Greg Peña

This is solid advice for CSM’s who feel “awkward” around selling. I recommended a new product to a customer this week and they stopped me mid sentence and asked, “Why are you recommending this to us?” (Before I had a chance to get there) I told them how the product fit for their end users, how it would save them time and money and shared an ROI calculation. They were appreciative that I understood their business enough to bring them new products that can save them time and money and improve their end user experience. Win/win. CSM’s should never shy away from commercial responsibility because I think we make some of the best “selling” decisions for our customers.

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How Brian, an Underpaid CSM, Landed a 77K role in 6 weeks (without networking) Brian was a: • California native • Passionate Customer Success Manager • Stuck in a role, underpaid, bored and undervalued      Despite his dedication and skill set, he wasn’t where he wanted to be in his career. But: • Struggled to stand out in the final rounds of interviews. • Felt stuck in a job that didn’t challenge or reward him. • Was losing motivation after repeated rejections. When another opportunity slipped through his fingers, Brian knew he needed a change. So he reached out and we got our Bic lighters and began our F.I.R.E framework 🔥 We: • Completely rewrote his resume to showcase his skills and achievements. • Revamped his cover letter to build a strong pipeline of interview opportunities. • Reignited his confidence, showing him that he could land a job with the right tools. • Worked closely on mock presentations to perfect his pitch for the final rounds. • Leveraged our auto-apply tool and two job boards to streamline his applications. Things started moving fast. Brian is a rockstar who takes action quickly. He started landing interviews almost immediately and made it to the final rounds. His confidence came roaring back. It was incredible to witness. 5 Final rounds secured. We put in the work to prepare him: • Perfecting his slides • Sharpening his talk tracks • Providing resources for research • Equipping him to handle any objections Then we did it. The offer. • 77K base • 30K bonus • Full benefits day 1 • 401K match This is the outcome that I live for. And when you work with me: 1. You aren’t just a number (that’s why I only take 5 clients a month) 2. You get up-to-date insights from a CSM who 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 works in the field daily 3. You get my full attention and knowledge customized to your needs 4. Your in a slack group with others, not on your own. So if you are a CSM who: • Cannot land a job offer • Needs to reignite their confidence • Wants to close the deal in the final stages • Is open to being coached by an 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 CSM I’ll work with you to get a remote CSM role. DM me “𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻” and I’ll send you the details or check out my featured profile section and sign up (3 spots left for October) 💘 Ready to LEVEL up ? --> https://lnkd.in/esffe-Y4

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What's a fair salary for a CSM? Last week Noah Little blew the CS corner of the internet with a hot take that CSMs should be paid like sales reps. Needless to say, when it comes to money, the more the merrier. 🤑 But should CSMs and Sales Reps be paid in the same "structure"? Probably not... Different roles and different tasks, therefore different comp structures. So instead of comparing ourselves to sales, we need to be able to: 1- compare ourselves to the rest of the industry 2- align the comp of the CSM to the revenue it generates That's how we fight for more of the pie. The issue is that if you are in Europe, it's really hard to get good salary data to even start this process. That's why I partnered with some of the top CS brands in Europe to collate a survey that helps us understand our local salary landscape. The report will help: - Leaders design fair and equitable compensation packages - CS Professionals benchmark their offers and salaries Link to answer the survey is in the comments section! #csm #customersuccess #salary #compensation #growthmindset

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Hot take: the success strategy behind retaining customers is no different than dating. You have to be intentional, curious, and kind. If you show up to the first date asking how much money they have and how much they’re willing to spend…. good for you! ….But you might not get a second date, and you might have trouble with others. Customer Success is no different. Studies have shown that three in five Americans describe themselves as lonely, and I believe that is due to the transactional nature of many of our conversations. So, how do we change this in our working relationships? It’s easy, you just have to start asking questions. How are you doing today? Did you do anything fun this weekend? What kinds of things do you enjoy doing? These are baseline questions that can lead to wonderful conversations, solidifying retention lasting outside the work landscape. Here’s proof: On occasion, Catherine Weissert would show up to our 1:1s with no agenda, instead utilizing the time to catch up; to build rapport. Maybe we could have cancelled our topic-less meetings, but maybe these conversations would be the thing that contributed to a great relationship, lasting years. I have taken that experience with me throughout my entire career, hoping that I can make someone’s day a little better, no matter the title. If there’s nothing else I do in this world, I hope I can at least achieve that. So, how are y’all doing today?

