Anika Zubair (00:00.108)
Welcome back to the Customer Success Pro podcast. I'm your host, Anika Zuber, and today we are tackling a topic that every single customer success professional needs to hear. Now, I know if you're a longtime listener of my podcast, you are used to me having a guest on my show. And once a month, I usually do. But surprise, I'm excited to try something new with you on my podcast and start solo episodes. Now, you will get those monthly episodes where I interview CS pros from around the world.

but every few weeks you will also get a solo episode for myself. I plan on sharing my personal tips, tricks and best practices in customer success with you so we can continue to learn and navigate this crazy world of customer success that we are in. So enough of me chatting, let's jump in to today's episode. Hello everyone, I'm your host Anika Zuber and welcome back to the next episode of the Customer Success Pro podcast.

I'm a Customer Success Executive Leader, award-winning CS strategist, CS coach, and Customer Success fanatic. I help CS leaders and CSMs build and scale world-class CS processes and teams. I'm a strong believer that customer success is not a destination, but a journey. And it can be a tough journey, but don't worry, I'm here to help. This podcast was created to help make your CS journey a little bit easier to navigate.

Join me every month on this podcast where we will dive into the hottest topics in CS, the newest strategies, and the best practices in customer success so you can make your CS journey a little bit easier. Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts so that you can continue to learn on this CS journey that we are on together.

Anika Zubair (01:50.83)
What if I told you that your success and customer success doesn't depend on the number of accounts you manage, the size of your book of business, or even your NRR metrics? There's one skill that will make or break your CS career. And today I'm going to reveal what that is, and more importantly, how you can master it to unlock career growth and build stronger relationships and drive the revenue impact that you're looking to drive. Now, why is this a must-know topic for CS pros?

Because no matter your role, whether you're a new CSM or a seasoned customer success leader, or even an aspiring VP, this skill is a common denominator that determines your success. Without it, you'll struggle to create real impact for your customers, your company, and even your own career. But with it, you'll be able to open doors to leadership, revenue influence, and long-term success in CS. And here's the best part. By the end of this episode, you won't just know

what this game-changing skill is, you'll walk away with clear, actionable steps to start improving it today. Because as a CS coach, I am tactical and practical, and I like to give you tips and tricks that you can start using today in your role in customer success. So stay tuned with me until the end, because I'm going to give you practical strategies that you can apply immediately to become a high-performing, high-impact CSM. All right, ready to find out what that one thing is? All right, let's dive in.

Let's talk about one of the biggest misconceptions in customer success. The myth is that your success is determined on how well you know your product, or maybe how many customers you can save from churning, or maybe it's how many renewals you can close. If you've been in CS for a while, you've probably heard or maybe even believed some version of this, but a lot of CSMs think that their value comes from being a product expert, that knowing every single feature and

every new update and every workaround will make them indispensable. And while product knowledge is super important, here's the truth. No customer sticks around just because you can explain every button or every way to use your platform. They're here for the value. And then there's this idea that CS is all about churn prevention and becoming that firefighter that's constantly putting out the fires, jumping into every red account to save the day, and yes, reducing churn matters.

Anika Zubair (04:12.259)
But if your role is only reactive, you're always going to be on the back foot. And that's not a positive strategy, it's a survival mode. And finally, many think that renewal management is the ultimate indicator of CS success. And sure, renewals are super important. But if you're only focused on getting the customer to sign another contract without truly helping them achieve their goals, those renewals will eventually dry up and then you'll be back to that churn problem that I was just talking about.

So let me say this loud and clear. None of these things, meaning product knowledge, churn prevention, or renewal management, are the defining factor of a truly successful CS career. So at this point, you're going to be like an ega. Tell me, what is the one thing that will make or break my CS career? Well, the one thing is strategic communication. And let's get into the good stuff.

The one thing that will truly make or break your CS career is the ability to communicate strategically. Now I know that might sound as flashy or unrealistic as driving expansion or mastering QBRs, but hear me out. Strategic communication is the foundation of everything that we do in customer success. It's the difference between being just another CSM and being the person who executives, customers, and teams listen to, trust, and act on.

