Customer Success Talks: Real Challenges, Experts' Advice

Mastering the right soft skills is the fastest way to accelerate your customer success career. Nieves Canada shows you how.

Nieves Canada, VP of Customer Success, joins us to talk about the essential abilities that help you grow early in your career. We move past the typical technical training to focus on the human side of the job.

We break down why curiosity and active listening are non-negotiable for building genuine customer relationships. Plus, we discuss how to navigate the art of saying no while maintaining trust, and why adaptability is the most underrated trait in our field.

Subscribe for weekly CS breakdowns, and tell us in the comments: what is the one skill you wish you had learned earlier?

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0:00 Defining the Human-to-Human Approach

2:09 Meet Your Guide: Insights from Nes Canada

4:23 Energy Management Over Time Management

8:22 Transitioning from Sales to Value-Driven CS

11:50 Essential Skills for the Modern CSM

16:15 Common Pitfalls in Early CS Careers

22:20 The Art of Asking 'What For'

Nieves Canada - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nievescanada/

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

Check out "CS Plan" = https://www.cs-plan.net/programs

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#careergrowth #softskills #careerdevelopment

What does product management look like from the outside? Delia Visan shares how to bridge the gap between CS and product teams.

Many customer success managers feel disconnected from the product roadmap. This episode breaks down the core functions of a product manager and how to foster better team alignment. We get into the reality of the role, why cross-departmental communication matters, and how to effectively share customer feedback without creating friction.

Delia also introduces her practical framework for saying no to customers while maintaining strong relationships. Whether you are looking to make a career transition or simply want to improve your workflow, this conversation offers the context you need to navigate these two distinct but overlapping departments in customer success.

Subscribe for bi-weekly insights on navigating the CS landscape, and let us know in the comments: what is the biggest challenge you face when working with your product team?

0:00 Bridging Product and Customer Success

2:21 Meet Delia: A Journey in Customer Success

5:07 Inside the Product Management Mindset

9:26 Mastering Daily Priorities and Focus

14:43 Alignment Strategies for CS and PM

34:36 The Power of Saying No

43:46 Lessons from a Professional Misstep

Delia also introduces her practical "Saying No Framework," designed to maintain strong customer relationships while ensuring business scalability. You can find it by clicking on the link below: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XiKuk6TlEv3b5VoQqmNoNHT13aOLz8Y7?usp=drive_link

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Connect with Us:

Delia Visan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/delia-visan/

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

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Tik-Tok @customer.success6

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

#customersuccess #productmanagement #collaboration

Scaling Customer Success is more than just adding headcount. Nick Morris explains how to automate without losing the human touch.

Nick Morris, Director of Customer Success at Gainsight, spent seven years mastering the transition from the beer industry to the SaaS world. In this episode, we break down the difference between digital CS strategies and scaled models and how to implement them without burning out your team. If you are looking for actionable SaaS career tips, Nick shares how he navigated his own path into a leadership role.

We cover the practical side of CS automation—how to streamline your processes for SMB customers while keeping your engagement personalized. Whether you are managing a small book of business or optimizing for Scaling CS, this conversation offers a clear roadmap for driving value at scale.

Subscribe for weekly Customer Success breakdowns, and comment which operational challenge you want us to cover next.

Sponsor Shoutout: Special thanks to Flowla for simplifying complex onboarding processes. Check the description below for an exclusive discount!

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Discount code: cstalks25

0:00 Navigating the Customer Success Landscape

3:02 From Beer Industry to SAS Leadership

6:22 Overcoming Rejection and Closing Skill Gaps

11:02 The Rollercoaster of Customer Success Evolution

16:27 Defining Digital and Scaled Success Strategies

23:59 Step-by-Step Guide to Scalable CS Workflows

36:10 Learning From Missteps in Automation

Nick Morris- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholascmorris/

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

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Tik-Tok @customer.success6

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

#customersuccess #digitaltransformation #customerengagement

Customer education is more than just onboarding. Learn how to turn your learning programs into a growth engine for your organization.

Vicky Kennedy, CEO of Echtus, joins the podcast to explain why education is the secret weapon for a long-term customer success strategy. Many teams treat training as a one-time event, but Vicky argues it should be a continuous feedback loop that drives product adoption and keeps users engaged.

We discuss how to measure the real impact of your learning programs and how to design content that actually moves the needle on customer retention. Whether you are a product strategist or a team leader, these actionable insights will help you build a scalable framework that empowers users and reduces churn.

Subscribe for weekly deep dives into the world of customer success, and comment below with your biggest challenge in scaling user education.

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0:00 Setting the Stage for Customer Success

1:27 Demystifying Customer Education

3:18 The Story Behind Ectu

6:58 Beyond Onboarding: The Power of Education

11:56 Aligning Success and Education Teams

25:52 Motivating Customers to Self-Serve

32:36 Measuring the Impact of Education

Vicky Kennedy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickykennedy/

Meet Echtus - https://www.linkedin.com/company/echtus/

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

#educationstrategy #customereducation #CustomerExperience #learninganddevelopment

Robert Cialdini's Influence came out 40 years ago and still tops the business

book lists CEOs vote on. Dr Christopher Phelps trained under him, applied the

principles to two struggling dental practices, and grew each by a million dollars

in two consecutive years, right after the 2008 crash.