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When your org doesn't think there's value in CS, they might as well be an ulting Genji screaming "I need healing" while CS is Mercy in the corner getting dogpiled on. 💀 (Videogame references will resonate with SOMEONE, my people won't let me down!) "Our product is awesome, our customers just don't know how good it is!" I wonder if there's maybe a team of people you could hire to make sure customers can see the value of your product... "We're doing great, churn is minimal, but our customers can't connect the dots between our features and their system." If only there was a group of people dedicated to connecting the dots for your customers... "We have happy customers but our sales are down because we can't get reviews or referrals!" I wish there was a team dedicated to finding advocates for your product that could give your sales team strong referrals with a higher-than-average conversion rate... "When we reach out to our customers, no one responds. They're all too busy!" In a world (not so) far far away, there were professionals dedicated to multi-threading relationships and connecting your team to the right people on the customer's side... I could go on. When your customer succeeds, they invest in your solution continually, not just when they first buy. They bring in post-sales revenue. That can be by referring other potential customers, participating in success studies, or with their actual money by paying you more, to name a few. If only there was a team dedicated specifically to a customer's success with your product and owning the post-sales revenue... 🤔

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Your customers are not responding you ? That's because they are damn busy and, if not delivering value, it is not worth to interact with you. Check out the below recommendations, specially # 3 and #5 #customersuccess #value

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How Markus, a 6 month unemployed CSM got a $120K role in 8 weeks (without networking) Markus was a: 1. Las Vegas CSM 2. Recently married 3. Lived on 1000 Acre farm 4. Enterprise level experienced Unemployed for 6 months and counting He was searching by himself before we worked together. • Changing his resume before every job he applied for • He felt lost among the endless pool of job applicants. • Interview responses didn’t convey a confident CSM. Nothing was working and time was running out. He was at he breaking point, both mentally and financially, when he sought my help. We gathered the tinder and set the FIRE framework ablaze. 🔥 • Rewrote his entire resume to show his achievements • Smashed his limiting beliefs that he can't get a new job • Overhauled his linkedin to be appealing to recruiters • Told him to stop networking and wasting time • Worked on his talk tracks for his interviews • Leveraged 2 custom job boards • Used our automated apply tool • Spoke on slack to support him The traction for interviews was picking up fast. He was getting interviews every single day. AND he was progressing to the next round for most of them. He made it to 4 final interview rounds. Even had one with a CEO who refused to turn on his camera. Got rejected from 3 of the 4 final rounds. But the last one. Victory! He got it. The goal we were searching for. • Remote Role • $120,000 USD • Benefits day 1 too • Promised growth opportunities So if you are a CSM who has lost their confidence and: • Looking to work with a real CSM and SaaS recruiter • Think that networking is as outdated as Joe Biden • Want to use my auto-apply tool and 2 job boards • Be part of a community with other CSM job seekers • Prefer to work with a proven coach, not a guru. • Open to receiving direct feedback I’ll work with you to get a remote CSM job. 👇 DM me “Markus” and I’ll send you the details (2/6 spots gone) Or check out my featured section and sign up for the October group!

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Last month, my CSM client (almost) got job scammed on LinkedIn -3 rounds of interviews -Negotiated her salary -Felt so excited But something was off. They wanted her passport. What employer asks for a passport? The scammers screwed up, thankfully. This is why I tell people to be cautious Use a job board that is vetted with verified roles and companies and updated often. That’s why I created the No BS CSM Job Boards: -Updated Daily -Can search by company -Jobs are directly from company pages -USA, Canada, and UK -Remote, Hybrid, and In-person roles. It costs less than A Big Mac Meal (and it won’t kill you) Get it here: https://lnkd.in/dUYXuMYG

