just crazy to think that I've been a part of such an exciting space for a short period of time and still have seen and experienced so much.

Looking back at my experience as a Customer Success Professional up to this point, I can't help but be grateful for the lessons I've learned that have shaped my career and even personal life endeavors.

So, as the title of this post states, here are my top 5 lessons from my first (of many) years in Customer Success:

Extreme Ownership is a "must have" mentality to succeed in Customer Success

This doesn't just apply to individual contributor CSMs but it also applies to any CS executives or CEOs/Founders that are in the business of serving their customers (so all of them).

Let's start with the individual contributors.

As a frontline CSM for over 5 years now, I have learned the value and extreme need for the mentality of extreme ownership. One example I'm sure many of my CSM friends can relate to is when a client is irate over something you had nothing to do with. Maybe they were onboarded incorrectly by the onboarding team, maybe the salesperson lied to them about certain features in the sales process, maybe your champion left the company and the new person sees no value in the product and is angry that they are spending money on something that doesn't seem to be necessary in a time where money is tight.

These are all situations I have found myself in.

So what do I do?

I have no choice but to take extreme ownership. The customer doesn't care that it's not my fault. They don't care that someone else messed up. All they care about is righting this wrong and I'm the guy that is tasked to do it.

So I make it very clear to them that I will right this wrong and give them a step-by-step process on how that will be done. I show them exactly what I may need from them in order to accomplish the task. I give them a timeline and, when necessary, a deadline on what it will all be done. And I overcommunicate through the whole process in order for them to know where they are at and what I'm working on so that deadlines are met.

No CSM likes to be in situations like this but, as of the time I'm writing this post, It's part of the job. And will be for the foreseeable future until some AI tool is invented that allows robots to do every aspect of our job for us.

If you're a CS Executive or a CEO/Founder. The same rules of extreme ownership apply to you. Do you have a customer journey map and processes in place? Do your CSMs know what their day-to-day and week-to-week duties are? Do they know how and when to run an EBR?

If your individual contributors don't know what is expected of them, this is on you.

Yes, being a successful CSM involves knowing how to be a self-starter. But the training and development of your CSMs are vital to their success, the success of your customers, and the overall success of your company.

And as for you, my fellow founders and CEOs, like the captain of a ship, you are responsible for all that happens throughout your company especially when it comes to the success of your customers. Hire the right people and trust that they will do their respective jobs but at the end of the day, this is your ship and you're the one that takes the fall if your customers are not successful.

Being Good at Building Relationships is Not Enough to be a Successful CSM in Modern Times

I've had well over 100 conversations with professionals looking to break into Customer Success. These are some of my favorite conversations to have.

For every person who asks what they need to do to stand out from other CS applicants, I tell them to focus on the following two things in their resume and interviews:

1. How they provided a great customer experience while delivering on customer outcomes
2. How they collaborated and built strong relationships with internal teams

It doesn't matter what career field you're coming from. Education, construction management, retail, or even if you're fresh out of college looking for your first job. Both of these things are something you have been involved in.

With that being said, I am also usually asked what skills are needed to be a great CSM. Here are what I call, the "3 pillars of a successful CSM":

1. Be Proactive (where are my '7 Habits' fans at?)
2. Be Empathetic
3. Be an Outrageously Great Communicator

Yes, all of these play into the art of building relationships with your customer customers (which is very important) but being able to break down this art into soft skills like the ones mentioned above and also hard skills such as product knowledge, being analytical with customer data, navigating platforms like Gainsight and Salesforce, etc. will give the ability to develop the skills to build successful relationships with your customers.?

Side Note: Please don’t feel like you need to know everything when you start a new CSM role.?

Whether it’s your first or your tenth CSM role and whether you’re an individual contributor or in leadership, please take a deep breath and know that knowledge will come.?

The three soft skills or “three pillars” will be your guiding light as you dive into developing the hard skills that will allow you to shine in your new role and new company.?

A Customer Success Team is Only as Good as Their Executive Team?

