LEARN Podcast

Let’s be real. Retention rates are at an all-time low. So, in a world where you have to do more with less, how do you still service the same customer base and prevent churn? “You can't apply high-touch one-on-one CSM strategies to everything. And so you absolutely have to, right? So products, I think, like the one that you're working on, is an incredible solution—one avenue to drive customer education. If people don't understand how to use the mission-critical moments of impact we call in the product, then you are going to lead to churn,” says Kevin Chiu, Co-Founder & COO, Catalyst. In our latest episode of LEARN, Kevin Chiu joins Ted to take a deep dive into customer-led growth (CLG) and where customer education comes into play. Additionally, they discuss customer operations and where to invest so you can grow your business. Tune in to hear Kevin’s key frameworks around: CS prioritization and infrastructure for customer-led growthComp plans, renewals, and the evolution of the CSS roleLeveraging Customer Education for business growthCheck out this episode to learn more about customer-led growth and how to make a big impact on your customer base. Listen on your favorite podcast app.

“Marketing creates demand, and then you hire a bunch of SDRs to generate opportunities, and then you hire a bunch of early to mid-career AEs to take those opportunities and turn them into revenue. And that's all supposed to yield results in a compelling way. It’s working less and less. Only 28% of reps are hitting quota right now. This means one out of three is hitting quota, and two out of three are not. Two-thirds of the money we spend is not productive,” says Sam. “So, how do you think about more efficient investments, more effective investments so that you can generate better returns? That's the conversation.”Tune in to hear Sam explore: His fundamental business philosophies.More efficient and effective investments to generate better returns.Techniques that have shaped the growth of Pavillion’s thriving community. And more. Take a listen and gain valuable insights!P.S. Don’t forget to Subscribe to LEARN so you never miss an episode! And please leave a review.

“When someone gives you feedback, the first thing to say in your head is, they care about me. And when you change that mindset, and you put yourself on the receive mode versus the defensive mode,” shares L. David Kingsley. “Hard mindset shift because, again, many of us grew up not being taught how to take feedback because we thought that meant we were doing something wrong. It's actually an affirmation of how much that person or that company, or that organization cares about us.”Tune in to hear L. David Kingsley shed light on: The role of creating a feedback culture and business impactHow HR is a trusted advisor to the executive team and business partnerWhy People teams need to rethink L&D and the ROI for company growth Plus, more. Take a listen on your favorite podcast app.

“I called it MVR. It's a monthly value review. I made it up, but it was essentially creating a notion document, like a template you sent to the customer every month to remind them when the renewal is, what the general sentiment is, what their goals are, and what the progress is to control. You're constantly communicating value to the customer every month. So they're reminded that you're providing them a value, which is a good starting point for shrinking it from quarterly to monthly.”Additionally, Jamie chats with Ted about: Ways to scale and automate your CSThe importance of getting creative with customer communicationThe lessons he learned while growing VitallyPlus, more.Tune in our your favorite podcast app!

“It's easy for an employee to expect the company to deliver the next step, and certainly, the company has a responsibility to play. But I like this concept that we're on a road trip, and you, as the employee, are in the driver's seat, and I'm your co-pilot. I'm right there with you. I have a map. I have a few options like, "Hey, maybe we go here or here. You can take this route or that route. But you're driving. I'm not driving." And it should always be that dynamic. Again, that just puts the right mindset around your development.”Tune in to this episode to gain insights on:Marta's framework for recruiting and recognizing top-tier talentThe importance of curiosity and how individuals drive their career plansUnderstanding the People function as an extension of the CEO's roleLeveraging the power of AI for HR teamsDon't miss out on this empowering conversation! Listen now.

“We knew that we wanted to invest in a learning management system. We wanted to ensure that the experience wasn't just like, ‘OK, I have to watch these videos and read all this content.’ It needed to be this balance of an interactive and gamified experience. And how do we make sure that we can do it in a way that, you know, people want to learn and get excited? And so we came up with this theme called Split Arcade. We have seen just great interaction and feedback from our customers in terms of using it. We've also spent and saved hundreds of hours of CS CSM time. We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of sessions and actions people take within Split. And so it's been, it's been a great initiative.” Tune in to hear Christina discuss: Her framework for a successful customer journey strategy & scaling CS How she mapped our Split Arcade and the ROI of customer educationHow motherhood helped shape her leadership skills & work-life balance Don’t miss out on this fascinating conversation! Listen now.ResourcesChristina SinghSplitPodcast: How I Built ThisTed Blosser WorkRamp

“In SaaS, switching costs are much easier. And so there's a lot more worth that has to happen on the customer success side too, again, ensure value high, high-value use cases, etc. So a lot of what we do is focus on doing our best to measure customer health. And you can think of health from a vendor's perspective as a value from a customer's perspective. So if I believe, you as a customer, are deriving great value from Box, I will give you a high health score. If I think you're not deriving great value, you will have a low health score. So the battle for us is less about, we've gotta fend off these competitors all the time. Really, if you think about it proactively, our job is just to deliver as much value as we possibly can.”Tune in to hear Jon discuss: His three-part framework for an effective CS programThe importance of positioning yourself as part of the product ecosystem for customersHow to scale CS and pivot to an automated-first systemDiscover how customer success teams can create a remarkable customer journey, driving real business value and solving crucial business challenges.

“If there's one thing you can get very, very good at, especially in L&D or maybe areas where it's not a direct sales, right? I'm like, okay, what have you done for me lately? Kind of thing. What is the ROI here? You've got to be incredibly good at your storytelling. So you've got to paint the picture for people. You've got to enroll them. They need to become champions for you. Here's what we're doing. Here's why this is important. Here's how you're gonna be involved. This is how I'm gonna enroll you. This is how you're gonna influence your amazing people that you've taken this time to hire, right? And this is what's going to happen from those programs, and this is where we're going, and this is what the roadmap is. So you've gotta become an incredible marketer.”During the episode, you'll hear about Kat's experiences with: Stitch Fix and Box and how her love for music and Burning Man helped her thrive. The secret sauce for hiring and developing exceptional talent and building community within an organization. What it takes to maintain a unique culture when companies go public.Join us for this exciting episode to gain insights and inspiration from a true innovator in the startup space.

“We look at moments of an employee experience, a moment is they're onboarding. A moment is, I just got promoted to leader. And so, let's do some leadership development. And these are really important. They're real-time relevant, upskilling, and support moments that matter. Also, movement matters.” Tune in to hear Marie share her expertise and valuable guidance on:Building a strong sense of community when teams are globally remote and hybrid. Discover how Getty Images embraces the challenge and creates a unified culture.The three pillars that drive a continuous learning culture at Getty Images. Find out how they foster an environment where curiosity and growth are celebrated.Her secret sauce to hiring and developing exceptional talent. Marie shares her invaluable strategies for identifying and nurturing individuals contributing to the organization's success.

“The thing that I really learned is that the whole sales tech stack is fascinating. Some companies have too many tools, spending too much and not getting any value out of them. And there are ones on the other side who really don’t have much of anything and are definitely not getting any value out of it. So how can we provide value and services to those CROs so you’re looking out the front windshield as opposed to the rearview mirror.” Tune in to hear Randy Seidl, Founder of Sales Community, discuss the following:His coaching philosophy, which helps individuals become the best sales professionalQuestions you should ask yourself before making any career decisionsHow to leverage sales tools to be successfulAnd more. ResourcesRandy SeidlSales CommunityAmity VenturesBook recommendations: Your Go-To Sales Advisor Trillion Dollar CoachTed Blosser WorkRamp