Dr. Solomon Akinlua, MBA. DBA. PMI-PBA. CSSBB. CCEP. SFC™.CCSM’s Post

Driving Revenue Growth: The Power of Customer Success   In today's fast-paced business landscape, organizations are constantly seeking ways to drive revenue growth & build sustainable businesses. While there are various strategies/tactics to achieve these goals, one often overlooked yet highly impactful approach is leveraging the power of customer success. I will try to share how prioritizing customer success can help organizations scale up revenue & build thriving businesses.   Focus on Customer Value Creation : At the heart of customer success is the concept of creating value for customers. Organizations that prioritize understanding their customers' needs, pain points, & goals are better positioned to deliver products or services that truly address those needs. By consistently delivering value & ensuring that customers achieve their desired outcomes, organizations can build strong relationships & foster customer loyalty, leading to repeat business & increased revenue over time   Drive Customer Retention & Expansion : Customer success isn't just about acquiring new customers—it's also about retaining and expanding existing ones. It can cost up to five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Therefore, organizations that invest in customer success initiatives aimed at reducing churn and driving upsell & cross-sell opportunities can significantly impact their bottom line. By proactively identifying & addressing customer needs & concerns, organizations can increase customer satisfaction & ultimately drive revenue growth   Harness the power of Data & Analytics : Data is a powerful tool that can provide valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, & trends. Organizations that leverage data /analytics to track customer engagement, satisfaction levels, & identify opportunities for improvement are better equipped to drive customer success initiatives that deliver tangible results. By harnessing the power of data-driven decision-making, organizations can optimize their customer success strategies and maximize their impact on revenue growth   Cultivate a Customer -Centric Culture: Organizations that instill a customer-centric mindset across all levels of the organization are better able to align their goals and objectives with the needs of their customers. By fostering a culture of empathy, accountability, and continuous improvement, organizations can create an environment where everyone is committed to driving customer success &, ultimately, revenue growth   In conclusion, customer success is not just a department—it's a mindset that permeates every aspect of an organization. By prioritizing customer value creation, driving customer retention and expansion, harnessing the power of data & analytics, & cultivating a customer-centric culture, organizations can unlock new opportunities for revenue growth & build thriving businesses in today's competitive marketplace

Turning over Rocks! After reading Chapter 4 of Danny Meyer’s *Setting the Table*, I found some great reminders that apply to Customer Success. Here are my top 5 takeaways: 1️⃣ Turning Over the Rocks: Meyer talks about being relentlessly curious about the customer experience. In Customer Success, this means constantly looking for ways to improve the customer journey. Proactively addressing issues—even the small ones—helps build trust and loyalty. 2️⃣ Mistakes are Gold: In hospitality, mistakes provide a chance to make things right and exceed customer expectations. Similarly, in SaaS, when things go wrong, it’s an opportunity for CSMs to deliver an outstanding recovery experience that strengthens the relationship. 3️⃣ Going Beyond the Transaction: Meyer emphasizes that success isn’t just about a single interaction but about creating long-term relationships. In software, focusing on value and outcomes over features ensures customers are set up for ongoing success, not just satisfied with the initial sale. 4️⃣ The Virtuous Cycle of Enlightened Hospitality: Meyer’s philosophy focuses on caring for employees, customers, and communities. CSMs should create a virtuous cycle by empowering users, driving engagement, and fostering a culture of support both internally and externally. 5️⃣ Being Proactive, Not Reactive: A key theme of Chapter 4 is the power of anticipation. In Customer Success, anticipating customer needs, usage patterns, and potential obstacles helps prevent churn and enables growth. These insights prove that customer service, whether in hospitality or SaaS, is all about building meaningful, long-lasting relationships! How do you implement these principles in your Customer Success strategy? Let’s discuss! ⬇️

