Ep #6 | Putting Customers First: The Customer-Centric CSM

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Apr 19, 2024

Julie Raeder, a Customer Success Manager at Dooly, shares her expertise in prioritization and customer-centric strategies. She dives into the art of onboarding and contract renewals, emphasizing clear communication and relationship-building with sales teams. Julie discusses her daily routines, highlighting the importance of breaks and personal growth. They also touch on mastering call cadence and adapting engagement based on customer needs, illustrating how these tactics drive success in managing a global customer base.

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ADVICE

Prioritize Call Prep

Prioritize call preparation by gathering relevant information and formulating key questions a week in advance.
This sets you up for successful customer interactions, even if the call doesn't go exactly as planned.

ADVICE

Clear Communication

Focus on clear action items and next steps within calls and in follow-up communications.
Use easily digestible formats like bullets and simple language, especially in emails.

INSIGHT

Customer-Centricity

Adopt a customer-centric approach by considering their perspective and needs, similar to how teachers adapt to students' learning styles.
This helps understand their business impact and tailor your approach accordingly.

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Summary

In this episode, Prash interviews Julie, a customer success manager at Dooly, a sales productivity tool. They discuss various aspects of the customer success role, including onboarding, contract renewals, and call cadence. Julie emphasizes the importance of prioritization, clear communication, and customer-centricity in her role. She also highlights the skills of prepping for calls, multi-threading in accounts, and reflecting on performance. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights into the tactical and actionable strategies for customer success. In this conversation, Julie and Prash discuss habits and routines for success as a customer success manager (CSM). Julie shares her morning routine, which includes working out, eating a solid breakfast, and engaging in activities like reading, journaling, and prayer. She also emphasizes the importance of taking breaks and going for walks throughout the day to recharge. Prash shares his own habits, such as working out with kettlebells and starting his day with coffee. They also discuss the importance of building relationships with the sales team and the best practices for collaboration between CSMs and sales reps. Julie and Prash reflect on their own failures and learning experiences, highlighting the importance of a growth mindset and continuous improvement. They end the conversation by sharing their recommendations for CSMs to connect with and learn from others in the industry.

Takeaways

Prioritization is crucial in the customer success role to avoid being pulled in multiple directions.
Clear communication, including framing emails with easily digestible information, is essential for effective customer engagement.
Prepping for calls in advance, including gathering relevant information and formulating key questions, sets the stage for successful customer interactions.
Multi-threading in accounts, involving key stakeholders early on, helps build relationships and ensures alignment throughout the customer journey.
Reflecting on performance and seeking feedback from managers can lead to continuous improvement in the customer success role. Establishing a morning routine that includes exercise, a nutritious breakfast, and activities like reading and journaling can set the tone for a successful day as a CSM.
Taking breaks and going for walks throughout the day can help recharge and prevent burnout.
Building relationships with the sales team is crucial for effective collaboration and understanding customer needs and pain points.
Learning from failures and adopting a growth mindset is essential for continuous improvement as a CSM.
Connecting with and learning from other CSMs in the industry can provide valuable insights and support.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Company Overview

08:13 Prioritization and 20% Input for 80% Output

14:15 Preparation for Calls and Effective Email Formatting

31:47 Building Relationships with Sales Teams

42:52 Improving Communication on Slack

Julie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieraeder/

Prash's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prashanthjothi/