So what do I mean by strategic communication? Let's break it down, shall we? At its core, it's about three main things. The first thing is about influencing stakeholders. So whether you're speaking to a customer, the CFO, negotiating with the VP of sales, or aligning with your product team, your ability to influence decisions determines your impact. It's not just about presenting data. It's about framing it in a way that resonates with your audience.

The second thing is communicating value. Now, you could know your product inside and out, but if you can't articulate why it matters to your customer's goals, you're gonna struggle to drive adoption and retention and expansion. Your job isn't to explain features, it's to connect the dots between what your product does and the business outcome that your customer cares about. Let me say that again for you. Your job is to connect the dots.

Anika Zubair (06:36.973)
between what your product does and the business outcomes that your customer cares about. At the end of the day, they're here to get outcomes. They're not here for the features. And finally, the third thing is navigating tough conversations. In customer success, difficult conversations is probably the norm, and they're inevitable, whether it's addressing some sort of misaligned expectations, overselling.

pushing back on unrealistic demands from customers, or maybe it's just guiding a hesitant customer through an expansion opportunity. All of these are difficult conversations, and trust me, I've been through my fair share of them. But the best CSMs don't avoid these moments. They handle them with confidence, ensuring they drive outcomes without damaging relationships. Now, why the heck is all of this so crucial?

Because no matter how much you know about your product, if you can't actually communicate the value in the way that lands and the way that resonates with your customers, they're not gonna see it. You can start talking and talking and talking until you're blue in the face. But if your customers aren't going to see value in what you're talking about, it's really not gonna matter what you have to say.

And as CS and CSMs become more commercially minded and more revenue driven, your ability to influence expansions or renewals and to align with decision makers is what's gonna really set you apart in this job market and in the customer success world as a whole. And if you can't do that effectively, you're gonna hit the ceiling in your career really quickly.

Right, let me give you a real life example of exactly what I'm talking about. Let me give you a quick story on a CSM that I worked with. Let's call him Alex. He was incredibly data driven and he had all the right reports, tackled every adoption metric and had a detailed health score breakdown for every account. When it came time for renewal discussions with a key customer, Alex pulled together a deck packed with

Anika Zubair (08:44.685)
insights, charts, graphs, trends, the whole shebang. He had it all ready. But the problem was when he presented it to the customer's executive team, they were so checked out. He was speaking in his language, not theirs. Instead of tying the data back to their business goals, he was overwhelming them with numbers that didn't actually directly translate into value for them. And you know what the result was? The customer churned. Not because the product wasn't delivering value, because

They didn't see it and poor Alex was trying to deliver a product value, but he wasn't delivering customer value. Now let's contrast this with another CSM that I worked with and let's call her Sarah. Sarah had a customer that was a clear churn risk. It was a hard red. Everything was flashing red with this customer. The usage had dropped, the engagement was super low and the leadership was already looking at alternative platforms to use.

And instead of jumping straight into damage control, she took a different approach. She set up a conversation with the customer's decision makers and started by reframing the narrative. So instead of talking about feature usage, she focused on their business objectives that they had set when they first signed on. She pulled these up from the original kickoff call that she had with them. She connected the dots between their strategic goals and

the measurable impact that the product had delivered using data as a supporting tool, not the main event. The main event that she was focused on was their outcomes, was their business goals, and she used data to support that. And then she strategically positioned an expansion, not as an upsell, but as a way to unlock even more value. She took time to really speak in their language and tell them,

how much value they were getting from their product and service. And because of this value, she positioned it that they could unlock even more value in their business based on their goals and where they were tracking. The result was that not only did the customer renew, but they expanded as well because they saw the value and Sarah made it so easy for them to understand the value in their product.