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆? Customer Success is no longer just a role—it’s a movement. As businesses pivot, so do the demands and expectations of this critical industry. We’re seeing a powerful shift in how we engage, retain, and deliver value to customers. Here’s the truth: Customer Success is at the heart of every thriving business. And today, there’s no room to play it safe or stick to the old ways. Let’s dive into 4 transformational trends shaping Customer Success in 2024: 1️⃣ 𝗔𝗜-𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 From predictive analytics to chatbots, AI is rewriting the playbook. It’s not just about automation; it’s about smarter decisions and personalized touchpoints. Mastering AI tools will no longer be an edge for professionals—it’ll be essential. 2️⃣ 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 One-size-fits-all solutions are out. Customers now expect experiences tailored to their needs, preferences, and goals. Businesses that prioritize personal connections will build loyalty that competitors can’t replicate. 3️⃣ 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 Success isn’t about onboarding anymore; it’s about delivering measurable results. Customers want proof that your service impacts their bottom line and expect you to guide them there. 4️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 Customer Success thrives on relationships, both inside and outside your organization. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and connecting with fellow professionals will unlock innovative solutions and foster collective growth in Haoma Worgwu's voice. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗢𝗨? 𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: Stay curious, stay learning, and lean into meaningful connections. 𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Invest in building trust and relationships, it is your competitive advantage. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙎𝙈 𝙤𝙧 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙪𝙥, 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚. 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂! What trends are you noticing in Customer Success? How are you staying ahead in this dynamic field? Let’s share, connect, and grow together. Drop your insights below! 𝙋.𝙎. 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙. #CustomerSuccess #ProjectManagement #CustomerRetention #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #BusinessGrowth #ROIOptimization

🚀 Don't Just Talk About Customer Discovery—Make It Happen! In Customer Success, we all agree that customer discovery is vital, but how do we actually do it? It's time to get practical. Here are actionable questions with examples to delve deeper into your customers' needs: 1️⃣ Understand How Your Customers Define Success 👉 Don't Ask: "What are your goals?" ❇️ Do Ask: "What does success look like for your team in six months—such as increasing productivity by 20% or reducing processing time?" "Can you describe a successful outcome you've envisioned with our product? For example, faster project turnaround or better team collaboration?" 📝 Why This Works: Including examples helps customers think specifically, making the conversation more productive and giving you clear objectives. 2️⃣ Identify the Metrics They Use to Measure It 👉 Don't Ask: "Do you have KPIs?" ❇️ Do Ask: "Which metrics are you tracking—such as customer retention, revenue growth, or operational efficiency?" "How do you assess tools like ours? For example, user adoption rates or time saved on tasks?" 📝 Why This Works: Examples help customers relate the question to their experiences, sharing relevant metrics. 3️⃣ Discover What Keeps Them from Achieving Their Goals 👉 Don't Ask: "Are you facing any challenges?" ❇️ Do Ask: "What obstacles have prevented you from reaching these goals—such as limited resources or outdated technology?" "What challenges does your team face that we might help with? For instance, data integration issues or lack of real-time reporting?" 📝 Why This Works: Offering examples encourages customers to discuss specific issues, leading to actionable insights. 4️⃣ Evaluate Your Customers' Skills and Knowledge 👉 Don't Ask: "Do you need training?" ❇️ Do Ask: "How familiar is your team with platforms like ours—for example, have they used other CRM tools?" "What kind of resources would empower your team—such as hands-on training or tutorials?" 📝 Why This Works: Providing examples helps customers assess their capabilities and identify needs. 💡 Pro Tip: Do Your Homework Before these conversations: Review Support Tickets: Identify recurring issues. Analyze Usage Patterns: Spot trends or underutilized features. Research Industry Trends: Understand external factors affecting their business. By asking informed questions and providing examples, you show that you're invested in their success and ready to add value from day one. Let's move from concepts to action. By asking the right questions and guiding the conversation, we not only gather essential information but also build stronger, trust-based relationships with our customers. We can help coach your team to ask these kinds of informed questions to improve and deepen your understanding of your customers! #CustomerSuccess #CustomerDiscovery #CSM #CustomerRelationships

Too often, we encounter academic advice on understanding customers, but the journey to get there can be challenging. It's time to move away from arriving with a blank sheet and hoping customers will do the work for us. Here are some practical questions to kickstart meaningful conversations.

