Markus Rentsch’s Post

That thing that made you a GREAT CSM 🏆 Can make you FAIL as a leader. What am I talking about? People-pleasing. It is a HARD habit to break. I speak from experience. Seriously - why would you want to DISplease others? Especially when you have to work with them? Well I’ll tell you… Once you become a CS leader, as impossible as it seems, your workload can easily TRIPLE. 😳 🔥You are constantly dealing with escalations 🗓️ You feel like you need to be in EVERY strategic meetings so that nothing gets decide that would piss off the customer. 🧑🏻💼 You now have team meetings to plan and 1:1s to attend. 📚 And don’t forget bi-weekly touchpoint with every other department (where they inevitably give you work to do because it “has to do with the customer”). 💬 And you have never had so many emails and slacks in your life! So… WHEN exactly are you going to work on CS strategy again??? If you aren’t doing work that impacts your KPIs - you’re not going to be in that job for long.❌ I’ve seen it happen FAR too many times. And the CS leader always feels like they’re doing a good job too! And maybe they are… but just not THEIR job. Do yourself a favor and look at where you are spending your time and start being picky about what you work on. Being busy is not the same thing as making an impact. ___ 🤷🏻 Having trouble moving CS forward in your organization? 🎓Learn the UNWRITTEN rules of CS Leadership - And how to stop people pleasing and start making an impact! Join the Customer Success Leadership Academy. 🎯 Doors close TOMORROW February 22nd at 11:59 PM! Comment "Me" for a link to more info.  #customersuccess #provansuccess #saas

🔥 HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT🔥 Customer Success leaders, this month I'm giving 10 teams access to on-demand Customer Success training for FREE. Why should you get it? ✅ it's a low effort way to train to your team... so you can stay focused on your strategic initiatives while arming your CSMs with the skills to hit their KPIs! ✅ it'll prevent attrition by giving your team the opportunity to learn and grow... even if designing and leading enablement sessions isn't something you have time for! ✅ it'll give you and your team the chance to learn and apply current CS best practices from industry leaders... all without having to spend a ton of time seeking that information from tons of different sources! It's a no-brainer really. (At this point you should be thinking, 'this sounds too good to be true') It's not. 😉 ** If you want access to the on-demand training FOR YOUR TEAM for free, you MUST comment the word "TEAM" on this post. (or send me a DM with JUST THE WORD "TEAM") First come, first serve. ***If you are not currently a CS Leader, please do not apply.*** Ready.... go! __ #customersuccess

Spending most of their time doing reactive work is burning CSMs out. The only question is whether it happens sooner or later as the - high pressure - long hours - angry customers - low success rates - lack of purpose are a lethal combination. 95% (opinion) of CSMs are stuck in reactive work because they are following an inside-out approach. The CSMs who are - celebrating wins with customers regularly - see personal and professional growth - backed by their company’s leadership - getting paid what they are worth have flipped the script and embody customer-centricity - uncovering customer needs - tracking customer success metrics - focused on scaling outcomes - providing solutions to valuable problems - leading customers to the promised land Life's too short to spend it doing reactive CSM. PS: Here’s the way out --> https://lnkd.in/d3Mk-wt3

The difference between reactive and proactive CSM is like night and day. It can’t be emphasized enough. Life in reactive CSM is a painful experience - band-aiding, quick-fixing, and firefighting  - constant pressure leading to burnout - dealing with frustrated and angry customers  - struggling to keep churn from exploding - a cost center in the leadership’s eyes - perceived as dispensable because of it Proactive CSM on the other hand is incredibly rewarding - helping customers solve valuable problems - thriving through doing meaningful (strategic) work - seamless long-term customer retention - becoming an extension of the customer team - the most powerful growth engine in the company - the leadership that cares and keeps investing A CSM leader’s priority in 2025 is not to come up with an “AI strategy”. It’s to enable your team to do meaningful work and create results. PS: Here’s how I can help → https://lnkd.in/dN2DUtDh

#CSMs often ask "what are your goals?" in their QBRs. The intention is not bad. The problem is customer might not have a specific goal in mind. Instead, you can ask 1️⃣ What challenges are you currently facing? This question opens the door to understanding their pain points beyond immediate goals. It can reveal underlying issues that might not be apparent from a goals-oriented perspective. 2️⃣ Can you share a recent success story? This helps you get a clearer picture of their vision for success and allows you to align your efforts with their key objectives. 3️⃣ Are there any upcoming changes or new initiatives in your organization? This question uncovers potential shifts or new projects that could impact their needs and priorities. Until next time, share what you are doing. What's working for you and what's not working? ……………………………………. First time seeing my posts? I’m on a mission to empower Customer Success. I post regularly about: ✅ Proactive Customer Success Mindset ✅ Customer Success Leadership ✅ Ways to Improve CS Operations 🔔Hit the bell to not miss a post 👩🏽🏫Want to improve your CS operations?- visit https://successguardian.in #cco  #customersuccess #customerretention

