The Growth Signal

CSMs are dead. AEs are dead. Account managers? Also dead. At least, that’s what your LinkedIn feed would have you believe. In this episode, Cinthia Silva breaks down why these roles are collapsing—and what’s replacing them. We dig into AI’s role in the chaos, the myth of clean CRMs, and why automating a broken process just speeds up the failure. From full-cycle sales to the future of service desks, Cinthia doesn’t hold back.3 Key Takeaways:Role consolidation is coming – BDRs, AEs, CSMs, and AMs are merging into fewer, full-cycle roles driven by AI, cost pressure, and customer expectations.AI won’t fix what’s broken – Automation only works if your underlying processes and data are clean. Otherwise, you’re just scaling dysfunction.Recurring impact drives recurring revenue – Strategic discovery and value delivery aren’t optional. They’re how you earn trust—and the renewal.

What if your customer feedback loop is actually making you miss the point? In this episode, Dan Ennis joins Alyssa to unpack why “listening at scale” has become a crutch for B2B teams...and what’s really getting lost in translation. From building customer-led programs at ServiceNow and SAP to advising startups on growth strategy, Dan shares why most organizations don’t have a listening problem - they have a thinking problem. If you’ve ever wondered why your voice-of-customer efforts feel like noise instead of insight, this one’s for you.Key Takeaways:Listening at scale often turns into passive data collection—real insight comes from intentional analysis.AI and automation are great, but they can’t replace the nuance of human interpretation and shared context.Customer growth isn't about fixing what's broken—it's about designing better questions from the start.

In this episode, Kristi Straw calls out the invisible forces holding mid-career women back...namely, corporate good girl conditioning and the culture of performative allyship. She shares how emotional intelligence can be learned (and why it’s often misunderstood), the red flags she watches for in coaching engagements, and the cost of building systems that serve companies instead of customers. Kristi also explains why your executive brand needs to sound like you, not like a brochure, especially in the age of AI. This is a no-BS conversation about power, perception, and the courage to lead differently.Key Takeaways:Corporate “good girl” conditioning is killing confidence, and emotional intelligence isn’t optional... it’s a power skill.EQ isn’t innate...it can be learned, but most executive leaders are still reacting instead of reflecting.In a world of AI noise, authentic personal brands outperform company pages every time.Connect with Kristi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kstrawmba/Connect with Alyssa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte/

When your product is only built for the loudest customers, you're not serving the business - you're reacting to noise. In this episode, Mary Migiano unpacks what it really means to build for scale, not exception. From her years in enterprise sales and operations, she’s seen how the wrong customer signals (and the wrong internal incentives) can derail even the best teams.We talk about how to move past internal politicking and shiny object syndrome, what it actually looks like to center your culture around outcomes, and the surprising leadership lessons you can learn from watching a kid learn to tie their shoes.If you’ve ever been caught between listening to customers and driving the business forward, this one’s for you.

What if the loudest signals your brand chases are the least valuable ones?In this episode, Christina Garnett—advisor, strategist, and community champion—joins Alyssa to unpack why brand loyalty isn’t built in campaign launches or viral moments. It’s built in quiet, consistent signals: how you show up when no one’s watching, how you treat the people already cheering for you, and whether your actions match your values.They dive into the emotional side of marketing, the misuse of community as a buzzword, and the dangerous gap between how brands want to be seen and how customers actually feel. Christina brings the fire—and the framework—for building deeper, more meaningful connections in a world obsessed with reach.Key Takeaways:Loyalty isn’t bought—it’s earned in the moments that seem “too small to matter”Community isn’t a campaign—it’s an outcome of trustMost brands don’t have a marketing problem—they have an empathy problem

AI can handle the busy work, but it can’t replace your brain.In this episode, Shelby Garlock joins Alyssa to talk about what customer success teams actually need: more curiosity, better boundaries, and the courage to stop playing order taker. They break down how to earn trust, show up as a strategic partner, and build real relationships even in high-volume, remote environments.Key Takeaways:AI is a tool, not a substitute – Use it to eliminate busy work, not to replace critical thinking.Stop taking orders – Asking good questions earns more trust than fast responses.Relationships require intention – In virtual settings, human connection doesn’t happen by accident.Key Moments:00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:15 Hot Take: Lack of Critical Thinking01:58 AI and Critical Thinking in the Workplace06:23 Order Takers vs. Consultants14:28 Building Trust and Team Dynamics21:22 Shelby's Origin Story25:09 Recommendations and Conclusion

This roundtable originally aired live on Thursday, June 12th. Let’s be honest—most customer health scores are useless. They’re lagging, biased, and based on signals that don’t actually predict renewals.In this roundtable, we ask the question out loud: should we kill the health score altogether?Guests LeeRon Yahalomi, Alyssa Opella, and Brian Hansen don’t hold back. They challenge the industry’s obsession with login data, expose how internal politics distort scoring models, and offer a smarter alternative—measuring outcomes, not check-ins.🔥 You’ll hear:Why “logins” are the weakest signal in your stackThe one question every CSM should be askingHow to arm your champion to win the budget fightIf your health score can’t predict revenue, it’s not a score—it’s a security blanket.

