David Brady

CSM, here are 28 reasons to be thankful for in 2024: 1- AI tools are reducing administrative grunt work 🤖 2- CEOs understanding the importance of retention 💡 3- Predictive analytics are getting much more robust 🔮 4- Remote work expanding global CS opportunities 🌐 5- Retention metrics at board-level conversations 📉 6- The flywheel is overtaking the funnel as a GTM engine 🤲 7- Measuring Customer Outcomes is a top priority for CS 📊 8- Automation is handling repetitive customer interactions 🤖 9- Salary ranges for CSMs are becoming more competitive 💰 10- Customer health scoring is more sophisticated than ever ❤️ 11- There are so many learning programs for CS professionals 🎓 12- More companies budget for professional CS development 🏆 13- Customer feedback loops are faster and more transparent 🔄 14- More start-ups are tackling CS challenges and opportunities 🚀 15- Diversity and inclusion are improving in CS leadership roles 🌈 16- Tech stacks are becoming more integrated and user-friendly 💻 17- Executive leadership values emotional intelligence more now 🤝 18- CSM burnout prevention is getting more leadership attention 🧘‍♀️ 19- Technology is making personalization easier and more effective 🎯 20- The first CRM that supports the CSM work launched (HubSpot) 🧡 21- The skills learned in CS are highly transferable across industries 🌍 22- We're finally unifying the data to tailor the customer experience 🏅 23- The job market for CS professionals is showing genuine recovery 📈 24- The CS community is more supportive and collaborative than ever 🤙 25- Customer success is recognized as a revenue-generating function 💸 26- Networking opportunities have expanded through digital platforms 💻 27- Learning resources for CS professionals are abundant and accessible 📚 28- The stigma around customer success as a "nice to have" is disappearing 🔥 Customer Success is growing and it's becoming better. Despite the hurdles, there’s nowhere else I'd rather be. Who's ready for another revolution around the sun, making a real impact? Let’s go! - 📧 Join thousands of others learning to ace their CS roles by subscribing to my newsletter. (link below) #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #CustomerExperience #CSM #revops

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Tired of switching between tabs to get the account insights you need? We’ve all been there — jumping between tools, updating reports, and searching for data that isn't in your CRM. It’s time to bring everything together. Chris Zantek shares how ZoomInfo Copilot empowers sellers to: ✅ Access real-time buying signals right in your CRM ✅ Update your CRM with a single click ✅ Get a complete view of your target accounts — all in one place Book a demo to see how ZoomInfo Copilot can streamline your workflows: bit.ly/49566au #ZoomInfoCopilot

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Love these tips from Daphne to stop CSM’s being reactive and start being proactive

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If you are a #CSM then ask yourself this question every morning when you start work: "Why...?" And no...it is NOT: "Why...am I here?" 😅 As every CSM or #CS leader knows - every day in CS is a busy one. You have a long to-do list. Many KPIs to hit. Customers reaching out. Leaders asking you for things. Meetings back-to-back. It's easy to get overwhelmed. It is even easier to get distracted. And almost impossible to optimize your time. That is where "Why?" comes into the picture. When you start your day (or finish the previous day): 📆 Look at what you have on the calendar 📋 Look at your inevitable to-do list 📲 Look at your meetings for the day 🕺🏽 Look at how much "free" time you have that day Now consider your short-term goals & KPIs: weekly/monthly And consider your medium-term goals & KPIs: Quarterly/qualitative Here is where you ask yourself, "Why?" - Why should I spend time on this activity? - Why is that meeting important (or how to make it important)? - Why is this task at the top of my list? - Why, why, why... If the answer does not include something in line with..."because it best helps me get to this goal or KPI"...then you probably should not prioritize it. The reality in CS is that you never have enough time. There is always more. You can even spend TOO much time on GOOD activities. So don't waste it. Ask "why?". And maximize each day. *** 🛎️ If you enjoy my content, follow me for more ♻️ Repost to share with your network #CS #customersuccess #accountmanagement #timemanagement #csvalue #revsetter

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Your Founding AE Will Make or Break Your Business—Ignoring Their Product-Market Fit Feedback? That’s a Fast Track to Failure Hiring a founding AE isn’t just about “filling a role”—it’s a high-stakes decision that can make or break your company. Think of them as your lifeline to the market. They’re not just selling; they’re the ones gathering real-time feedback on your Product-Market Fit (PMF), and ignoring their insights is like throwing away a roadmap to success. Here’s why their feedback isn’t optional—it’s critical: - They Know the Brutal Truth About Your Product - They’ll Define Success, Whether You Like It or Not - Scaling Without Their Insights? Good Luck - Competitive Intelligence You Can’t Afford to Ignore - Their Wins Validate Your Business Model The Harsh Truth: Ignoring Your Founding AE Is Self-Sabotage Your founding AE isn’t “just” a salesperson; they’re your closest connection to the market. Ignoring their insights on PMF is actively sabotaging your potential. Let their feedback guide you—it could be the difference between sustainable growth and an expensive lesson in what not to do.

