John Brunkard

AMA: Adobe Head of Customer Success (Asia), John Brunkard on Influencing the C-Suite

August 21 @ 10:00AM PT
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John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
To gain momentum with company leadership, Customer Success (CS) should align with key functions to amplify its impact. Sales (Top Priority): Partner with Sales leaders (e...
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398 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
To influence the C-Suite to allocate resources for more Customer Success Managers (CSMs) in a zero-based budget, focus on a compelling, data-driven case aligned with thei...
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419 Views
1 request
How do we work with our Exec team to help narrow down what we focus on?
Customer success managers often get pulled in several directions and everything feels urgent.
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
Here’s a concise approach:Clarify Strategic Goals:Meet with execs to confirm top company/customer objectives (e.g., 5% churn reduction, 10% upsell growth).Map CSM tasks t...
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395 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
Signals You’ve Earned an Executive’s TrustThey Seek Your Input: They actively ask for your advice or perspective on strategic decisions, e.g., a CEO requesting your take ...
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397 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
As a Customer Success Manager (CSM), delivering value to C-Suite executives—whether internal leaders or customer executives—requires aligning with their strategic priorit...
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400 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
When working with the C-Suite, whether at your own company or with a customer, adopting the right habits can significantly enhance your ability to influence and build tru...
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406 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
To align two disagreeing senior executives (internal or customer C-Suite) on a proposed strategy while staying neutral as a Customer Success Leader, focus on shared objec...
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429 Views
1 request
John Brunkard
Salamander Advisory Customer Success Advisor | Formerly Adobe, Sitecore, Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic9mo
Showcase ROI with Metrics: Demonstrate CS’s impact on revenue retention and growth (e.g., “CS cut churn by 5%, saving $500K” or “Upsells added $300K”). Focus on high-val...
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389 Views
1 request