Anika Zubair (11:00.815)
All right, now that we know that strategic communication is the one skill that will make or break your CS career, let's talk about how you can actually develop it. Because here's the thing, this isn't something that you're just born with. Like, let me tell you, some of these ways of working and these skills, I just didn't learn them overnight. I had to practice them. And like with any skill, any of the CSMs that I've worked with, they've had to practice it. And the best thing about a skill,

is that you can build, refine, and master it over time. It doesn't have to be perfect the first time around. So if you're listening to this podcast and you're thinking, how the heck am I going to be able to communicate effectively to my customer to drive value, don't worry, you will get there. But this is something that is gonna take time and practice. And if you do do it, it will completely change the way you interact with your customers,

your internal teams, and even the executives that you deal with day in and day out. So let's break this down into four key areas that you need to focus on in order to master this. The first is master active listening. Now, I know what you're probably thinking at this point, listening, Ika, I've heard this time and time again. Active listening is so critical in customer success. Now, of course you listen to your customers. I'm sure you do. But are you really actually listening?

Or are you just waiting for them to stop so that you get your turn to talk? One of the biggest mistakes I see CSMs make is jumping into solutions too quickly. I don't know what it is about customer success professionals, but we want to help. And sometimes we're not really helping ourselves by jumping into a solution and providing answers to our customers right away. Because I get it. We are problem solvers by nature and we want to help.

But if you're not actively listening to your customers, you might actually be solving the wrong problem. You might be actually giving them answers to questions they're not even asking. So really, really take the time to listen to your customer and to actually understand the problem that they are faced with. Now, here's how you're actually going to level up your listening skills. First of all, avoid jumping to solutions immediately. I already mentioned this, but instead of assuming you know the issue, ask

Anika Zubair (13:23.749)
follow up questions, you've got to dig deeper. I have said this so many times to everyone I've worked with, but you've got to do the right level of discovery. And discovery is, yes, a sales skill, but it is such a critical customer success skill as well. You have to be comfortable asking questions. I would like to challenge you actually, after this podcast, on your next customer call, I challenge you to ask at least

five questions of your customers. I want you to dig a little bit deeper and I want you to use open-ended questions instead of asking, are you happy with the product? Maybe ask something like, what are the challenges you're currently facing in your workflow, in your business? This really opens a door to a real conversation. I want you to have those deeper, real conversations with your customers. Repeat back what you hear as well, like a simple,

just to make sure I understand you correctly, followed by a summary of what their concerns are, really shows that you're engaged and aligned with their needs. So I just want you to take some time on your next customer call and make sure that you're really listening and that you really understand what the problem is. And if you don't understand, don't shy away. Ask those discovery questions and really figure out what it is the problem they're trying to solve. And listen, when customers feel heard,

they are going to trust you more. And trust is really what drives those long-term strategic relationships that we're all after. The second way you're gonna master this is you are going to start to frame conversations around value. Now, this is a big one. If you really wanna be a top performing CSM, you need to shift your mindset from features to business impact. Remember, your customer is not buying your product or service for a feature.

I would like to remind you that they had a real business problem that they were trying to solve. And the reason why they're using your product or service is to help solve that problem and to have a real business impact. So as you start to really focus in on customers that have conversations around value, you're going to want to make sure you shift your mindset from features to business impact. A lot of CSMs fall into this trap. So don't feel

Anika Zubair (15:49.295)
victimized if you think I'm talking only to you. Trust me, there's plenty of people out there that are focused so much on features and they're so focused of talking about what the product does instead of what it means for the customer. But here's the secret, customers don't buy features, they buy outcomes. I'm gonna say it time and time again, they are not here because of a feature. They're not here because they can log into your tool, they're here because they wanna see what they're.

your tool can do for their business, because that's the outcome that they are after. And one way to reframe this is by using the so what method. So instead of saying our product now has an advanced reporting dashboard, ask yourself, so what? Then say, this means you can identify revenue leaks faster, reduce churn, and increase upsell opportunities leading to more revenue growth. When you add that so what, it makes

all the difference. Did you see what I did there? One is a feature and the other is a business outcome. So every time you're in a customer conversation, ask yourself, am I talking about the features or am I tying this back to their business objectives? Hey, CS pros. I just want to quickly jump into this episode and let you know that if you've enjoyed this episode, but you're wondering how you too can become a commercially minded and revenue focused CS professional,

then I have the answer for you. Some of you might not know this, but I run a cohort-based coaching program that walks you through step-by-step on how to align customer success strategies with revenue. And it's called CSM RepUp Academy. It's my complete step-by-step coaching program that helps you elevate your skills and mindset to focus on driving revenue for both your customers and your company.