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This concept came up at the awesome update ai design session. What is CSM drunk dialing? Only contacting your customers when you need something: - Renewals - References - Expansions You get the drift. Your customers see RIGHT THRU this. They will only take so much of your shenanigans before they kick you to the curb. What proactive activities are you doing so that your customer does not feel like an afterthought?

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It all starts with getting your company values right.

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Looking to expand your territory and crush your quota? 👊 In this episode of In Your Corner, our CEO and Founder, Henry Schuck, shows how enterprise account executives can identify new accounts to target in just a few clicks. Using ZoomInfo's Advanced Search, sellers can easily find accounts within their territory that aren't existing customers and connect with contacts who are most likely to engage. Watch below to see how it works. ⬇️

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Testing out a few business-to-business (B2B) database and intelligence platforms like Zoominfo Anyone have suggestions for more cost effective options? I understand you get what you pay for, just curious if people have success with other tools!! #B2B #Coldcalling

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There’s something special about not just getting our Sales Dev team together but the whole GTM org in person once a quarter at Lattice. A pipeline opportunity created or a closed won hits different when you actually get to smash the gong (pun intended 😉) So why am I even more stoked on the future at Lattice after this week? ✨Sarah Franklin shared her vision for our product and how to bring it to market. When I see features that I KNOW will make my life easier as a people leader, I can only imagine how amp’d our buyers will be! ✨PMM laid out some stunning new positioning and I am giddy about writing new talk tracks for our calls (thank you Ross Gordon and others for the fuel!!) ✨We got a preview of our quarterly product release that’s dropping next week. 20+ new features!! It’s so much fun to sell for a company that is innovating. Thank you Kerry Wheeler and Amaury Sablon for kicking off the fun. ✨Gabrielle “GB” Blackwell ran her first BDR training for our team. The best advice I’ve gotten is hire leaders that are better than you #ironsharpensiron. Her outbound sales skills are out of this 🌎 and I can’t wait to see where she will take the entire sales team with her insights #gtmstrategy #salesdevelopment #hrtech

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How to Scale Your Marketing Team from 1 to 5 – Without Blowing Your Payroll🚀 Hiring the right roles at the right time and in the right order can make or break your growth. Here’s a roadmap to guide you: Hit these revenue milestones first: $500K ARR: Start with a Demand Generation Specialist. This role ensures you have a steady stream of leads and campaigns are managed efficiently. At this stage, you're setting the foundation for consistent inbound interest. $1M ARR: Consider a Content Marketer or Product Marketer. A content marketer can boost SEO and organic reach if you generate leads but need to amplify messaging and educate your audience. A product marketer is ideal if your offering is complex, aligning your product’s benefits with what resonates in the market. $3M - $5M ARR: Introduce a Paid Acquisition Expert. With a higher budget, you’ll get the most out of paid acquisition, scaling existing funnels, and optimizing CAC. It’s essential if you’re aiming to grow top-line revenue more aggressively. $5M - $7M ARR: Add a Lifecycle Marketer to build lead nurturing and retention strategies. At this level, customer retention and lifetime value start to drive profitability, and nurturing is critical. Watch for these signals to grow your team: • Lead volume plateauing – If you’re hitting a wall, it’s time for fresh perspectives on lead gen. • Ad spend efficiency dropping – Specialized roles can improve ad performance and CAC. • Demand for new content – Content marketers boost SEO, organic reach, sales enablement, and trust. Be strategic in scaling. Hiring too soon drains the budget. Hiring too late leaves growth on the table. P.S. At what revenue point are you planning your next marketing hire? #marketingstrategy #marketing #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #revenue

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If you're an AE with a large territory, here’s how to maximize your impact and income: Try this: 1. Have an open conversation with your manager 2. Think like a CEO vs an Individual Contributor 3. Obsess about learning from your MOST innovative customer 4. Develop a distinct POV that’s centered around executive legacy 5. Design your calendar in a purposeful way Swipe through the carousel for more details → Click repost ♻ if this was helpful. 🐝

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Your Sales to CS handoff process needs work. Call Comcast and you'll get a full lesson in how not to treat customers. Ask them to go through a bunch of prompts and repeat the issue 20x before speaking to an agent. You are probably thinking: well our process isn't THAT bad. Are you sure? I bet your process looks something like this: 1. Someone submits a lead or responds to an outbound message (information sharing 1) 2. A BDR follows up to qualify them and set a meeting (person 1, information sharing 2) 3. An AE sets up a Discovery meeting (person 2, information sharing 3) 4. 60-90 day sales cycle (information sharing 4-5) 5. Closed won, handed to implementation for 30 days (person 3, information sharing 6) 6. Moved over to CS (person 4, information sharing 7) Imagine the frustration customers have when they have to share the same info (company information, business problems, etc.) 7 times to 4 different people. It sucks! I had a great time talking about the broken handoff processes in SaaS with Cory Pitt on the Wiser AI podcast.

