82: Maranda Dziekonski - When selling never ends - CS in 2024 and beyond

Maranda Dziekonski on the evolving landscape of customer success, the importance of driving value for customers, and owning revenue outcomes for a function that traditionally never has. Like product.

Why the traditional role is shifting to a more integrated approach and how this works when “the sale never ends”

We discuss the complexities of customer success, the impact of budget constraints on customer retention, and the importance of understanding customer churn.

What it means to build around mission-critical services and having the correct timing to introduce customer success to a company. How does sales compensation integrate with customer success actions and how can we transition customers smooth between sales and customer success?

What do “Head of” titles mean if anything?

Without a doubt one of my favorite episodes I have ever recorded.

takeaways

• The role of customer success is evolving to include revenue ownership.
• Customer success can be seen as an extension of sales but with a different approach.
• The sale never truly ends; it's an ongoing relationship.
• Customer success leaders need to demonstrate their impact on revenue.
• Customer success should be integrated into product development.
• Sales compensation should align with customer success goals.

Sound Bites

• "Own revenue outcomes."
• "The sale never ends."
• "A ‘head of’ is a lawyer for their function."

Chapters

06:46 The Evolution of Customer Success

13:48 Revenue Ownership in Customer Success

19:57 The NPS Debate: Metrics and Insights

28:21 Understanding Customer Churn and Budget Constraints

31:08 The Role of Customer Success in B2B SaaS

33:59 When to Introduce Customer Success Management

36:14 Sales Compensation and Customer Success Integration

39:37 The Importance of Smooth Handoffs in Customer Success

40:34 Connecting Product Usage Data to Sales

45:22 Navigating Titles: Head of vs. VP in Organizations

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