1 CSM vs 5 CSMs vs 15 CSMs: What is the difference? Complexity of process! Don't be like the CSM being mocked by the pup :D All CSMs need the same processes, but these have to be adjusted to current maturity of your team. Founders will often start their CS teams with CSMs who have not fully mastered the CS process, which too often is doomed to fail. A great CS process is comprised of the following processes: - Customer Journey (operational process): how to successfully deliver the product - Technical process: how CS will assist in the delivery of integrations, tools and/or similar - Commercial process: how CS will forecast and deliver commercial success I have seen 1 CSM deliver great commercial outcomes and I have seen 8 fail miserably. The difference: one had clarity on all 3 processes and was great at taking decisions, the other team had none and often ended up reacting with actions instead of deciding on actions. We often tend to blame the team for being too reactive or not having a commercial mindset... 🔴 The truth: YOU do not have know-how and YOU did not hire the right experience. DON'T blame the team! Get the right CS expertise into your team and the issue will resolve itself. Reach out to me, if you want to help your team with building your CS team org and these core processes. Commercial Success is not difficult, but it is complex. ZapScale your memes are 🔥 🔥 🔥 #CommercialSuccess #CustomerSuccess #CSLeadership #Retention #expansion #ValueDelivery

I've managed 100s of #CSMs over the years. Here are 10 things I would do if I was a CSM today: 1️⃣ Make sure I work somewhere where I have revenue responsibility (GRR, NRR). CS is becoming the revenue engine, work somewhere that views it that way and where you can be part of the journey and impact. 2️⃣ Have a portfolio plan for the year, quota plan for the quarter, pacing plan for the month, and execution plan for the week. A good CSM is strategic, which does not only mean in how they communicate customer-value, but also how they run their own work. Analyze, plan, execute. 3️⃣ Segment my portfolio so I can allocate my time, resources and focus accordingly and with intention. Don't get lost in running to the fires or after the loudest (internal or external) voice. Understand your business (portfolio) and work on the right customers, the right way and at the right time. 4️⃣ Have a clear idea of my career plan so I can communicate that to and with my manager, and have a mutual plan to achieve it. Crystalize your career plan and potential steps so you both have something to work towards and know what skills to develop to be ready when it is your time. 5️⃣ Map out my internal stakeholders and build deeper relationships so I can maximize the impact I can have for my customers & myself. You will not be at your best in a silo. Create relationship outside your CS team, vid #RevOps, #Sales, #Product, #leadership etc. It will serve you well. 6️⃣ Listen to a lot of podcasts and read a lot of books about business and the spaces I and my customers operate in. Educate yourself. Not just about your role or CS, but also about business in general, your industry and the main ones of your top customers. 7️⃣ Join communities like CxXchange, Customer Success Collective, Gain Grow Retain to surround myself with other perspectives. Learn from others outside of your own organization. More and broader perspectives will only help you accelerate your learnings & skills. 8️⃣ Proactively help my fellow CSMs to be viewed as an internal resource and value-add. This will help you create trust and buy-in from your colleagues, which will serve you and the team well in both the short and long run. 9️⃣ Be proactive and intentional about finding ways to be a positive culture impact on my team. Whenever you take that next step, maybe into management, being a great teammate and a cultural pillar will only help you succeed. 🔟 Learn and understand how everything in CS is connected and impacts each other. Everything in CS is connected, and when you figure out that Rubik's Cube, you are well on your way to mastering CS. What else would you CSM and CS exports add? *** 🛎️ If you enjoy my content, follow me for more ♻️ Repost to share with your network #CSM #customersuccess #accountmanagement #b2b #saas #revsetter

It’s great to see another CEO that is so intune with CSMs and the impact their role has. I think 1️⃣ is so important. Too many companies I talk with overlook this and it’s detrimental to their end of year numbers. Setting up a retention comp. plan can not only be extremely motivating but also provide tangible deliverable expectations for everyone. #csm #saas #b2b #customersuccess

CS leaders, the way your team performs is a direct reflection of your abilities and choices. - if you haven't defined the strategy and processes their approach will be purely tactical. - if you don't give them the right tools the will not qualify as a trusted advisor to their customers - if you buy courses and training teaching reactive practices that's everything they'll ever be. This is the perfect recipe to not get a seat at the leadership table - or worse. The alternative is to build a CSM operating system to lead customers to the promised land accurately and repeatedly. Here's how: 1. Decoding Customer Value ✅ Identify customer goals and how they are measured ✅ Discover their personal outcomes that are at stake ✅ Find out what keeps them from achieving their desired outcomes 2. Operationalizing Customer Value ✅ Build dedicated Success Plans that ✅ Break down the gap between status quo and desired outcome ✅ Into pieces small enough to make them actionable 3. Delivering Customer Value ✅ Create content and services with a clear goal in mind ✅ Measure their effectiveness accordingly ✅ Give customers quick wins early on to get their buy-in 4. Measuring Customer Value ✅Track customer progress with the identified success metrics ✅ Identify churn risks (almost) in real-time ✅ Start countermeasures early enough if things are going south 5. Demonstrating Customer Value ✅ Benchmark actual vs projected results ✅ Turn QBRs into Customer Value Reviews ✅ Make the connection between business results and personal value 6. Monetizing Customer Value ✅ Identify customer growth opportunities ✅ Create scenarios outlining their potential gains ✅ Connect them with resources, features, or products PS: Turn your team into a growth engine --> https://lnkd.in/d3Mk-wt3

When I pivoted into Customer Success Management 4 years ago I was pretty naive about it. In my expectation, CSMs would spend their time - educating - training - consulting and - guiding customers to accomplish their goals. It took me years to understand that CSMs actually spend most of their time - firefighting - band-aiding - quick-fixing 90% reactive work, 10% proactive and 0% strategic is the sad reality for many of them.  They don't deliver substantial value to their customers and become dispensable in their leadership's eyes. The reason why this is happening is because of poor education and training. The way CSM has been done for the past decade by almost every single team precisely leads them into the reactive trap. Because it has been built to check off boxes and not to deliver customer value. Want to leave this mess behind? Join us in building the new CSM playbook: https://lnkd.in/ecph-KjF