Enter the Success Manager

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I’m seeing more and more ads in the US for “Customer Success Managers” at technology companies such as Salesforce.com, Birst and Citrix, to name only a few. This is partly just a change in nomenclature as I’m pretty sure these companies all used to have account managers, but there a different flavour to these ads. They’re less sales-orientated and more about the longer-term success for the client in their use of technology. This is an excellent development in the marketplace and a trend that will hopefully continue.

Why? Because technology companies used to be a little bit lazy about customer care. They could sell products that would support a client’s business for a couple of years at a time. The sales team would make a sale and think that they could rest easy, touching base with the client executives at  infrequent intervals with the Support team interacting more regularly at the lower levels. Now, as the pace of change increases and every business adapts to its market at ever-faster rates, no product remains static. New features and functionality are demanded on a daily basis and new metrics are available through which a client can understand whether or not anyone is using the solution they’ve paid for. The client is more engaged than ever in their technology solution and as a result the solution provider has to stay in every conversation. It’s the only way to help clients adopt new ways of working and understand what they may need next.

This is the focus of these types of roles – not just selling but engaging, listening and advising at several different levels to prevent valuable clients from churning out of the business. If you’re not following this approach, you may keep the top of the sales funnel full but find that clients end up dropping out downstream.

Going with your gut

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Going with your first instinct is fine as long as it really is yours.

Awhile ago I went with some friends to Canada’s Wonderland. It was the first time I’d been back in years and while I can’t go on rides that go around in circles, I love rollercoasters. Wonderland has LOTS of rollercoasters and I’m pretty sure we hit all of them.

One in particular was pretty scary as there was no floor. You got into your seat, the safety bar came down and as you rolled out, the ground dropped away below you and you realized that you felt kind of naked. I was sitting next to my friend Ken and as we pulled to a stop at the end of the ride, my two friends in the row behind us said, “Let’s go again – we can just stay on!”

Ken said, “Yeah – ok! I’m going again!” but I was done. It was a good ride but once was enough for me. I waited for them at the exit and on their return Ken looked a little shaken up.

I asked him what was up and it turns out that after I got off the ride there was a short wait, then the safety bar came down, and then he realized that he didn’t want to go again. The attendant came by to perform the final check and Ken, slightly panicked, said, “I don’t want to go.” The attendant looked deep into his eyes and said, “It’s too late,” and the coaster pulled out again.

Ken admitted, “I got carried away by their enthusiasm – I didn’t really know what I was doing.”

“I feel kind of sick now.”

We laughed a lot but it made me think.

Going with your gut can be perfectly legitimate. Just make sure it’s your gut you’re going with, not somebody else’s. 

The Customer Is Not Always Right

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Anyone who thinks that enterprise sales/account management means agreeing with the client all the time is wrong. People develop wacky ideas about their own business all the time, often because they are either stuck in silos or they are too close to the issues. This does not mean it’s a good idea to implement them.

For me, the really interesting part of working with a client is understanding how their whole business works and serving that best interest, not just the interest of whoever is in charge of the RFP this week. This is the only way you become a proper advisor and someone the client will trust no matter what they’re looking for. It doesn’t mean you’ll always conclude a sale, but it does make it much more likely they will always make sure you’re at the table.

 In no particular order then, here are my top reasons to say “no” to a prospective or existing client:

i.      You/your company does not provide the product/service they need

ii.      The client is seeking to support a business process that is sub-optimal

iii.      The requirements are not clear – and neither is the expected outcome

iv.      You don’t believe what the client wants – or says they want – is good for their business

Are there others you can think of, or does this list cover most reasons?

Management ≠ prevention

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An acquaintance of mine was employed as a risk manager on a project and like any good professional doing that job, identified the likely risks and mitigation strategies the team would employ. Later in the project, one of the previously-identified risk events occurred and was addressed in the way that was planned. The client took my acquaintance aside and said,

“How did this happen? I hired you so that we wouldn’t run into this situation!”

Isn’t it amazing how differently particular words can be understood?

When appended to a word like “time”, the understanding seems clear – time management can only mean how we deal with time, so in general terms how we influence or maintain control over time.

Substitute a word like “risk” or “change” into the same phrase, and people can choose to interpret it differently. Some appear to think that risk or change management means, “How can we stop these events from occurring?”

Listening is touted these days as a must-have skill. Agreed, absolutely, but just listening is not enough. We have to pay attention to how we interpret what we hear and ensure that everyone has a common understanding of what was said.

Confluence – from the Latin “confluere” meaning to flow together

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When I was in high school, business studies were presented almost as…accountancy. Dry. Full of numbers. Stuffy. I could not think of anything more boring to do so I gave the whole area a wide berth and went into arts.

Over the years I went from arts to communications to technology and ended up bringing everything together in business, which I now think is one of the most exciting things anyone can ever do. This confluence of people, information and now technology gives you the opportunity to be involved in countless new situations, make a real impact on people’s lives and never stop learning.

This blog is for people who enjoy business, especially those who love working with clients and technology. It might veer towards other areas from time to time but none of us have only one dimension so I hope you enjoy it all.