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CSM Comp - Milestone Velocity Bonuses Another way to do it is velocity. So how quickly are we moving them through these milestones? Remember it's a progress milestone. So if I can move customers through those faster, that doesn't mean that we're. We're skipping steps. It doesn't mean that we are doing things poorly. It's actual progress. So if we're able to move them, especially as we move into progress milestones that are more customer centric the milestones in the early days in onboarding they're more what we call, there's there's technical and administrative milestones. And as you move towards customer centric milestones, you get into operational and tactical and strategic. Those are so much more meaningful to the customer because they're they're customer centric. And if customers are making changes on their side through the use of our product, it's impacting their business in a meaningful way. That's great. And if we can do that at a faster clip. That's awesome. And so you can bonus on the velocity of those things. #CustomerSuccess

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I'm not going to say "Google is dead," but... it ain't what it used to be. We all know it. That's why content leaders need to find better ways to surface relevant content for potential buyers. Leaning on our Sales team as a content distribution channel is one of the things that Vitally.io is getting better at by necessity. Our SDRs use our interactive tools and reports to start conversations. Our AEs use the insights in our guides and articles to beat down objections and position themselves as expert advisors. And it's all been incredibly effective, even if you can't always measure the impact as precisely as you can measure organic search clicks. At the end of the day, content teams exist to make the sales process easier. Everything else is a vanity metric. Thanks again to Nate Turner for the great conversation, and listen to the whole thing at https://lnkd.in/gfcPzu5F

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🏄‍♂️ Scott Leese has a great take on this. Too often I’m seeing RevOps people tout proudly complex comp plans and thinking that it’s ok. Where are we on this? Are there truly products that are too complicated or sales cycles that are so complex that having a quant wizard workbook is warranted to pay your salespeople? When I was interviewing, many members even in Pavilion within the RevOps community, had an air of accomplishment in their structure being so complex that it would take a full onboarding to even understand why the structure was the way it was. I’m open to being called wrong, but I’m 100% in agreement that if the comp plan is too complicated, it sucks, and it’s broken. Having been under many comp plans myself, you easily build distrust if transparency isn’t available and plans designed by people who have never been on a variable comp structure often reflect this. It’s not chutes and ladders, or cones of dunshire, or “who was the best mathlete”, it’s how people pay their mortgage, feed their kids, and live their lives. #revenue #operations #sales #revops #enablement #compensation

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If you’re doing outbound sales, start at the top. If you catch the attention of the C-Suite, and they forward your email because they don’t have time… the recipient (likely the actual decision maker) will feel more obligated to get a demo. Think about it: How many times have you demoed software because YOU replied to a sales email? -versus- How many times have you demoed software because your boss or your boss’s boss forwarded you an email and said “can you look into this software?” - You feel obligated to get at least look into it and probably get a demo. #B2BSales #B2BMarketing

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What is the optimal fractional workload? 30 hours per week is the number I hear most often in my conversations with fractional execs. The rationale? 30 hours provides a good amount of “buffer” when a customer requires more support. Those that seem to get into a little trouble have their utilization maxed from go, without room for error. So when one company needs a little more “air support,” which inevitably will happen, the engagement bleeds into other projects or their personal lives- either of which is no bueno. The above also underscores the importance of setting expectations early (i.e. when you are available and when you are not). 

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When was the last time the CSM for a product you use reached out to you for any of the following reasons: 1) to inquire about a role on your website that you're hiring for, and ask if they could maybe send any candidates your way 2) to congratulate you / your team on top notch usage or milestones of the product 3) for a heads up that they sent you a small gift in the mail through Sendoso just cuz... 4) to recognize you / your company around positive news / PR / award recently won 5) to reference a recent post you made on linkedin + share their thoughts on it 6) with a suggestion or recommendation to another vendor you might consider using, based on the needs you have expressed within your business Perhaps the really really good CSMs have engaged in this sort of interaction with you recently. But I'm assuming you are not on the recieiving end of it very often. Any CSM can send an email at 90 / 180 days to do a check-in / QBR, and share some sort of usage report. and YES, that's a critical part of the role. But if you really want to establish better relationships with clients, set aside the CSM checklist now and then, and engage human to human. Friends, this is a huge unlock for CSMs - leading to stronger relationships, generating better responsiveness from clients, increasing ability to multi thread, and positioning your service to be "taken with" if your POC leaves for another company. If my CSM interacts with me in some of the ways above, I view them as a partner (not a vendor) and thus... -when they wanna do a QBR, I inherently agree -when they reach out, I respectfully reply post haste -when they ask for a referral, I strongly consider it -when they inquire about agreed upon implementation / adoption milestones, I'm accountable. PS - this type of work does NOT have to require lots of time. If you're smart with alerts / zaps / time blocking, you can gather the info you need on your book of accounts with ease, and then spend the meat of your time in thoughtful, personal engagement.

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