Customer Success Talks: Real Challenges, Experts' Advice

Most CS leaders handle a large book of accounts by taking the enterprise playbook and asking for it in bulk. More QBRs. More success plans. Denny Bura does the arithmetic: if a CSM has 80 accounts, that is a QBR every other day, before prep and before you try to lock in 80 customer calendars. It was never going to work.His alternative is to find what already works inside your own segment and scale that instead. In this episode he walks through it with real numbers, using the host's own book: three enterprise accounts covering 600 to 700 hotels.What's inside:

• Why over 80% of CROs come from a sales background, and why many of them admit they don't know how to run scaled CS any better than their individual contributors do
• The feature launch play worked all the way through: one personalised email to 600 accounts, what to do with the 120 who reply, and how to split them into champions, a voice of customer group, and a content list
• How to take 20 complaints to a product manager as one aggregated signal instead of 20 separate apologetic emails
• Using usage data to find your overachievers, then working out which underperformers most resemble them
• Why your sweet spot is the middle 60, not the top 20
• The revenue maths: 500 euros a month across 100 accounts is 50,000 euros, which is a new enterprise account your company got for free
• Why scaled CS is the lowest risk place in the company to experiment, and the highest reward when something lands
• Three options when your manager's targets don't fit your segment, including the one where you leave
• Why "they gave us a positive NPS score" is hunch work, and what replaces it
• How to pass your insights sideways to marketing and to your account manager, which is where the lost 10% of revenue actually sits

Denny Bura is Chief Customer Officer at River Consultancy Group, where he runs the Revenue Strategy Lab and the SaaS Growth Audit. His research across more than 50 senior revenue leaders found that around 10% of revenue is lost to misalignment between sales, CS and marketing.Chapters:0:00 Introduction to revenue lab0:52 Podcast introduction3:24 River Consultancy Group7:36 Scaling customer success13:30 Practical scalable strategies22:32 Data-driven expansion32:06 Empowering CS contributors37:00 Methodology for CS growth43:56 Cross-departmental impact47:28 Conclusion and key takeawaysConnect with Denny Burda - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennyburda/Connect with Bayron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/Customer Success Talks is for CSMs in their first years and anyone breaking intocustomer success. New episodes every two weeks.Follow us on:

Instagram -   / cstalkspodcast Tik-Tok @customer.success6

Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/#CustomerSuccess #CSM #ScaledCS #DigitalCustomerSuccess #Saas

In today's CSM Quick Lesson with Marija Skobe-Pille you will discover unlock career potential! Explore how expanding your role, offering solutions, and envisioning long-term goals can lead to advancement. Don't just aim for a 9-to-5; bring value and watch opportunities unfold. 'Bring me solutions, not problems.'

You can find the full conversation below:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/iTHdf-qYWIY

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GepzXfaMyiBufhAUq1EpU?si=nQaOQV_SQvugetgg3C_0lA

Linkedin:

Marija Skobe-Pille - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Check out Women in Customer Success - https://www.womenincs.co/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/

Bill McGowan has coached the founders of Amazon, Uber, Spotify and LinkedIn. His first rule: don't open your mouth until you know your first four words. Not"well", not "so", not "you know". A real word.

Most people in business speak in a way that is immediately forgettable, and communication was LinkedIn's most in-demand skill two years running. This episode is the fix: how to structure a presentation like a film, why the agenda slide kills your opening, and how to deliver bad news without tap dancing around it.

Bill McGowan is a two-time Emmy-winning journalist and author of Pitch Perfect and Speak Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience.

0:00 Why nobody is really listening

1:36 Communication as the most in-demand skill

4:24 What it takes to be remembered

6:41 The jargon and clichés that make you sound like everyone

11:00 Storytelling: hold your story until you know it lands

15:16 Where a lack of presence actually comes from

26:25 The Coppola format for structuring a presentation

38:27 The negativity sandwich: delivering bad news

Speak Memorably: https://www.claritymediagroup.com/speakmemorably

Connect with Bill McGowan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-mcgowan-7103b/Connect with Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Customer Success Talks is for CSMs in their first years and anyone breaking into customer success. New episodes every two weeks. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://cstalkspodcast.comFollow us on:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/Tik-Tok @customer.success6Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/

#customersuccess #csm #communication #presentationskills #publicspeaking

In today's CSM Quick Lesson with Ali Cudby you will discover the secrets to transforming casual customers into dedicated advocates. Learn strategies for recognition, celebration, and leveraging data to build lasting relationships and drive revenue growth. 'It's not always necessary to over-engineer stuff.'

