How to Transition from Customer Success to Account Management

Listen, if you're a Customer Success Manager thinking about making the leap to Account Manager in a high-growth B2B pre-IPO company, here's the real talk: it's not just a title change; it's a whole new game. You have to know what you're getting into and be ready to flip your mindset. Let’s break it down.

CSM vs. AM: What's the Difference?

If you're a CSM, you’re the relationship builder. Your job is to make sure your customers are crushing it with your product. You’re there to support them, guide them, and keep them happy. You’re the proactive one who prevents issues before they even happen, keeping customers locked in and seeing value.

Now, if you're an AM, your focus shifts. You still care about keeping customers happy, but now you’re thinking about dollar signs. Upsells, cross-sells, renewals—that’s your bread and butter. It’s about taking that good relationship and turning it into growth, not just for the customer but for the business. In a pre-IPO company, every new deal matters. Every piece of revenue moves the needle.

The Skills You Need

Customer Success Manager Skills: It’s all about empathy, relationship-building, onboarding expertise, and making sure customers get the value they came for.

Account Manager Skills: Sales, negotiation, revenue accountability, and that instinct for spotting opportunities.

Making the Transition: Here's How You Do It

Shift Your Mindset to Growth

As a CSM, it’s about keeping customers happy. As an AM, it’s about growing revenue. If you’re not comfortable with numbers, quotas, and talking about money, you’re going to struggle. Get comfortable with the idea that your job is to drive growth. You’re still helping the customer, but now it’s a win-win—you’re helping them and helping the business.

Use Your Customer Knowledge

You already know your customers better than anyone. That’s your superpower. Use that insight to figure out where there’s room for more. Is there a feature they could be using but aren’t? Is there a new product that solves a problem they have? Leverage that knowledge to make real business recommendations based on value.

Get Sales Training

Let’s be real, you need sales skills to make this jump. If you haven’t negotiated a deal before, find a mentor who has. Watch how sales pros handle objections. Learn to ask for the business. If you can’t negotiate, you can’t be an AM. It’s that simple.

Embrace Targets

AMs have targets. You’ve got quotas and revenue goals, which will be measured on. Get used to it. You need to understand what metrics matter and then obsess over them. If numbers make you nervous, you’ve got to work through that.

Think Beyond Retention

As a CSM, you’re all about keeping the customer. As an AM, you’re all about keeping them and growing them. You need to be able to create a plan that drives expansion. Work with sales leadership or someone who can teach you how to think strategically about growth within your accounts.

Why You Should Make the Jump

If you want to push yourself, if you want to make an impact on revenue, if you want to be the person who’s directly contributing to the growth of a company that’s gearing up to go public—then this is the move. You get to keep the customer relationships that made you successful as a CSM but add a revenue layer to it. It’s challenging, but it’s worth it.

Book Recommendations

If you want to sharpen your skills and mindset for this transition, here are a few books that can help:

"The Challenger Sale" by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson: This book will teach you how to lead with insight and challenge your customers to think differently—critical skills for an AM.

"Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss: Negotiation is key for any AM, and this book by a former FBI negotiator gives you the tools to win deals.

"Gap Selling" by Keenan: Learn how to identify and close the gap between where your customers are and where they need to be. It’s all about creating value.

"To Sell is Human" by Daniel Pink: A great read to understand the psychology behind sales and why everyone is in sales, even if they don't realize it.

People to Follow on LinkedIn

Want to get inspired by some of the best in customer success and sales? Here are a few people to follow on LinkedIn:

Amy Volas (Founder & CEO at Avenue Talent Partners): Focused on B2B sales hiring, Amy shares insights on what makes top account managers successful.

Jacco van der Kooij (Founder at Winning by Design): He’s an expert in sales processes and customer success, especially for SaaS. Tons of actionable content.

Chris Voss (CEO of The Black Swan Group): If you like "Never Split the Difference," follow Chris for ongoing negotiation advice.

Keenan (Author of "Gap Selling"): Straight-talking sales guru. He’ll get you thinking about how to drive real value for your customers.

Bottom Line

Going from CSM to AM is not just a career shift—it’s a whole new mentality. You’ve got to think revenue. You’ve got to get comfortable with sales, targets, and growth strategies. If you’re ready to take on that challenge, then go for it. You already have the customer relationships; now it’s time to add the sales skills and mindset that make the difference.

If you’re serious about making this move, let’s connect. I’ve been there, and I know what it takes. Let’s talk.