The spotlight is on GTM leaders in 2024!
Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing insights and perspectives from conversations with our friends and thought leaders across a range of tech topics. Enjoy!
Interview #11:
We had a great conversation with Priscila, asking her, “You founded Latinos in Success this past year, can you tell as more about that community?”
After spending over a decade working in tech companies in New York, I often found myself as one of the few Latinos in the room. This experience sparked the idea for Latinos in Success, which I founded earlier this year to uplift and support Latinos in Customer Success and tech. Our mission is to create a community where individuals can feel seen, supported, and empowered.
Belonging is always top of mind for us because we know that when you feel a true sense of belonging, it not only helps you grow but also gives you the confidence to bring your whole self into everything you do—professionally and personally. Our members, spanning North and South America, EMEA, and beyond, come together for mentorship groups, virtual workshops, and monthly fireside chats. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to see this community grow organically.
“What are you looking forward to most in 2025?”
As I look towards 2025, I’m focused on continuing to create meaningful opportunities for connection and professional development, while also exploring ways we can integrate new technology like AI into Customer Success without losing the human element that makes our industry so impactful.
“What about Customer Success are you most passionate about?”
I’m most passionate about creating meaningful, long-lasting relationships in Customer Success. For me, it’s not just about solving immediate problems but truly understanding the customer’s needs and helping them achieve their goals.
It’s incredibly rewarding to see customers grow and succeed thanks to the support and guidance we provide. I also love the strategic aspect of CS—using data to not only improve the customer experience but also to drive business outcomes. Ultimately, I’m driven by the opportunity to make an impact both for my customers and the organizations I work with.
Previous Interviews:
Interview #10:
We asked Mick “what are your thoughts on the future of Customer Success?”
If an entire company fully embraces the Customer Success philosophy, do we still need a Customer Success department?
My prediction? Over time, the dedicated CSM role might phase out and we’ll see a return to Account Managers, but with a broader, more customer-centric approach. Here’s why:
If every team—from Sales to Product to Support—is focused on driving customer outcomes and ensuring success, then Customer Success wouldn’t be a department. It would be everyone’s job.
What would this mean?
Account Managers could take on many responsibilities traditionally handled by Customer Success Managers, becoming not just focused on renewals and upsells, but truly ensuring customers achieve their goals.
The line between Account Management and Customer Success would blur, and the entire organization would need to be aligned around customer outcomes.
But here’s the big question: Is this possible?
Does the complexity of today’s products and customer relationships still require specialized CSM roles, or can this mindset shift be distributed across the company?
Can Account Managers evolve into full-fledged customer success champions?
Interview #9:
We asked Mohammed “what is currently on the top of your mind in Customer Success and what in CS are you most passionate about?
As a passionate Customer Success professional, what’s at the forefront of my mind in Customer Success is the transformative potential of AI and Machine Learning in our field. The Middle East region is rapidly embracing digital transformation, and this presents unique opportunities and challenges for CS professionals.
I am excited about the potential for AI and ML to revolutionize Customer Success, globally. By embracing these technologies thoughtfully, we can create more value for our customers, drive business growth, and elevate the CS profession to new heights, but it’s crucial to remember that these technologies should augment, not replace, the human elements of empathy and relationship-building that are at the core of Customer Success.
I’ve observed a growing interest and trends in how we can leverage advanced technologies in the Middle East. Some of the current trends in customer success in the Middle East include a strong emphasis on personalized customer interactions, the integration of advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning to enhance customer experience, and a growing focus on proactive customer engagement. These trends are quite similar to those observed globally, particularly in terms of the adoption of technology and personalized customer experiences. However, the Middle East has unique cultural nuances and business practices that influence these trends. For instance, there is often a higher emphasis on personal relationships and face-to-face interactions compared to some Western markets.
The driving factors of these trends include a rapidly growing digital economy, increased competition, and higher customer expectations. Additionally, the region’s young and tech-savvy population is pushing companies to innovate and adopt new technologies. Government initiatives aimed at digital transformation and economic diversification are also playing a significant role.
Interview #8:
We asked Sarah, “can you discuss how the SaaS buyer mindset has shifted and how that has impacted traditional outbound sales?”
It’s no secret that outbound selling changed dramatically during and post pandemic. SaaS experienced a massive boom as companies scrambled to find ways to adapt to the remote world we lived in for three years. If you sold technology that increased visibility, efficiency, and easily allowed a company to adapt to a remote environment, outbounding was a cinch.
Then, the pandemic ended, companies with poorly deployed SaaS realized they had tech bloat, and vendor consolidation became the tune every CFO was humming. This led to uninterested buyers, IT teams tasked with cutting tech spend, and a whole lot of churn for a whole lot of tech companies. Outbound easily became 10x harder.
