Download as PDF, PPTX
Uploaded bySales Impact Academy
Save Your Sanity: Top Tips for Scaling Your Trusted Advisor Status as a CSM
This document presents a webinar by Laura Kightlinger, discussing strategies for customer success managers (CSMs) to enhance their role as trusted advisors. Key skills highlighted include prioritization, effective negotiation, and fostering a culture of customer centricity within organizations. The session emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries, understanding customer needs, and collaborating with internal teams to ensure customer success.
More Related Content
Similar to Save Your Sanity: Top Tips for Scaling Your Trusted Advisor Status as a CSM
Save Your Sanity: Top Tips for Scaling Your Trusted Advisor Status as a CSM
- 1. & In This TogetherSeries Save Your Sanity: Top Tips for Scaling Your Trusted Advisor Status as a CSM Laura Kightlinger, Director - EMEA Customer Success @ Seismic hello@salesimpactacademy.co.uk Sales Teams Webinar will be live at 4pm UK Time
- 2. & hello@salesimpactacademy.co.uk Ping questions intothe chat for a Q&A at the end We love your faces but please keep them hidden for now! Feedback is the breakfast of champions! Let us know how we’re doing when the poll pops up You can catch up on demand at any time...well, from tomorrow! Housekeeping:
- 4. Who Am I? ●Leader of EMEA CSM team at Seismic (and still managing accounts!) ● Former Head of Global CS at Qubit ● Grown teams from 0 → 15 across 5 countries ● An empathetic, competitive & perfectionistic people-pleaser
- 5. ● CSMs asTrusted Advisors ● 5 skills to master: ○ Prioritise ruthlessly ○ Learn to say ‘no’ ○ Master win-win negotiation ○ Be a specialist generalist ○ Bring others to the front line ● Q&A / discussion Agenda
- 6. Trusted Advisor A proactive& consultative partner who guides the relationship to mutually beneficial outcomes.
- 7. Sales Internally Externally CSM Marketing Product Prof. Services+ Support Executive Sponsors IT Day-to-day contact(s) CSM Procurement
- 8.
- 9. Important vs Urgent ●How important is this client / stakeholder? ● To what priority or outcome does this align for this client? ● How urgent is this for this client / stakeholder? ● How does this compare in urgency to my other requests? ● How can I set expectations realistically?
- 10. Keys to remember ● Allcustomers are NOT created equal. ● You could work 24/7 and still not do everything your customers & peers ask. Set expectations from the start! ● Focusing on high impact items will make you and your most important customers more successful.
- 11. 2. Learn tosay ‘no’
- 12. But you don’thave to say ‘no’ 1. Ask questions. a. Tell me more about the outcome you are trying to achieve? b. How does this fit into our current priorities? 2. Offer alternatives that tie back to agreed desired outcomes. 3. Suggest a good time in the future to re-visit.
- 13. Keys to remember ● Advisorstatus will develop from setting & maintaining boundaries. ● Customers will always ‘shoot from the hip’ - you must keep them focused on their goals. ● Happy customers still churn. Successful customers do not.
- 14.
- 15. Win - win Astrategy that helps both sides get more of what they want without relying on hard bargaining tactics and unnecessary concessions.
- 16. Guidelines for negotiating 1.Remain objective - separate people/emotions from the issue at hand. 2. Understand each other’s interests & needs. Ask ‘why?’ 3. Generate & discuss options. 4. Stay positive.
- 17. Keys to remember ● Successfulcustomer relationships are partnerships, not vendor / customer. ● Do not negotiate against yourself, and try not to give up something meaningful without asking for something in return. ● Stay focused on the big picture & long-term.
- 18. 4. Be aspecialist generalist
- 19. Sales CSM Marketing Product Prof. Services +Support Executive Sponsors IT Day-to-day contact(s) CSM Procurement You cannot possibly be an expert in all of this!
- 20. Keys to remember ● Behonest with yourself about your strengths & interests, and harness their power. ● Learn to use resources wisely - the intranet, your teammates, experts in the business. ● It’s ok to not want to be a CSM forever.
- 21. 5. Bring othersto the front line
- 22. The best CSMsare great quarterbacks ● A culture of customer centricity can only be built if non-CSMs are also spending time with customers. ● Build strong internal relationships & leverage them to make your customers successful. ● Use others’ time wisely with the ‘right’ customers at the ‘right’ time.
- 23. Keys to remember ● Yourcustomers do not expect you to know everything. ● Providing access to other people in the business builds stronger partnerships. ● Hold others in your business accountable for their contributions to customers’ success.
- 24. In conclusion... we’re allin this together ● You have a really hard and demanding job. Leverage resources wisely for support. ● You do not need to please 100% of people 100% of the time. ● Successful customers do not churn.
- 25.