In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, Anika Zubair emphasizes the importance of building genuine human relationships with customers. She discusses the challenges faced by Customer Success Managers in managing multiple accounts and the need to shift from transactional interactions to strategic partnerships. Anika outlines common mistakes CSMs make, such as only reaching out when they need something and failing to personalize communication. She introduces principles for building strong relationships, including being relevant, consistent, and human. The episode concludes with actionable challenges for listeners to enhance their customer relationships.

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Chapters:
00:00 Building Lasting Customer Relationships
02:15 Customer Management in CS
05:34 Myths in Customer Success
10:10 Principles of Strategic Relationships
15:44 Consistency Over Intensity
19:34 The Human Element in Customer Success
22:18 Actionable Takeaways

Connect with Anika Zubair: 
Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/
CSM RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup

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In this episode, Anika Zubair discusses the importance of transitioning from a reactive to a proactive customer success strategy. She outlines a step-by-step approach to building a proactive customer success organization, emphasizing the need to define success from the customer's perspective, map the customer journey, automate touchpoints, and regularly review strategies. The episode provides actionable insights for customer success professionals to enhance their effectiveness and drive customer outcomes.

Get your FREE QBR Revenue Guide: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources


Chapters

00:00 The Shift from Reactive to Proactive Customer Success
03:05 Building a Proactive Customer Success Strategy
05:57 Defining Success for Customers
08:47 Mapping the Customer Journey
12:07 Automating Touch Points for Efficiency
15:00 Creating a Risk and Opportunity Framework
17:49 The Importance of Regular Strategy Review

Connect with Anika Zubair: 
Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/
CSM RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup

Send Anika a text :)

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Podcast Editor: https://podcastmagician.com/

In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, Anika Zubair emphasizes the importance of storytelling in customer success and upselling. She discusses how effective storytelling can significantly enhance a CSM's ability to connect with customers, drive revenue, and create compelling narratives that resonate with clients. Anika outlines a structured approach to storytelling, including the 'before', 'trigger', 'after', and 'future' elements, and encourages listeners to practice their storytelling skills to improve their upselling techniques.

Get your FREE QBR Revenue Guide: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources

Chapters:
00:00 The Power of Storytelling in Customer Success
02:16 Understanding the Human Element
03:40 Crafting the Customer's Story
08:21 The Upsell as a Natural Continuation
12:07 Weekly Challenge: Practice Your Storytelling
17:22 Recap and Key Takeaways

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

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In this episode, Anika Zubair discusses the vital collaboration between customer success and marketing with guest Ashna Patel. They explore how aligning these two functions can drive growth, retention, and upsells. Ashna shares her journey from customer success to marketing, emphasizing the importance of messaging and cross-functional teamwork in enhancing the customer experience. The conversation highlights the need for customer success professionals to leverage marketing resources and insights to better serve their customers and achieve organizational goals. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the critical alignment between marketing and customer success teams, emphasizing the importance of collaboration to enhance customer retention and product adoption. They explore how effective messaging and nurturing relationships can drive growth, and the role of AI in shaping the future of customer success. The discussion highlights practical strategies for cross-functional collaboration and the need for open communication to ensure that both teams work towards common goals.

Signup to the VIP Waitlist for RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 
02:52 Ashna Patel's Transition from Customer Success to Marketing
06:06 Understanding the Bow Tie Model in Customer Journey
09:10 The Role of Marketing in Customer Success
11:53 The Importance of Messaging in Customer Engagement
15:02 Aligning Marketing and Customer Success Teams
17:54 Leveraging Marketing for Customer Retention and Growth
20:54 Building Cross-Functional Relationships for Success
32:39 Team Alignment for Customer Success
35:05 Marketing's Role in Customer Retention
39:55 Nurturing Customer Relationships
42:04 Effective Messaging Strategies
48:15 Cross-Functional Collaboration for Success
55:30 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

Connect with Ashna Patel:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashnapatel92/

Ashna Patel is a former award-winning Customer Success leader turned Marketer, bringing over a decade of experience in customer engagement, retention, and growth. After years of driving customer success strategies, she transitioned into marketing to bridge the gap between pre- and post-sales, leveraging her deep understanding of customer needs to fuel demand generation and customer marketing. Apart from this, Ashna is also passionate about helping professionals build personalized systems to prevent burnout, enhance productivity, and achieve sustainable success (personally and professionally). 

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In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, Anika Zubair discusses the critical skill of identifying customer churn signs and implementing strategies to prevent it. She debunks common myths about churn, emphasizes the importance of proactive engagement, and outlines a five-step framework for recognizing at-risk customers. The episode provides actionable insights for customer success managers to enhance their strategies and improve customer retention.

