Ben Terrill

We have our Customer Success organization broken into 2 groups - Strategic Customer Success and Scaled Customer Success. In the Strategic Customer Success group I have managers who are responsible for a team of CSMs and also serve as the DRI on customer success for one or more products. CSMs need to have a strong understanding of multiple products because we only have one CSM per customer, and customers ideally use more than one product. Each manager coaches and supports their CSM team, and they ...Read More

Firstly, good choice! You have picked a hot career and I only see CS becoming more prominent and important over the next decade. Be curious. Take time to understand your customer’s business - one of the best parts of this job is the exposure you get to so many different types of businesses. The more you understand this, the better a CSM you will be. Put your hand up. If there’s a new product / initiative you can be part of, volunteer for it. Lean in and maximize the learnings even if it scares y ...Read More

This is a tough one. I generally view these as “lite sales cycle” which it sounds like you do as well. If the account is large enough - a multi-level engagement strategy extending 1-2 management layers above your main champion would help. I would also ask why these champions are changing - is the position being passed around in the organization because no one wants to own it? If so, why? Is it too time consuming? If so, perhaps there’s a way to reduce how time consuming it is or advocate for a d ...Read More

I love that you’re looking to break into tech as a CSM, here are a few strategies I would recommend:  Internal Promotion - Some of the best CSMs I have worked with have moved up internally from other roles in the company. Customer Support and Sales Development are two internal roles that I frequently recruit from. If you’re early in your career, look for entry-level roles in Customer Success-adjacent roles at a company that prioritizes internal mobility. A benefit to both you and your employer i ...Read More

My philosophy is that I want everyone on my team to be eligible for a raise, so it’s my job to help them understand what they need to do so that I can make the case to the business. Just as they are the advocate for our customers, I am the advocate for them. It’s not just about the quantitative - there are many qualitative things I consider when recommending a pay rise. Some of the most common pieces of advice I give to my team are: Make sure you are a master of your business. Exceed your metric ...Read More

If you enjoy what you do and why you do it, you’ll do it better and you’ll do better. Here are some questions to ask yourself when consider a new role: Do I feel good about what I would be doing in this role? Do I feel good about the company I would be working for? Maybe it’s in an industry that you’re interested in, or maybe it’s something that helps shape the sort of world you want to live in - whatever it is, make sure you feel good about it. If you believe in the company you are working for, ...Read More

Some of the things I would focus on to up level my CS career: Sales Skills - Developing your sales skills will really elevate you as a CSM. Your ability to influence and strategically drive a conversation to mutually beneficial outcomes is the key to your effectiveness as a CSM.  Understand How You Are Measured - You need to fundamentally understand how your individual performance is measured and be able to effectively tie that into your day-to-day activities. Leadership Skills - Leadership skil ...Read More

It sounds like you’re asking about how you move from being an individual contributor to being a people manager. The first thing I’ll say is that people management is not for everyone! There are plenty of career growth opportunities in Customer Success as an IC. That said, some of the reasons you might want to be a manager in CS are: You want to help others grow You want to expand your impact You want a new challenge As a hiring manager, I would focus on internal candidates first if I’m consideri ...Read More