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Cancel your customer calls Yeah I said it. You're wasting your time. Okay not always obvs - but cancel or reschedule non-productive calls. This goes beyond "this meeting could have been an email" and this is for those calls where you KNOW nothing is going to get done. If you know for a fact that you are about to waste your time with someone that "just hasn't had the bandwidth" AND there's no plan to change that, get your time back, respect yourself, and build some credibility by saying no. When you start saying "no" you will get more yes's (yesses?) that matter #customersuccess #sales #projectmanagement #rant

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Everyone thinks it's easy to become a CSM Here’s your reality check: It’s not Despite what the “Top 100 CSM influencers” tell you. I never knew what a CSM was until 2019. And I think most of you never knew about it either. There is a lot of buzz around this role. Too many #LinkedIn influencers (who aren’t even CSM’s) tell you: -Send proactive DM’s and LinkedIn messages to companies   -All you need to do is network to become a CSM -Make sure to put numbers on your resume -“All teachers can become a CSM” (not knocking teachers, my wife is one) There is a lack of understanding of what the role is: 1. You are the one who will get a call at midnight on a Tuesday 2. You are the one who has to deal with an angry client 4. You are responsible for massive company revenue. 5. You are relied upon 7 days a week. 6. You are on call if needed. 7. You are not 9-5, ever. This is not a rainbows and butterflies role. This is hard, demanding, emotionally draining WORK. Are there amazing benefits? Yes. -Work remotely -6 figure salary -Great benefits But it comes at a cost. -I’ve seen people take months off of this role to rest -I’ve seen countless peers burnout only to change careers -I’ve seen tech companies lay off their entire CSM department -I’ve seen under-performers fired who have families to support All that is to say. If this is something you want. As in you will be truly, unstoppable. Ask yourself: What is your “WHY”? What is going to motivate you throughout the: -Ghosting -99% Rejection -The 5 interview rounds -A QBR you spent hours on -An offer that gets taken away There is so much “you got this” on LinkedIn Not enough authenticity. If I made you angry this morning. Good. At least I told you the truth.

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

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The End of Week Update 🔢 The Numbers 20 - Applications sent into the wild. 5 - Politely declined (they don't know what they're missing!)   2 - Roles vanished (filled or eliminated—poof!)   2 - Interviews down, and I’m just getting started. 1 - Interview on the horizon. 1 - “Interested” (I guess we'll see what that means soon 🤔) 🏠 On the Home Front: We're getting creative with budget cuts as we prep for what might be a longer intermission. But, silver linings abound! Had some fantastic chats with four different recruiters. One of them, an old friend, dropped some sage wisdom my way—much appreciated. Kids full week of school in the books. The amazing wife taking on some extra hours to help as much as possible. 🎙️ Creative Corner: Social media and podcasts are coming together nicely, and I’m gearing up to dive into video content soon. It has been fun, all the skills that I am picking up and really getting a good look at the AI landscape vs full on localized recording, editing and publishing. All of you marketing and creatives out there get a real level of respect from me going forward. Stay tuned for the fun and catch me at https://lnkd.in/eCGt7x87! #JobSearch #UnemployedLife #CareerJourney #Resilience #StayPositive #VideoContent #RecruiterAdvice #NewOpportunities #SocialMediaJourney

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One of the most annoying parts of #CustomerSuccess is having to manage a #Portfolio with a high number of customers that are #Unresponsive. Trust me, if you show them that you can drive value for them, this will change! To drive this value, you have to think like them- as #BusinessPartners!

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Accidentally texting the wrong person? Happens to the best of us. But what if it happens at work and you risk losing a client or candidate? Too scary to even imagine! But worry not. We got your back. Recruit CRM’s 'Off-Limits' feature will save you the hassle with just a single tag that lets you know which records are off-limits. Swipe through till the end to see what all it can do for you! For more, book a demo to check it out live. ✨ Link in comments. #recruitcrm #recruitment #recruiting #recruitmentsoftware #atssoftware #aiinrecruitment

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You know what's mind blowing? 🤯 Over *half* of *all* companies globally outsource their customer service with the hot spots being Philippines, India and Mexico. Key driver? Cost. Once you decide to outsource, how do they train the company on your processes and culture? 9% of the Philippines’ GDP comes from business process outsourcing. It's HUGE business. Remember, 89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive consumer experience. Getting customer experience right is vital and something I'm focused on right now.