Signup to the FREE Masterclass: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/masterclass

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:50 Myths About Customer Churn
05:54 Proactive Strategies for Churn Prevention
09:10 Identifying Early Warning Signs of Churn
11:50 Five Key Indicators of At-Risk Customers
15:09 Engagement and Communication Strategies
20:49 Building a Churn Prevention Playbook
24:12 Validating Customer Risk
27:00 Executing the Save Playbook
29:50 Final Thoughts and Weekly Challenge

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

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In this episode of the Customer Success Pro podcast, Anika Zubair discusses the common pitfalls in customer expansion strategies and emphasizes the importance of proactive engagement. She highlights that expansion should not be treated as a one-time event but rather as an ongoing process that requires continuous conversations and guidance. Anika provides actionable strategies for identifying growth triggers, building expansion pathways, and reframing discussions around customer outcomes to drive successful upsell conversations.

Signup to the FREE Masterclass: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/masterclass

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:11 The Myth of Expansion Timing
06:06 Proactive Strategies for Customer Growth
08:54 Building an Expansion Pathway
12:10 Reframing Expansion Around Outcomes
15:01 The Importance of Continuous Conversations
18:14 Listener Challenge and Recap

Connect with Anika:

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Instagram

Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

Send Anika a text :)

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In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, host Anika Zubair speaks with Melanie Fay, an enterprise Customer Success Manager at Goldcast. They discuss Melanie's journey in customer success, her transition between various roles, and her innovative approach to customer engagement known as the 'anti-check-in.' Melanie shares her experiences managing a large book of business, the importance of delivering value in customer interactions, and strategies for understanding customer goals and outcomes. The conversation emphasizes the need for CSMs to adapt their approaches to meet the evolving needs of customers and to provide meaningful engagement beyond traditional check-in calls. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the evolving landscape of customer success, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs, effective engagement strategies, and the transition from traditional check-in calls to value-driven discussions. They discuss the significance of frameworks for customer conversations, the role of storytelling in enhancing customer relationships, and the necessity of taking ownership and leadership within the customer success domain. Additionally, they explore practical tips for managing a large book of business through segmentation and the importance of being creative and adaptable in communication strategies.

Enter the Planhat Giveaway!

Win an all-expenses-paid trip to Planhat Open: www.planhat.com/giveaway

Timestamps: 
00:00 Introduction
01:52 Melanie Fay's Journey in Customer Success
06:01 Transitioning Between Roles and Companies
10:00 The Anti-Check-In Approach
13:13 Managing a Large Book of Business
17:03 Delivering Value in Customer Interactions
21:13 Understanding Customer Goals and Outcomes
25:02 Innovative Strategies for Customer Engagement
27:00 Understanding Customer Needs and Engagement
30:08 Frameworks for Effective Customer Conversations
33:04 Transitioning from Check-Ins to Value-Driven Discussions
35:06 The Role of Storytelling in Customer Success
39:04 Taking Ownership and Leadership in Customer Success
43:14 Segmenting and Managing a Large Book of Business
47:03 Key Takeaways

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

Connect with Melanie Faye:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-faye/

I’m Melanie, a CSM living on a small island on the East Coast in Canada. After running my own business for years, I knew when I landed my first CS role that it was meant to be. I’ve been working in Customer Success for nearly 4 years and have been fortunate enough to gain experience in different industries like digital events, HR tech and accounting tech. Most recently, I was supporting mid-market customers at Keeper.app and am now moving into an Enterprise role at Goldcast. I’m excited to get back to my roots in the events industry! When I’m not listening to CS podcasts, meeting with my mentor or having coffee chats with others in tech, you can find me spending time with my two Labradoodles (Charl

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In this episode of the Customer Success Pro podcast, Anika Zubair discusses the critical role of strategic communication in customer success. She debunks common misconceptions about what defines success in the field, emphasizing that it's not just about product knowledge or churn prevention. Instead, she highlights the importance of effectively communicating value, influencing stakeholders, and navigating tough conversations. Anika provides actionable strategies for developing these skills, illustrating their impact on career growth and positioning oneself as a trusted advisor. The episode concludes with key takeaways for listeners to implement in their own customer success roles.


Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:50 The Importance of Strategic Communication
03:16 Common Misconceptions in Customer Success
05:08 Understanding Strategic Communication
11:00 Developing Strategic Communication Skills
24:15 Impact of Strategic Communication on Career Growth
30:09 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Connect with Anika Zubair: 
Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/

Coaching with Anika: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup

Send Anika a text :)

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In this episode, Anika Zubair discusses the challenges of scaling customer success teams without losing sight of customer value with guest Saahil Karkera. They explore the importance of understanding customer value, the need for continuous engagement with customers, and the significance of personal relationships in customer success. Sahil shares insights from his experience in scaling CS teams in SaaS companies and emphasizes the need for ongoing conversations to define and deliver value effectively. In this conversation, we explore the intricacies of customer success management, focusing on strategies for effective engagement, the balance between hiring and optimizing processes, and the role of AI in enhancing customer experiences. The discussion emphasizes the importance of collaboration across teams, learning from past mistakes, and the future direction of customer success towards hyper-personalization and value delivery.

Enter the Planhat Giveaway!

Win an all-expenses-paid trip to Planhat Open: www.planhat.com/giveaway

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction 

12:32 Defining Customer Value 

24:39 Building Personal Relationships in CS

 26:40 Navigating Customer Engagement and Progress Tracking 

29:07 Optimizing Customer Success Management Without Overwhelm 

32:02 Hiring vs. Optimizing: Balancing Resources in Customer Success 

37:04 Leveraging AI for Enhanced Customer Success 

41:00 Learning from Mistakes: Collaborating Across Teams 

43:47 The Future of Customer Success: Hyper-Personalization and Value

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

Connect with Saahil Karkera :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/saahilkarkera/

CS Connect: https://www.joincsconnect.com/

Saahil Karkera is a Customer Success leader with 9 years of experience scaling and transforming CS teams in Seed to Series A/B SaaS companies. He took an unconventional path to Customer Success, starting in Enterprise Sales at a startup that was later acquired by one of its customers. Since then, he has built and scaled three high-performing CS teams, with a deep focus on driving retention, expansion, and operational efficiency.

Beyond his CS leadership role, Saahil is the founder of CS Connect—a no-fluff, results-driven community for Customer Success leaders navigating the chaos of SaaS startups. His mission? To arm CS leaders with the tools, knowledge, and network to turn CS into a scalable revenue driver rather than just a support function.

When he’s not optimizing CS strategies, you’ll find him spending time with his two young children, Mae and Colin.

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Being a Customer Success Pro is no easy job, but this podcast will help. Remember that Customer Success is not a destination, but a journey and I am here to help you on your journey.

Enter the Planhat Giveway to win an all expense trip to Planhat Open: www.planhat.com/giveaway

In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, host Anika Zubair speaks with Guy Rahamim, a Senior Manager of Customer Success at Linear B. They discuss Guy's unique journey from studying dentistry to thriving in customer success, the innovative strategies he employs to reduce churn, and the importance of data-driven decisions in customer success. Guy shares insights on the Ideal Customer Behavior (ICB) metric, which helps in understanding customer engagement and retention.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:49 Guy's Journey to Customer Success

06:08 Understanding Linear B and Its Operations

09:29 Career Aspirations and Goals in Customer Success

11:53 Winning the Creative Customer Success Leader Award

14:12 Challenges with Churn and Customer Health Scores

15:11 Introducing Ideal Customer Behavior (ICB)

20:00 Building Cross-Functional Teams for Success

23:48 The Importance of Collaboration in Customer Success

24:16 Proactive Risk Management in Customer Success

30:27 Leveraging Data for Customer Engagement

36:38 Renewal Strategies and Customer Value

41:47 QuickFire Questions Round

Connect with Anika:

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Website: thecustomersuccesspro.com

Coaching with Anika: CSM RevUP Academy

Connect with Guy Rahamim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-rahamim/

Guy Rahamim is a dynamic leader in customer success, passionate about helping R&D teams achieve transformative business outcomes. With over a decade of global experience spanning EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, Guy combines strategic planning, leadership, and technical expertise to drive positive net revenue retention and high customer satisfaction.

Currently, Guy is a Senior Manager of Customer Success at LinearB. He is also a founding lead at CS Insider and a member of CS Angel, a syndicate of customer success experts investing in innovative technologies.

Guy holds a B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences and an MBA and is recognized as a 2022 & 2023 Top 100 Customer Success Strategist. He is certified at all four levels of the Certified Customer Success Management Professional program, highlighting his dedication to continuous learning and excellence.

Guy’s ICB Framework: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BTQBIKeWqfI4LfX6MlkcFkIFBEqvUqkxayJtSrsHpuI/edit#slide=id.g2cf81ef3f44_0_66

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Podcast Editor: https://podcastmagician.com/