How can a CS leader stand out in today's job market if they were not previously responsible for revenue targets?

Given the cost-cutting and economic headwinds facing so many companies right now, many roles are collapsing into single roles - and there is a definite trend to have CS leaders hold responsibility for outcomes AND revenue (renewals, expansion). And it is a touch chicken or the egg: is it better to have a CS leader add to their plate revenue responsibility or have a Sales leader add outcomes to their plate?

I - no surprise! - favor adding revenue to the CS plate. Why? Being customer-centric and understanding the leading indicators of outcomes and value delivery are a much better foundation for driving revenue as the lagging indicator than vice versa. The best ways to get adept enough to handle managing revenue targets:

1. Find courses in sales management you can take. You need to understand how to run forecasting, how to set standards for deal progression, get smart about any potential contract renegotiations, create a bag of tricks when it comes to expansion sales plays.

2. Find and cultivate a mentor who is a VP of Sales. The edge cases are where they get ya... you want to have a mentor who can warn you what to watch for, and to act as a sounding board when weird things happen in deals.

There are very few leaders out there who have experience with both CS outcomes and Account Management leadership with revenue responsibility. So you want to be the candidate who can demonstrate the knowledge that you can bring the goods, even if you haven't done it before.