At the same time, the advent of ChatGPT ushered in a new wave of AI tech companies promising to eliminate the SDR role entirely, and make outbound selling efforts easier. The unfortunate reality is that, while those tools help a seller research prospects more easily and create first attempt messaging, they’re only as good as their data – as in, they get stuff wrong, target incorrect personas, and spam prospects.
So, not only are there less buyers in the market, buyers are inundated with poor messaging that misses the mark, and increases their distrust of sellers.
Finally, 75% of buyers prefer a self-serve (a la sales free) buying experience.
All of this means that companies need to adapt their sales processes to be buyer centric.
Top-of-funnel should be focused on educating buyers about problems they might not even know they have and equip them with tactical solutions beyond “buy our software.” Building trust and credibility is the new name of the outbound game (although, why this wasn’t always the case is beyond me).
Dimmo is one piece of the new outbound engine – helping companies be transparent about their offering and educate their audience around challenges and solutions they might not be aware of. By enabling buyers to make better decisions for their businesses, everyone wins.
Interview #7:
We asked Keishla, “Can you share your perspective on the importance of collaboration between different teams (sales, cs) and a clean handoff when it comes to client experience?”
We know that it’s critically important to develop strong alignment between sales and customer success to deliver an exceptional client experience. Organizations that master the transition move beyond winning the deal and set the foundation for retention and expansion.
Instituting a strong level of coordination between sales and success reduces the likelihood of disjointed client experience, where the transition from prospect to customer feels not just uncoordinated, but can leave the client feeling like they have to repeat everything they shared in the sales process.
The handoff from sales to customer success is a crucial juncture. The new client experience can be greatly improved by building a shared language of goal statements and objectives that don’t have to be customized or translated from lengthy “what are your goals?” conversations, but tailored to each partnership based on core value propositions of your product. From this transitioned information, your success teams can activate those goals and objectives into scalable implementation plans and adoption playbooks. A well-orchestrated experience can increase customer confidence in the new partnership.
When sales and customer success teams collaborate effectively, clients should receive not only a consistent and supportive experience, but one that has direction and intention. Providing your sales and customer success teams with strong plans that can be “tailored” as opposed to creating from whole cloth reduces error, scales efficiency, and builds confidence in your team’s ability to help partners achieve outcomes.
Interview #6:
We asked Markus, “What pointers would you give a CSM on identifying customer value earlier in the relationship with clients or what particular question would you ask a client in general?”
Customer Value consists of 2 components – business and personal value. Customers want to increase revenue, reduce costs, etc. But what they care more about is how improving their numbers affects their lives. Improving their status, getting a raise, growing their careers, etc. Always understand their ulterior motives.
The question: Given you’ll achieve X [business goal] how would that affect your work?
Interview #5
We asked Aaron, “Can you share your insights on the importance of employee empowerment and development in fostering high-performing teams, and how these practices contribute to the overall success and growth of organizations?”
Customer Success, and Customer Experience, begin and end with Employee Success, and Employee Experience. If organizations want to be customer-centric, and truly execute customer-driven growth, they must first focus their efforts internally. Once their employees are supported, and enabled properly, then and only then can those employees do the same for their customers.
This is where employee training and enablement come in. Developing their skills properly unleashes the power of performance across the organization. It drives higher employee retention rates, higher employee satisfaction scores, and an overall increase in employee engagement. They’re more willing to go above and beyond, and yet have the skills necessary to be more efficient and effective in their roles.
So many companies and leaders ask their teams to “just wing it” and lack the proper investment and focus on training and development. Meanwhile the inefficiencies garnered when this lack of focused, formalized training is present begin to whittle away at the internal procedures, and people involved. Making the customer journey frictionless becomes more difficult than it would have been without any involvement. Meaning a little early employee training investment goes a long way towards overall customer satisfaction and experience down the road.
An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure, and the organizations that realize that invest in their people heavily, so that they invest in the company and it’s customers just as much.
Interview #4
We asked Ed, “With the rise of AI and automation, how do you envision these technologies transforming Go-To-Market strategies, particularly in Customer Success and post-sales Revenue?”
Although the “human-like” nature of generative AI is at the same time exciting and terrifying, like it is with all other technologies, we will learn it performs well on certain things and poorly on others. It’s still early figuring it out, but so far, researching, summarizing, and generating “first drafts” with GenAI can save significant time and effort.
A number of companies are tinkering with AI to discern hidden signals in text streams that reveal customer health and buying intentions, and I expect this trend to continue as well. We must, however, redouble our efforts to carefully check and improve upon any results we get. That’s because AI and machine learning are based on the mathematics of maximum likelihood estimation, and what’s most probable isn’t necessarily correct, relevant, or even useful.
It still takes a human to pilot an airplane, and it will be many years before any AI “copilot” can fly one entirely on its own. Until then, it’s best that we continue to couple our imagination with careful and extensive experimentation.