And this is a live coaching program that we only open the doors for enrollment a few times a year. And the next time we open doors will just be in a few weeks. If you're interested in joining the waitlist, go to thecustomersuccesspro.com forward slash rev up to sign up for the waitlist. Now, the third thing you're going to work on is influence without authority. Now, one of the hardest parts of CS is that we're responsible for revenue outcomes.

Anika Zubair (18:08.037)
But more times than not, and I've heard it time and time again, CSMs don't always have direct authority to make things happen. So how do you drive decisions when you're not the final decision maker? Well, you're gonna use storytelling to make data more compelling. Instead of just presenting numbers, I want you to tell a story around these numbers. For example, instead of saying your adoption rate is low to a customer, I want you to say,

Teams that fully adopt this feature have seen a 20 % increase in efficiency right now. And your team is only using 30 % of its potential. Imagine what would happen if we got that number up to 80%. When you adapt your communication to your audience, it really changes everything. The way you speak to an end user should be totally different how you engage with an executive. An executive doesn't really care about login activity. They care about the

product impacts on revenue, efficiency, or maybe even risk mitigation. But you need to build a strong internal alignment and CS doesn't operate in a vacuum. So if you're not aligned with sales, product marketing, you're going to struggle to influence outcomes. So I want you to be proactive in building those relationships because when internal teams trust you, they're going to support your initiatives. And when you start working with internal teams, you're going to be able to influence

at the executive level. But remember, all of this does not happen in a vacuum. You're gonna have to work cross-functionally and you're gonna have to change your narrative and your storytelling abilities depending on what level you're speaking to. And finally, the fourth way that you are going to master all of this is with the ability to navigate tough conversations with confidence. Now, here's the reality. All of us have to have tough conversations and customer success.

I don't care if you are in your first year as a CSM or in your 10th year or you're a VP of customer success or even a chief customer officer. Every single one of us, the reality is we are going to have difficult conversations with our customers. And the way they get easier is again through practice. Now, maybe these difficult conversations are about a price increase or maybe your customer is threatening to churn or maybe the sales team set expectations that

Anika Zubair (20:32.123)
just weren't right during the sales process and now you're there to clean it all up. Now, all of these moments can feel super uncomfortable. Trust me, I've been there, I know it, and I've worked with so many people who feel uncomfortable about these conversations. But the best CS pros lean into them instead of avoiding them. And here's how you are going to start to approach tough conversations. First of all, stay calm. Like I said, whether you are your first year in customer success,

or you've spent 10, 20, 30 years in the business, it is so important to stay calm. When a customer is frustrated, they want to know that they are being heard. So if you react emotionally or if you escalate the situation or if you just start to also get a little bit uncomfortable, it's just going to make things worse. So really go into things with a calm head. Secondly, you're going to definitely need to acknowledge the concerns. Like, let them know that you've heard them.

Say, I hear you, that sounds frustrating. I'm in it with you and I totally understand how you can be frustrated by this. Just saying that you understand can go a long way in difficult conversations and can really diffuse tension in some of these conversations as well. And finally, like you've really got to reframe the conversation. So instead of getting stuck on the problem, shift the focus to solutions. If your customer is pushing back on pricing,

Don't just defend the cost, reinforce the value. For example, I completely understand that the budget is a concern for you, but what I want to focus on is how this solution is going to help you achieve your goals. Let's talk about how we can ensure you're getting the most out of this investment. When you reframe from pricing to the value that this new product, service, or add-on can help them achieve,

they will actually lean into the conversation. They will want to hear you out and they will want to actually lean in to using more of your product. But if you just go in with here's the cost and here's how much it's gonna cost you, no one likes that. Everybody wants to hear the outcome more than the cost. Now, mastering tough conversations is what actually separates good CSMs from...