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🚨 Hot Take: Customers don’t want the nitty-gritty details. Here’s the thing—your customers don’t care how the sausage is made. They just want a solution that works, and they want it to work seamlessly. 💡 Did you know that 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its product? If you’re bogging them down with technical details, you’re pushing them away. What they really crave is a seamless, intuitive experience that delivers results without the hassle. 📈 It’s time to shift your focus from over-explaining to over-delivering. Want to know how to make your product “just work” for your customers? Stay tuned! I’m dropping actionable insights that will transform how you think about customer experience. 👇 Hint: Less is more when it comes to winning customer loyalty. Subscribe to get notified when the article comes out: https://lnkd.in/gzy9whJz #CustomerExperience #CX #UserExperience #CustomerSuccess #BusinessGrowth #MarTech

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Oliver got laid off in January, lost a 6 figure CSM job, a role we put him in. But then: We got him a 6 figure CSM role (again) within 3 months. Here’s how: Oliver was a former client of mine. 10 months ago we worked to get him a CSM role. He got the dream gig: -Remote -6 Figures -Cool company The things dreams are made of. But this ended in January 2024. He called me while I was walking on a beach in Mexico. “dude I need you again, we all got laid off today” It was time to go to work. So we sounded the FIRE framework alarm. And got moving. -Updated his resume with newest accomplishments. -Talked through his recent stories and success. -Collaborated on 5 different task assignments. -Got his confidence back The rejections came flooding in. But this is part of the game. Oliver knew this and he’s built up the resilience to keep going So like we always do, we keep it moving. -Auto applying -Submit resume daily -No networking antics (do people still believe that?) Then we did it. We got a job offer. But it wasn’t the money we wanted. Why settle? So we kept looking. Then it came. From a SaaS company EVERYONE knows He got it again: -The remote role -The 6 figures -The unlimited PTO -The day 1 benefits. 3 months from start to finish. I’m grateful we were able to do this once again with Oliver. P.S. if you're trying to land a CSM role but: you're not getting any interviews you're not able get the offer you're getting overlooked you're sick of networking And you're ready to invest $ and take action. DM me "CSM" and I'll get you details ASAP. P.P.S: I now have 24 month payment plans for USA and Canadian clients.

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How we increased an underpaid CSM’s salary from 50 to 90K…without networking in 2 months Alice was an underpaid CSM from the Czech Republic, smart, savvy, but severely underpaid. When she told me she was making $50,000 euros I died inside for her. She was managing a team of 5, her numbers were incredible, her churn was low, created A.I churn prediction tools…but her leadership was useless. No career path, no growth opportunities, and no raises coming her way anytime soon. She said screw it; and wanted to make a move. So she reached out to me and we MADE.IT.HAPPEN. We got the Bic lighters and started the FIRE framework. 1. We collected every European job market for CSM roles, to save her time and energy 2. Got her confidence back on the right track; that was hampering her ability to speak confidently 3. Walked through her accomplishments to improve her story telling skill set to hiring teams. 4. Prepared her for 3 final round interviews with different case studies and QBR presentations. She faced a lot of rejection. That is the name of the game in applying for jobs. 99% is no, and 1% is yes. She got 2 offers, one was $70K the other $90K….so of course we went with the bigger one She got what she wanted: -A remote CSM job -Finally compensated for what she deserved -Working at a Dutch company (they have GREAT benefits there) She handed in her notice, and was off to better things. Helping people get a CSM job is amazing; but impacting their life is truly the best. Nothing funner than that. And that’s why I won’t stop till I help 1000 CSM’s get their dream life. So if you: -Want to stop struggling on your CSM job search -Resonate with everything in the above -Open to investing in yourself -Hate networking -Coachable DM me the word “ALICE” and I'll get you the details. 2 spot left for July (2 got taken last week)

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