AMA: GitLab Senior Director Customer Success Operations, Jeff Beaumont on Influencing the C-Suite

For the c-suite, it's intermittent and that makes each interaction (even a Slack!) that much more relevant. I tend to interact a lot with VPs and other directors. Because I have deep topical depth, it's tempting to share everything I know or give everything that I think they need or want to hear. Instead, I've learned to write it like a news article headline; don't bury the lede. Here's what I've learned: Make it memorable. If they only remember a 10 second soundbite or 1-2 sentences, what would ...Read More

My first career was in public accounting. I theoretically had 9 different partners that could give me work at any time. Those 7 years taught me how to navigate disagreements, especially in the middle of tax season when everyone was at their wits' end. A few suggestions come to mind: It's not binary. Don't get stuck thinking it's either A or B. Is there a third way? Chip and Dan Heath in their book Decisive talk about "narrow framing". We often get ourselves riled up because we only see two forks ...Read More

Tie your work to a revenue driver, be a vocal advocate for company initiatives, and go the extra mile. Hit your numbers: While this sounds like a "duh" statement, it's important because it shows you know what you're doing. You were entrusted with a task and you demonstrated excellence. While it does not guarantee C-suite members will come knocking on your door, it does put you on their radar (in a positive way!). Revenue driver: At least in an Operations, Strategy, Analytics, or other similar fu ...Read More

This is tough because it's easier said than done. Hit your target. Prove your capability with what's expected of you (e.g., renewal rates, engaging with customers...), and then find ways to stand out such as getting customers to say "you better give _____ a raise!" or "I want to work with _______ again!" Stand out to your customers and that will come back to your company. This is a key way of standing out as a CSM. From there, you'll earn influence and the C-suite (or your CS/Sales leadership te ...Read More

Your plan must be concise, strategic in nature, and has a high ROI. The other piece here is frequent communication. Make sure they hear from you, know you, and trust your judgment. Relationships help them know that you've already thought it through, have a plan, and are determined to execute and see it through. Concise: As with most things, you must have the details but save them for later. Give the very very high level summary. Think just a few sentences up front and then the appendix can have ...Read More