The sale doesn’t end at close...it starts at renewal.Matt Green joins Alyssa to talk about why teams need to own revenue or risk being replaced. They dig into what leaders are getting wrong about post-sales, how to upskill your team for the new reality, and why authentic relationships (not aggressive tactics) are the key to driving growth.Listen in if you're ready to build a revenue team that closes deals, not just tickets.Key Takeaways:Customer Success is shifting from a support function to a revenue driver. Teams that don’t adapt risk being left behind.Renewals are the real sale. Retention and expansion are where long-term growth happens.Success in post-sales now requires sales skills. CS pros need training in storytelling, negotiation, and multithreading to thrive.Key Moments:00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:16 Hot Take: Customer Success Teams Owning Revenue Quotas 01:49 The Shift in Customer Success Mindset 03:34 Training and Development for Revenue Roles 07:21 Evaluating and Transitioning Teams 11:40 Investment in Skills and Competency Training 14:29 The Importance of Renewals and Customer Retention 19:24 AI and the Future of Revenue Teams 20:49 Personal Motivation and Industry Leaders 21:50 Building Authentic Customer Relationships 25:25 Conclusion and Contact Information

AI isn’t a strategy, it’s a tool. And too many companies are slapping it on products no one asked for. In this episode, customer experience strategist Sam Chandler joins Alyssa to call out the echo chamber of half-baked AI rollouts and explore what customers (actually) want. They dive into the difference between artificial and augmented intelligence, how to avoid automating your way out of your own differentiator, and why empathy, not efficiency, is still your best competitive edge.If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at another “AI-powered” pitch, this one’s for you.Key Moments:AI isn’t the value...solving real problems is. Customers don’t care how you fix their issue, just that you do. Slapping “AI” on a solution without a thoughtful design or adoption strategy does more harm than good.Empowered humans still matter. The best AI makes people better at their jobs, not obsolete. Augmented intelligence (like giving support reps instant context) drives better outcomes than bots pretending to be human.You can’t automate your way out of bad CX. When companies rush to replace empathy with efficiency, they lose loyalty. Real trust is built through small, intentional moments and no AI can fake that.Key Moments:00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Episode00:49 Hot Take: The AI Product Dilemma01:58 The Evolution and Misconceptions of AI04:37 Consumer Trust and AI Adoption Challenges06:22 Empowering Employees and Enhancing Customer Experience16:21 The Role of AI in Augmenting Human Intelligence25:06 Building Brand Loyalty Through Exceptional Customer Service30:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts//Welcome to The Growth Signal, where we’re throwing out the old playbooks, and reimagining the future of customer relationships.Connect with Alyssa on LinkedInConnect with Amber on LinkedInApply to be a Guest at TheGrowthSignal.com

Everyone says they care about customer experience but most companies stop at the annual survey. In this episode, Emma Sopadjieva joins Alyssa Nolte to break down what it really takes to turn customer experience into a revenue-driving strategy. They talk about why CX is a team sport, how to move past vanity metrics, and what happens when sales, legal, finance, and product finally get on the same page. Emma shares how she builds CX strategy teams from the ground up, what most companies get wrong about incentives, and why "fixing the ow" isn’t enough...you also need to bring the wow. If you’ve ever been tasked with improving customer experience but weren’t given the power (or budget) to do anything meaningful, this one’s for you.About Emma Sopadjieva:Emma Sopadjieva leads Customer Experience Strategy at Samsara, the trusted leader in connected operations, where she equips teams with the insights and tools to deliver standout “wow!” moments for customers. With over 20 years of experience in CX strategy and business consulting, Emma has built a career helping some of the world’s largest organizations turn customer feedback into action. She is a main stage speaker at leading CX conferences, a frequent guest on top-charted podcasts, and her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, and Forbes. Prior to Samsara, she led Customer Experience Insights and Operations at ServiceNow, and held leadership roles at Eventbrite and Medallia guiding Fortune 500 companies to elevate their customer experience. Emma began her career in consulting and forensic accounting at Deloitte, working across New York, Madrid, and London.Key Takeaways:Customer experience is everyone’s job – From sales to legal to finance, every team impacts how customers feel.Insights without action are just noise – Real CX strategy ties feedback to business metrics and drives measurable change.Quick wins build trust, but long-term strategy wins loyalty – Balancing short-term momentum with lasting impact is essential.Key Moments:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:22 Emma's Hot Take on Customer Experience 00:45 The Role of Sales in Customer Experience 01:26 Company-Wide Impact on Customer Experience 04:13 Financial Metrics and Customer Experience 06:40 Challenges in Customer Experience Strategy 08:18 Building a Customer Experience Strategy Team 08:49 Long-Term vs. Short-Term Customer Experience Goals 12:12 Listening Programs and Customer Journey Mapping 15:34 Actionable Insights and KPIs 23:25 Current Projects and Future Goals 26:49 Empowering Employees for Customer Experience 29:10 Final Thoughts and Contact InformationWelcome to The Growth Signal, where we’re throwing out the old playbooks, and reimagining the future of customer relationships.Connect with Alyssa on LinkedInConnect with Amber on LinkedInApply to be a Guest at TheGrowthSignal.com