Anika Zubair (22:52.143)
great ones. Now if you really want to be that rock star CSM and you want to excel in your career, start to really lean into those tough conversations and practice them so you can start to feel comfortable with it as well. So there you have it. Those are my four actual ways to develop strategic communication skills. So just as a quick recap, the first one is the ability to master active listening so your customers can feel heard and valued.

The second is frame conversations around business impact instead of just features. The third is learn the ability to influence without direct authority by using storytelling and stakeholder alignment. And finally, you've got to navigate tough conversations with confidence instead of avoiding them. If you can master these four things, I promise you, you'll be seeing a massive shift in how customers respond to you. Instead of avoiding your call or ghosting your emails,

they will be so much more interested in speaking to you. And also, if you do start mastering those communication skills, you will start to see a huge shift in how your internal team start to trust you more and how quickly your career ends up growing. Right, now that I've broken down how to develop strategic communication skill, let's talk about the real impact on how this skill will directly shape your career growth in customer success.

Because here's the thing, the best CSMs aren't just customer support reps who manage renewals, they are trusted advisors. They're strategic partners. And the way you get there is through strategic communication. So I want to pivot and talk about how focusing on strategic communication can really accelerate your career. First of all, it can move you from being that reactive CS professional to a proactive one.

A lot of CSMs operate in this reactive mode, where they're firefighting, answering every email or Slack, or just responding to customer issues as they come in and putting out all those fires. And while those things are always part of the job, and hear me out, they're always going to be part of the job, they won't make you stand out. You definitely have to do them, but it shouldn't be your main focus. Strategic communication, on the other hand, will drive the conversation instead of waiting for it to happen.

Anika Zubair (25:10.481)
So really start to lean into that. Instead of waiting for a customer to say, we're not seeing value, you should be proactively bringing insights to them. Based on your usage data, I noticed that teams that adopt this feature see a 30 % efficiency boost. I'd love to help you implement this. What do you think? Do you see how that's so different? You're approaching something as an advisor and you're really coming in as a business consultant.

So instead of waiting for churn signals or waiting for that support ticket to come in or maybe that email or Slack message, I want you to create customer engagement moments before issues arise. This shift from reactive to proactive is gonna make customers see you as a partner and not just a point of contact. Too many times before have I heard CS professionals say, I'm your point of contact. Stop saying that. I want you to be their partner.

their business partner, their strategist. You are a partner, not just a support person. Right, another way that focusing on strategic communication is going to help your career is you start to become that trusted advisor and not just an account manager. Let me ask you something. When your customers make strategic decisions, do they go to you for advice? Because if they don't, if they only come to you for renewals, billing questions, or technical support,

then you're still seen as an account manager and not an actual advisor. Strategic communication is how you're going to bridge that gap. It's how you position yourself as someone who's not just to manage a contract, but there to actually help their business grow. And trust me, this directly impacts expansion and retention. So it's gonna help you in the long run without you even realizing it. So when a CSM is seen as a strategic partner,

Customers don't churn as easily because they trust that you're invested in their success. They believe that you have the insights that can help them. And when it comes time for expansion, they're not just rolling their eyes at another sales pitch. Instead, they're asking you, hey, what's next? What more can we do today? This is how you go from being an order-taker to an influencer.

Anika Zubair (27:22.479)
And finally, focusing on strategic communication is going to position yourself for leadership. I know a lot of people listening to this podcast is thinking about what's next for their CS career, and for a lot of you, it's leadership. Now, if you do have ambitions to move into leadership, whether that's a senior CSM, a CS team lead, director, or even VP of CS, then strategic communication isn't optional. It's absolutely essential for you to master.

