Common misconception: positioning your #CSM team as a revenue engine means your CSMs need to be #commercial
What it actually means is your CSMs just need to be truly focussed on #customersuccess.
Which customer is more likely to expand or to advocate for your company?
The one achieving some value from most of their outcomes or the one achieving high value from all of their outcomes?
Easy answer.
There are three steps to expansion or advocacy:
- The customer is primed by their success to expand/advocate (CSM)
- This potential is identified and highlighted (CSM)
- This opportunity/advocacy is converted to revenue (Sales or CSM)
Step 3 is where the discussion needs to be had about whether your CSM team should or should not be ‘more commercial.’ This debate about “ownership” of the revenue conversion step is only just getting started.
Importantly though.
Delivering on steps 1 and 2 doesn’t make a CSM team “commercial” but it does make them a revenue engine. It’s also the reason that the demand for CS professionals will continue to build.
And finally it’s the reason why smart companies investing in customer success focus on it as a cross-company initiative and construct the role accordingly – hint – that’s not a jack of all trades model.