You can have the most power-house CSM team in all of tech. Every member of the team is ready to set the world on fire and extremely qualified not only in their soft skills but also their hard skills.?

But if you have an executive team that doesn’t see the importance of Customer Success, you might as well have a bunch of Kevin Malones running your accounting department, because it’s basically the same thing.?

That may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea, right??

Executive buy-in is vital, especially in today's unpredictable economy. I’ve seen some of the best leaders and individual contributors experience layoffs at the hands of higher-ups that want to cut the CSM team. They may think it’s due to a lack of importance but in reality, more times than not, it’s because they haven’t invested enough time and money into the development and processes for their CSM team. I could go on and on about this but I’ll leave it with this:

Customer Success needs to have a seat at every executive table and C-suite. Without it, the company and its customers will struggle.?

It’s 2023, folks. Let’s get with the times.?

Customer Success Can Only be Attained Through Consistent Cross-Department Collaboration

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until my dying day: Customer Success, when done right, isn’t just a department. It’s a company-wide mindset. That means it’s up to Customer Success Managers and leadership to ensure that other teams are doing what is best for the customer in their respective duties. Usually, this starts with teams

like sales and product. Both of these teams are critical when it comes to company growth and customer satisfaction.

Breaking down internal silos is a key duty (often “unofficial”) of Customer Success. We, as CSMs, are on the frontlines helping our customers succeed. But teams like product are working behind the scenes to ensure our customers are being successful with adopting the product. And teams like sales and marketing are helping to bring in new business to help the company grow and stay “afloat”.

So to ensure our customers have all the tools and training they need to succeed, it’s imperative to have consistent collaboration with these teams.?

This can be done in a variety of ways. This blog post isn’t meant to explain it all in detail but having open lines of communication through meetings, Slack channels, and informal conversations is a ‘must’ not only to help the company grow but to help the overall culture of the company actually be something to brag about.

I’m not a huge fan of all the “company culture” talk but if you really want your culture to be one that is truly exceptional, then make Customer Success the epicenter of it all.?

You Have to Focus on Your Mental Health to Succeed in This Career

First off, it’s imperative to know that in the demanding role of a CSM, prioritizing mental health is crucial for maintaining a high level of performance and overall well-being. I’m sure this applies to just about any other career path but let me explain a few simple ways I have prioritized my mental health that have made all the difference in the world:

• Self-care: Engaging in regular self-care activities, such as exercise, meditation, and hobbies, has greatly helped alleviate stress and promoted mental clarity for me. At work, I chase customer satisfaction and in the gym, I lift heavy and chase PRs. Both give me a thrill and fulfillment.?
• Boundaries: Setting clear boundaries between work and personal life ensures time for rest and relaxation, reducing burnout and enhancing my overall productivity. Nuff said.?
• Support systems: Building a strong support network of colleagues, mentors, and friends have provided a safe space for sharing challenges and seeking guidance. In every CSM role I have healed, my fellow CSMs have been an amazing support system. My wife also has heard me vent a time or two and I could not have made it this far without her.?
• Stress management: Developing effective stress management techniques, such as deep breathing exercises or practicing mindfulness, has helped me in maintaining a calm and focused mindset. Also, reading scripture and other uplifting literature has provided a way for me to ‘escape’ perse and fill my mind with upliftment and peace.?
• Regular breaks: Taking regular breaks throughout the day, even short ones, helps me to recharge and prevents mental fatigue. I usually take a walk around my block or barefoot through the grass areas in my neighborhood. All I can say is that if you’re in a place where you can walk barefoot in the grass, do it.?

By implementing these practices, I have been able to proactively nurture my mental health, leading to improved job performance, increased job satisfaction, and a more balanced overall lifestyle. I promise they can work for you too.?

Folks, this has been my LONGEST blog post yet. If you have made it this far, thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that and you.?

Go forth and conquer, my fellow CSMs. We’re all in this together and I believe in you!?

Peace and Love,

Jared