You can find the full conversation below:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/d8XNsK7F-oY

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sRCJDKXImSsoa14PyEYEU?si=h2wwXmhqT-2npTFyBZhGfw

In today's CSM Quick Lesson with Ali Cudby you will discover the secrets to transforming casual customers into dedicated advocates. Learn strategies for recognition, celebration, and leveraging data to build lasting relationships and drive revenue growth. 'It's not always necessary to over-engineer stuff.'

You can find the full conversation below:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/d8XNsK7F-oY

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sRCJDKXImSsoa14PyEYEU?si=h2wwXmhqT-2npTFyBZhGfw

Linkedin:

Ali Cudby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicudby/

Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Check our Ali's book:

Keep your customers - https://alignmintforgrowth.com/book/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/

Most CSMs act like waiters. Chad Horenfeldt spent 20 years learning why that costs you the customer's respect, and what to do instead.

In this episode, we get into the habits that separate a strategic CSM from an
order-taker: how to introduce yourself without undercutting your credibility,
how to prepare for a call in five minutes using AI, the one question that tells
you whether a customer will actually follow through, and why saying no earns
more trust than saying yes.

Chad Horenfeldt is VP of Customer Success and author of The Strategic Customer Success Manager. He started on the front line, like most of us.

What we cover:

- Why "I'm new here" destroys trust in the first 30 seconds
- Building a weekly planning habit around your calendar and your at-risk accounts
- Using AI to research a customer before a call, in five minutes
- The 1-to-10 confidence question that exposes whether a customer will act
- Pushing back on feature requests without damaging the relationship
- The three skills that make a CSM strategic: growth mindset, business acumen,
teamwork

Chad's book: https://www.strategiccustomersuccess.com/

Connect with Chad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadhorenfeldt/

Customer Success Talks is for CSMs in their first years and anyone breaking
into customer success. New episodes every two weeks.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://cstalkspodcast.com
Connect with Bayron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/
Tik-Tok @customer.success6
Move from firefighting to Strategic Customer Success by building genuine trust and delivering measurable value.

00:00 The Foundation of Trust and Value

1:11 Crafting a Powerful First Impression

3:22 Meet the Expert: Chad Hodenfeld

5:33 The Motivation Behind the Book

8:18 Overcoming the Fear of Challenging Calls

13:09 Mastering the Art of Call Preparation

17:02 Leveraging AI to Supercharge Your Workflow

45:29 Three Pillars of a Strategic CSM

Subscribe for weekly customer success strategy breakdowns, and let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.

#CustomerSuccess #CSM #SaaS #CustomerSuccessManager #CustomerRetention

In today's CSM Quick Lesson, Donna Weber. Discover how aligning with your customers' journey builds trust and fosters long-term partnerships. 'Every time we meet, we should be delivering value. Customer success hinges on clear communication and valuing client time, not just product delivery.You can find the full conversation below:YouTube - https://youtu.be/vul6RsDzH78Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KhCUm5JGSL0cFSWfVYwPU?si=a610ea064f064dc7Linkedin:Dona Weber - https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaweb/Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/Check our Dona's book: Onboarding Matters - https://www.donnaweber.com/bookFollow us on:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/Tik-Tok @customer.success6Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/ #customersuccess #onboarding #customerexperience #businesstips

Most startups won't hand you an onboarding plan. Priscila Fletcher explains how to build your own, month by month, and what to have done before day 90.

Month 1 is listen, learn and ask. Month 2 is getting your hands dirty before imposter syndrome sets in. Month 3 is quick wins you can show your manager. We build the whole plan in this episode, plus the org chart exercise that tells you who actually holds knowledge in your company and who will block you.

Priscila Fletcher is a customer success leader and coach, and the founder of Latinos in Customer Success.

