Building a Customer Success Network from Scratch

Here's the least-discussed yet MOST valuable #partnerships tip I can give with a why/how/example: TALK DIRECTLY WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS. Many of us come into a partnerships role and have ideas and strategies for what you want to do and work on. A lot of that comes from what you've done/seen before in other organizations. The problem: It's likely a different product with different customers who have different customer profiles that are solving for different problems. What has worked in the past likely won't directly correlate to your new role. Now, here's the issue; you probably don't have many opportunities to talk to customers. I know it's been a challenge for me in the past as well. Well, here are two steps to try out: 1. Start by listening in to as many customer calls as you can; Sales, CS, etc. whether they're recordings or being a fly on the wall. Ask a friend from one of those teams. Find ways to connect the value Partnerships brings to those calls; Follow up with your team members with things you can help with and prove out the model. You may even be able to help a few customers directly (measure this)! 2. Once you've done that a few times, build a case for areas of opportunities that you have learned from spending this time and show examples of the value it has brought to the team/customer. Then, you can come up with a strategy and plan with those customer-facing teams for how you can get more involved. The outcome: direct customer conversations will help you learn a TON about what you should/shouldn't be focusing on and solving for. This direction will save you a TON of time and help you focus. My personal example: In doing this process, I was able to convey to the Customer Success team that Partnerships can help solve for problems that our teams are not experts in (third party tech solutions). This gave us all the idea that Partnerships should be a part of our Executive Business Review that CS does 2-4 times/year with our accounts. We now have a dedicated section and we get to geek out with all parties around new challenges and solutions that our partners may be able to help with. We can measure how many we take part in. We can measure how this turns into partner referrals. We can measure how many more integrations are adopted & usage. We can measure the outcomes of those partnerships and how it has helped the customer, improving our relationship and retention in the process. Hope that helps someone :)

If I joined a new company as a Customer Success Manager, here are three ChatGPT prompts I'd use to quickly get up to speed. 1) Determine key stakeholders within my customer's business 2) Figure out what they do day-to-day and common points 3) Create messaging that resonates immediately Here they are: Prompt One (Identify Key Stakeholders): "I'm a Customer Success Manager for [product/platform] that helps companies with [primary use case]. Our solution delivers these outcomes: [Outcome one] [Outcome two] [Outcome three] [Outcome four] Help me build a stakeholder map. Include anyone who might be influenced by our product, who might have a project that touches our product, or anyone who might be involved in the buying committee. Which stakeholders and departments should I prioritize for relationship building to ensure successful adoption and expansion?" Prompt Two (Understand Stakeholder Motivations): "For each of those stakeholders, please summarize the following points in tabular format, with each point as a column header and each stakeholder as its row: --> What business outcomes and metrics matter most to this stakeholder --> How this stakeholder typically measures success in their role --> Common challenges this stakeholder faces when trying to achieve their goals --> How our solution specifically addresses these challenges and supports their success metrics --> What risks might cause this stakeholder to disengage or question our value" Prompt Three (Create Tailored Communication): "Now, let's create four different communication templates: - An introduction email for a new stakeholder explaining our partnership vision - A QBR summary highlighting value delivered to their specific department - An at-risk account message addressing potential adoption challenges - An expansion opportunity message tied to their business objectives For each template: 1) Open with a specific pain point or opportunity relevant to their role 2) Acknowledge their current approach and its limitations 3) Explain how our solution delivers unique value for their situation 4) Include a clear next step or action item Keep it under 150 words and easily scannable Use straightforward, jargon-free language." With these three prompts, I can hit the ground running in any new CS role - understanding who matters, what they care about, and how to communicate our value effectively from day one. This is just a small example of how ChatGPT could impact your day-to-day role as a CSM. It should really become a companion to your work. What other AI prompts have you found helpful in customer success roles?

Don't try and get cute It's not about the "perfect" solution or "perfect" partnership So tempting to over-engineer the solution that we want So easy to shift the focus to our own innovation So easy to forget that our "solution" is just a piece of the puzzle to the customer's actual pain points and goals So easy to loose focus the actual customer's unique needs When in doubt, just stay focused on the actual needs Partnerships Co-Innovation is a huge advantage but, we need the customer in the room during development and, we DO NOT need a formal partnership to get started Here's a better way: 1. Get some customer success stories 2. Ask questions about the other tech & services involved in that success 3. Ask more questions about a. why the problem mattered b. why the solution worked c. how everything got stitched together 4. Ask for intros to the customer's trusted people at those other vendors 5. Look at your other customers to see if you see similar needs 6. Meet and Build a plan with the other vendors on how to replicate the greater solution 7. Kickoff with an intro between your customers a. the customer with the success b. the customer with the need 8. Bring the other vendors into the conversation 9. Validate that the success can be replicated 10. Formalize the partnership Stop re-inventing the wheel Stop over-complicating it Stop making it about you! Anyone in the company with a customer relationship can get this started Are you waiting for permission? Or, are you going to make an impact? #partnerships #innovation #sales #CustomerSuccess