The document discusses the importance of hiring the right people for the first customer success manager (CSM) roles in a company. It states that the first CSMs set the long-term direction and culture of the business. It recommends hiring for raw talent over specific skills, prioritizing a strong work ethic over well-roundedness, and finding creative problem solvers who thrive in unstable situations rather than proven process followers. Getting the right people in these early CSM roles is critical to both the short and long term success of the company.

1. Produced by
The 3 Non-Negotiable Traits of
Your First CSM
Jen Benson
VP, Client Services
NewsCred

2. Why is your first CSM
so important?

3. They impact the
long term success
of the business.

4. Once you set sail,
changing direction is very hard.

5. They set the
tone of the culture.

6. So how can you get the
first people right?

7. 1. Don’t hire for customer
service skills,
hire for raw talent.

8. Leverage talent that can move around
cross-functionally
to fuel other parts of the business.
Product R&D Sales Marketing Operations

9. 2. Don’t hire for well-rounded,
hire for a high “give-a-damn
factor.”

10. The first CSM needs to be as
obsessed with the company’s success
as the founders are.

11. 3. Don’t hire for proven
process followers,
hire for cowboys who thrive
in chaos and solve
problems creatively.

12. Hire for talent that possess the ability to
be agile, move quickly, and fail fast,
without taking it personally.

13. No pressure,
but these first hires are critical to the
company’s short and long term success
Think like a founder,
hire smart, creative, passionate people
Get the people DNA right,
before you focus on processes

14. Thank you.