"Clarity shall set you free." - Nils Vinje. [Click to share on Linkedin]
For most leaders, working in Customer Success equals firefighting.
When you put one fire out, three more flare up. Instead of thriving in an enjoyable workplace, you end up surviving each day, living through a reactive and stressful existence. You're at risk of burnout, prone to depression and health problems - but you can avoid this. We spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars pulling this guide together, to help you thrive, not just survive.
It's time to choose. You can let your environment control you, which is the default mode of operation or you can control your environment, which takes courage and effort, but pays enormous dividends. So, which path will you take?
I will control my environment …or… my environment will control me.
You choose.
A straightforward way to escape firefighting mode and reduce your stress is to step back and see Customer Success from a 40,000-foot level. The first framework will help you avoid getting buried in a never-ending to-do list that every Customer Success leader has at one point in their career. We call it the '101 things I should fix… but will probably never get around to fixing in my Customer Success organization' list.
Enter framework #1 - the 4 Ps of Customer Success.
The 4 P's help you prioritize and sequence exactly where to focus as a Customer Success leader.
The first P is your People.
The second P is Purpose.
The third P is Process.
The final P is Platform.
The sequencing of these P's runs against the grain of conventional and espoused wisdom. That's because it's dead easy to spin up new processes for your team, but incredibly hard to consistently invest in your people. It's straightforward to sign up for a Customer Success platform but extremely hard to document the purpose of Customer Success at your organization.
To start, take this free self-assessment to see how you stack up.
After working with Customer Success leaders at all levels, we've noticed a consistent pattern. Leaders tend to bury themselves in process and platform, at the expense of their people and defining a clear purpose. Do you fit this model? Where can you do better? Use this quiz as a starting point and we'll revisit your assessment at the end of the guide.
The next framework will show you where to start with the first and most significant P - your people.
Framework #2 is Built to Serve versus Built to Sell.
The best Customer Success Managers are Built to Serve.
They give without question and serve the needs of other people before serving their own. Nils fits this category, and when he does an exceptional job of serving other people, he feels incredible. This 'rush' is what makes Customer Success professionals tick. Salespeople are Built to Sell. They have the ability to put their needs and the needs of the company before anybody else's. They can be found in sales or account management roles.
Dividing the Built to Serve and Built to Sell personality traits is the critical first step of building a sustainable Customer Success team. Throughout this guide, we'll share war stories that expound on our claims. Over to Nils for an explanation of Built to Serve.