What we cover:

- Why the excitement of a new role matters, and what forgetting it costs you- The three jobs of month one, and where to write them down

- Why waiting too long to talk to customers makes imposter syndrome worse- What counts as a quick win in month 3 (smaller than you think)

- Mapping your org by influence, not job title, to find allies and avoid blockers- Why your manager probably should not be your mentor

- Adding one line to your resume every month, even when you're not job hunting- Startup or enterprise: how to tell which one fits how you work

0:00 Listen, learn and ask: your first 30 days

1:56 Meet Priscilla Fletcher

4:27 Inside Latinos in Customer Success

8:10 Startups: what's exciting, what's chaotic

12:04 Build your own 90-day onboarding plan

17:20 Proving impact when nobody's measuring it

25:46 Map your org by influence, not job title

32:11 Startup or enterprise: which one fits you

Latinos in Customer Success: https://join.slack.com/t/latinosinsuccess/shared_invite/zt-2dxwfojy8-VwI5lHb19X1Bgo~IrYy3Xg

Latinos in Success LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinos-in-success/posts/?feedView=all

Check Priscila's Website - https://prifletch.com/Connect with Priscila: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilafletcher/

Customer Success Talks is for CSMs in their first years and anyone breaking into customer success. New episodes every two weeks.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://cstalkspodcast.com

Connect with Bayron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

#customersuccess #csm #saas #customersuccessmanager #cscareer

In today's CSM Quick Lesson with Jan Young, we explore the ideal timing, the right person, and the perfect product for expansion. Don't erode trust by selling too aggressively!In other words, nurture relationships pre-sale but focus on needs post-sale.

You can find the full conversation below:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/63GecVQZ1qE

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WE3pzr5cdWmYfyhboPdzX?si=b50c779f91434f1f

Linkedin:

Jan Young - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-young-cx/Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Nav Thomas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/navneeththomas/

Needing couching? Check Jan's website - https://www.janyoungcx.com/

Check out CXxchange - https://www.thecxxchange.com/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/

NPS surveys are controversial, but they are the lifeblood of your product. Here is how to actually make them useful.Myriam Hirt, Head of Customer Success, joins the show to talk about her love-hate relationship with feedback data. Many teams collect scores but never act on them, turning a valuable customer success strategy into a vanity metric. Myriam breaks down how she built a structured, scalable voice of the customer program that drives real change across the organization.We cover:→ Why feedback is useless without a clear action plan→ How to segment your users to get better data→ Improving your customer feedback loops to drive cross-functional collaboration→ A step-by-step approach to launching a survey strategy that worksNew episode of Customer Success Talks is live now 🧡 Hit subscribe for bi-weekly expert breakdowns on the real challenges of CS.0:00 The Role of Feedback in Customer Success2:52 The Bumpy Road of Implementing NPS6:13 Balancing Product Roadmap and Customer Needs9:44 The Danger of Ignoring Survey Feedback14:45 Optimizing Survey Frequency and Timing23:05 Managing and Analyzing Large Feedback Volumes41:55 The Love-Hate Relationship with NPSConnect with Us:Myriam Hirt -   / myriam-hirt  Bayron Toruno -   / bayron-toru%c3%b1o-solano-3a9408113  Follow us on:Instagram -   / cstalkspodcast  Tik-Tok @customer.success6Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/Mentioned: How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life by Michael LeBoeuf

Master a world-class customer experience strategy with expert Vaishali Dialani. Learn how to align your teams for success.

Vaishali Dialani joins us to break down the three pillars of a high-performing department. We discuss how to get customer success onboarding right, ensuring expectations are set clearly so your team can deliver results quickly.

When you are mapping out your customer journey design, it is easy to lose sight of the metrics that actually matter. Vaishali explains how to shift from reactive tasks to proactive engagement, helping you define success matrices and collect feedback that drives actual improvements.

Subscribe for weekly customer success insights, and leave a comment on your biggest CX challenge.

0:00 Defining the Core Pillars of Success

1:03 Designing World-Class Experiences

3:18 Meet the Expert: Vishali Dilani

5:35 CX Maturity Across Business Stages

9:51 Overcoming the Crisis-Driven Mindset

13:30 Success vs. Experience: The Core Difference

23:51 Creating a Single Source of Truth

Sponsored by Vitally – the modern Customer Success Platform. Book a qualified demo and get a FREE pair of AirPods Pro!

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Connect with Us:

Vaishali Dialani - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishalidialani/

Bayron Toruno - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

Explore Our Podcast Website - https://cstalkspodcast.com/