This episode walks through all seven principles and what each one looks like in

customer success. It also draws the line between persuasion and manipulation:

with persuasion the choice stays with the other person, and three questions tell

you which side you're on.

One thing you'll use immediately: when a customer genuinely thanks you, you've

just given them something they valued. That's the moment to ask for the review,

the referral or the case study.

Dr Christopher Phelps is US CEO of the Dr Robert Cialdini Institute and a general

dentist.

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0:00 Ethical influence

0:59 From dentistry to behavioural science

5:46 Persuasion vs manipulation: who holds the choice

9:01 Is it true, is it natural, is it a net win-win

16:25 Why a 40-year-old book still tops the lists

17:30 Reciprocity and liking

23:30 Unity

33:27 Social proof and authority

40:54 Consistency and scarcity

Part 2, the tactical half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEx_hqfPNyQ

Dr Robert Cialdini Institute: https://cialdini.com/

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christopher-phelps-2b48b718/

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 into

customer success. New episodes every two weeks.

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Tik-Tok @customer.success6

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#customersuccess #persuasion #influencer #cialdini #csm

People don't remember what you said before the word "but". They remember what

came after it. Dr Christopher Phelps shows how to sequence a choice so the thing

you want them to pick is the thing they walk away remembering.

Part 2 of two. The first covered Cialdini's seven principles. This one is the

tactical half: pre-suasion, the do-nothing option, and how to apply both to a new

feature rollout or an upsell.

Also: the question Chris puts on every new patient form before they ever meet him,

and why asking "would you prefer" beats asking "which are you".

Dr Christopher Phelps is US CEO of the Dr Robert Cialdini Institute and a general

dentist.

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0:00 Recapping the seven principles

2:25 What pre-suasion is and why it matters

7:18 The questions that build a mindset before you meet

14:06 Start with the do-nothing option

21:29 The word "but", and the order you say things in

27:01 Getting customers to adopt a new feature

36:05 The time he assumed wrong and nearly lost a patient

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0HJy2uwxBg&t=2008s

Dr Robert Cialdini Institute: https://cialdini.com/

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christopher-phelps-2b48b718/

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 into

customer success. New episodes every two weeks.

Follow us on:

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

Tik-Tok @customer.success6

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

#CustomerSuccess #Persuasion #Influence #CSM #Cialdini

Stop viewing CS as a cost center. Learn how to prove your customer success impact and drive real revenue growth.

Steven Cronin brings 27 years of B2B experience to discuss how to shift the perception of your department. For any customer success manager, the challenge is moving from reactive support to proactive revenue generation.

We talk about why you need to start celebrating renewals and upsells just like sales teams do. By tracking metrics like NRR and churn, you can build a customer-centric culture that leverages effective retention strategies to demonstrate your true value to the organization.

Subscribe for weekly CS career advice, and tell me: how are you currently measuring your team's ROI?

0:00 Setting the Stage for Customer Success

5:15 Communicating Your True Impact

7:40 Customer Success as a Profit Center

11:57 Career Growth Through Revenue Metrics

14:09 Best Practices for Demonstrating Impact

25:49 Lessons Learned from Over-Promising

Steven Cronin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencronin123/

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

Jan Young’s - Free Guide Inside: 7 steps for CS leaders to become revenue leaders. https://www.janyoungcx.com/7-steps-revenue-leader

#customersuccessmanager #revenue #customersuccess

In this episode, we dive deep into how CSMs can leverage visual resources to enhance customer understanding, drive engagement, and streamline communication. Jay shares the experiences on how implementing visual aids helped reduce meeting times and improve customer onboarding for complex features. We explore real-life examples of using mind maps and visual workflows to explain technical processes and how design plays a vital role in customer perception.

Take a look at Stellavate "All in one place" ;) https://stellavate.notion.site/

In this episode of Customer Success Talks, I had the pleasure of hearing Jay Sanchez’s inspiring story. Thank you, Jay, for opening up and sharing your personal experience with autism, a topic you are deeply passionate about and live with every day.

Take a look at Stellavate "All in one place" ;) https://stellavate.notion.site/

Join Rachel Provan as she shares her expertise on delivering exceptional customer experiences, focusing on providing tangible results that meet and exceed customer expectations. In this insightful video, Rachel discusses the importance of understanding customer needs, setting clear goals, and implementing effective strategies to ensure customers achieve the outcomes they desire. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or customer service professional, this video is packed with valuable tips and advice on how to build trust, drive satisfaction, and foster long-term relationships with your customers. Tune in to learn how to get your customers the results they came for and take your customer service to the next level.

0:00 The Human Side of Customer Success

7:13 The Personal Trainer Approach to CS

14:09 The Art of Asking the Right Questions

21:15 The Dangers of Expansion-First Mindsets

28:49 Learning from Leadership Failures

32:10 The Importance of Intentional Communication

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

Rachel Provan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelhprovan/

Provan Success - https://provansuccess.com

Psychology of Customer Success - https://open.spotify.com/show/0JvQW5qHLVPUYlQdyJ66EE?si=9ef3e1b30e7e4d50

Follow us on:

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Tik-Tok @customer.success6

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

#salespsychology #customervalue #persuasion