Because what do leaders actually do? They influence outcomes without having to micromanage every detail. They align cross-functional teams. They make sure sales, marketing, product support are all working together. They advocate for their customer at the executive level. All of this comes down to communication. So when leadership is looking to promote someone into a higher role, they're not just looking for someone who's great at managing accounts because

I bet you're actually doing that really, really well. They're actually looking for someone who can drive strategic conversations, handle executive level discussions, and influence decisions. And if you can demonstrate that, and if you can prove that you're just not executing, but you are actually influencing, you're gonna stand out for that leadership role that you're dreaming of. So let's do a quick recap. If you wanna accelerate your CS career in customer success, strategic communication is absolutely key.

It's gonna help you move from reactive to proactive so you're leading the conversation and not just responding to it, but it's also gonna help you become that trusted advisor so customers can rely on your insights instead of just asking you about renewals. And finally, it's gonna position yourself for leadership because the best CS leaders are the best communicators. If you master this, you're not just gonna be a great CSM, you're gonna be the kind of CS pro who gets noticed, gets promoted,

and respected across the business. All right, now let's wrap this up with some final takeaways so you can start applying this today. Over the next week, I want you to identify one customer conversation where you can apply these principles. Focus on value framing, active listening, influencing without authority, and then let me know how it goes. I would love to hear your stories. So once you have done that, please leave me a comment anywhere that you're listening to this podcast.

Anika Zubair (29:46.073)
Wow, I can't believe we did that. That was my first solo episode and what a conversation it was. If there was one thing I want you to take away from today's episodes, it's this. Your success in customer success isn't just about knowing the product or preventing churn or managing renewals. It all comes down to this one skill, which is strategic communication.

And now a quick recap of what we covered. First of all, strategic communication is the number one skill that will make or break your CS career. It will help you move from reactive to proactive, and it positioned you as a trusted advisor. and don't forget, it sets you up for career growth and leadership because great CS leaders are the influencers and they don't just execute. So this is the best part of the podcast. You can start building this skill today.

And I want you to, I want you to go away and try some of the skills and tips that I mentioned in this podcast. And when you do, remember to tag me, Anika Zuber, in the comments of this podcast, because I'd love to continue the conversation with you and hear your thoughts. And if you want to go even deeper into this, I have some free resources for you where you can subscribe to my weekly CS newsletter to get weekly insights, best practices, and strategies to elevate your CS career or

If you want to, can grab my free guidebook on AI and customer success so you can learn how AI can help you become an even stronger communicator. Or maybe you're interested in one-to-one coaching. And if you want a personalized guidance on how to level up your CS skills and CS career, then let's chat. I'll make sure to link everything in the show notes. So make sure you check it out. And before we wrap up, make sure you subscribe to this podcast wherever you are listening because the next time on the Customer Success Pro

podcast, I'll be talking about the number one mistake CSMs make when trying to drive expansion and how to fix it. Trust me, you're not going to want to miss this one. So if you found today's episode valuable, make sure you follow the podcast so you don't miss a future update. And if you did enjoy this and if you think there's someone else out there that can benefit from hearing this podcast, remember sharing is caring and I would love it if you could share it with your CS bestie.

Anika Zubair (32:02.627)
Also, if you don't mind, could you please relieve a review? It really helps to get my content out there to more CS pros like yourself. Thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time on the Customer Success Pro. Thank you for listening to the Customer Success Pro podcast today. I hope you learned something new to take back to your team and your company. If you enjoyed today's episode, please can you take one minute to give me a positive review on Apple Podcasts?

It takes a lot of time and energy to create an episode and I want to continue to create more for you. But it would be great to know that you are enjoying these episodes. Also, do not forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcast as I release a new podcast every month. And if you have any topics that you would like me to discuss in the future or you would like to be a guest on this podcast, please feel free to reach out. All my contact details are in this show notes.

And if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it because sharing is caring. Thanks again for listening and tune in next time for more on customer success. Cheers to your CS journey and catch you next time.