Interview #3:
We asked Cliff, “Do you have any thoughts, predictions, or trends to watch for in 2024 that you’d like to share with our audience?”
As 2024 unfolds amidst uncertainties like fluctuating interest rates and geopolitical tensions, businesses face the daunting task of adapting and thriving. As a response to evolving market dynamics and organizational needs, the landscape of RevOps must change.
The focus on metrics like the Rule of Forty (Ro40) and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) highlights the pressing need for a strategic shift towards profitability and efficiency. However, achieving this requires more than just adherence to these metrics; it demands a fundamental mindset change across all stakeholders to truly impact the bottom line.
The post-SaaSacre era underscores the importance of three guiding principles: driving profitability, focusing on what matters, and enhancing both perceived and actual customer value. The shift towards profitability is especially challenging for SaaS companies accustomed to growth fueled by zero interest rates and capital injections. This new reality has led to a significant restructuring of the workforce, necessitating new skills and roles, notably in RevOps, which has seen its ranks swell from 5,800 in early 2022 to over 150,000.
Today’s RevOps professionals are at the forefront of steering the customer journey, optimizing feedback loops, streamlining processes, and refining go-to-market (GTM) strategies. Their role encompasses a broad array of responsibilities, from data analysis and insight generation to tool ecosystem management and data governance. Despite the enormity of these tasks, the objective is clear: prioritize effectively, focusing on strategic initiatives that deliver tangible benefits.
The conversation with industry veterans Jeff Ignacio and Anne Pao echoes a common sentiment among RevOps leaders—the overwhelming nature of their roles amid constant demands and disruptions. The solution lies in candid communication with leadership about realistic expectations and strategic alignment, emphasizing a balanced allocation of resources towards daily operations and long-term strategic goals.
Community support and continuous learning are vital for RevOps professionals navigating these challenges. Engaging with networks like WizOps, RevOps Co-Op, Pavilion, GTM Partners, and MOPs Pros offers invaluable opportunities for knowledge exchange and support.
At the core of RevOps’ mission is the enhancement of customer value through the integration of people, data, processes, and technology. By accelerating feedback loops and ensuring data-driven decision-making, RevOps can significantly contribute to sustaining Net Revenue Retention, reducing churn, and improving the customer experience.
In conclusion, the path forward for RevOps in 2024, despite the surrounding challenges, is marked by opportunities for growth and innovation. By focusing on skill development, strategic prioritization, and customer-centricity, RevOps leaders can drive their organizations towards unprecedented profitability and success. The journey ahead is promising for those ready to leverage their expertise to navigate through the macroeconomic climate and enact meaningful change.
Interview #2:
We asked James, “Do you have any thoughts, predictions, or trends to watch for in 2024 that you’d like to share with our audience?”
“Unequivocally we cannot ignore the advancements to provide business impact using artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and personalized technologies. The humanizing of the customer experience will become the new unique identifier of a vendor. Customer success, now proven to be a company capability will never break free of its stigma and ‘best practices’. However, it will just act like water and fill the necessary void to deliver business hydration!
Despite the number of growing AI-driven platforms predicting customer needs and behaviours with unprecedented accuracy, the pro-active endeavours of SaaS vendors will always require human intervention to those generations who thrive on it. The customer success manager will become proficient based on knowledge commerce, a consultant, rather than a conduit to the resources.
Companies will focus on simplicity over innovation to become leaders in their field. The era of a new perception of convenience via tech is on its way.“
Interview #1:
We asked Jan, “Do you have any thoughts, predictions, or trends to watch for in 2024 that you’d like to share with our audience?”
“In 2024, we’re going to see more tech layoffs, and many will be from acquisitions and startup shutdowns. This shouldn’t surprise us given that there are still some Default Dead companies out there. Fifteen years of Zero Interest Rate Policies (ZIRP) led investors and startups to spend more than they made in the chase for Growth at Any Cost (GaAC), and valuations grew exponentially.
If your investors are underwater on your company’s adjusted valuation, you are a prime contender for acquisition or shutdown. Our whole industry has been in turnaround since mid-2022. And now that GaAC is untenable, Post-Sales Revenue is key to every company’s growth. Going forward, successful companies and CS leaders will focus on post-sales activities that deliver customer value and project their revenue based on those customers that achieve business outcomes.
Investors now expect companies to achieve both profitability and growth. For GTM leaders, profitability means understanding your margin – your contribution to the growth and the costs of your business – and prioritizing the key activities that lead to your customers’ growth that will in turn lead to your company’s growth. It also means “doing more with less” is here to stay. Generative AI tools (like ChatGPT) have brought AI to non-coders, and these tools can enable productivity and improved analysis of business trends. However, effective use requires clean data and developing your understanding of AI, your prompting skills, and your craft.
2024 will be seen as a critical year of change. Those who embrace this change will be more likely to succeed in 2025 and beyond.”