The customer-centric approach is the key to unlocking business growth 🚀 In today's hyper-competitive SaaS marketplace, customer churn makes or breaks your business. Churn-fighting customer success warriors are no longer a nicety -- they're a must have. But what exactly is customer success? Who decides? How do you get there? Customer success is a collaborative, consultative team dedicated to customers discovering value, capitalizing on your products differentiators, and delivering the winning outcomes they set out to achieve. By empowering your customers to achieve their goals through your products and services, you cultivate an environment of mutual benefit – a win-win situation. 🤝 This article from Zendesk (https://lnkd.in/gwGvCVGn) dives deep into the world of customer success, outlining its core principles and the undeniable impact it has on businesses. Here are some key takeaways: - Customer success teams strive to improve retention rates - Customer-centricity is the foundation. Everything else flows from knowing your customer, what they need, and how your product will help. - Proactive communication, empathy, and a commitment to exceeding expectations are non-negotiables P.S. What are your thoughts on customer success? Share your experiences in the comments below! 👇 #customersuccess #relationshipmarketing #growthhacking #success #retention #growthmarketing

Customer success is the heart of a company’s growth strategy. But what truly defines success in this field? At its core, it’s about moving from reactive problem-solving to proactive value creation. 💡 In today’s fast-paced digital world, clients expect more than just service-they expect foresight. They want partners who understand their business goals and can provide tailored recommendations before issues arise. Building trust isn’t just about being there when something goes wrong, but being a partner who drives results consistently. So, how do we continue to shift toward a more proactive customer success model? I believe it starts with deep engagement, leveraging data to predict needs, and creating a long-term vision for client growth. What strategies are you using to move from reactive to proactive customer success?" #CustomerSuccess #ProactiveService #CustomerExperience #ClientGrowth

4 Signs Your Customer Success Strategy Is Failing (And How to Fix It) Customer Success it’s a crucial area that can make or break your company’s growth. Here are four signs your Customer Success strategy might need a serious update—and what you can do about it: 1. Your Customer Churn Rate is Climbing High churn rates are a clear indicator that your customers aren't finding the value they expected. If customers are leaving faster than you can acquire them, it’s time to reassess your approach. Action Steps: Implement Proactive Outreach: Regularly check in with customers to understand their evolving needs and address any issues before they escalate. Create Success Plans: Develop personalized success plans for high-value customers to ensure they’re getting the most out of your product. 2. Your Onboarding Process is Overwhelming If new users are struggling to get started, you’re missing out on an opportunity to set the tone for a successful relationship. Action Steps: Simplify Onboarding: Create a streamlined, intuitive onboarding process with easy-to-follow steps and clear guidance. Use Interactive Tools: Implement interactive onboarding tools like walkthroughs and checklists to help users get up to speed quickly. 3. Your Customer Health Metrics Are All Over the Place Without proper health metrics, it’s hard to gauge the success of your customer success efforts. If you’re not tracking the right indicators, you’re missing critical insights. Action Steps: Develop a Customer Health Score: Use metrics like product usage, support ticket volume, and customer feedback to create a comprehensive health score. Act on Insights: Regularly review these metrics to identify at-risk customers and address their concerns proactively. 4. Your Customer Feedback Loop is Broken Customer feedback is a goldmine for improving your product and service. If you’re not actively seeking and acting on feedback, you’re missing out on opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction. Action Steps: Set Up Feedback Channels: Implement regular feedback channels like surveys, interviews, and feature request boards to gather insights. Act on Feedback: Make it a priority to act on feedback and communicate the changes you’ve made based on customer input. TAKEAWAY: Revamping your Customer Success strategy is crucial for retaining customers and driving growth. Focus on simplifying onboarding, tracking health metrics, and acting on feedback to create a winning customer experience. What challenges are you facing with your Customer Success strategy? Drop a comment or shoot me a message. 🙌

Want to turn Customer Success into a growth engine? But don't know where to start, try this simple exercise. Fill in the blanks: 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐒 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 [𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞] [𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞] 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 [𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡]. This one sentence will be the foundation for your CS growth strategy. But the real magic happens when you explore the relationships between each component: - Customer Type + Business Outcome = Value Alignment - Customer Type + Unique Approach = Tailored Experience - Business Outcome + Unique Approach = Competitive Edge - CS Team + Business Outcome = Revenue Impact These are your 4 CS growth pillars. Under each pillar, brainstorm initiatives: 1. 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: - Outcome-Based Onboarding: Design onboarding processes that align with specific customer outcomes, ensuring early wins and long-term value. - Business Impact Reviews: Conduct quarterly reviews focused on tangible business impacts, not just product usage metrics. - Customer Advisory Boards: Establish boards that provide insights on industry trends and future needs, driving continuous alignment with customer goals. 2. 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: - Persona-Specific Success Plans: Develop success plans tailored to the unique needs and goals of different customer personas. - Industry-Specific Benchmarks: Provide benchmarks that show how customers are performing relative to industry standards, highlighting areas for improvement. - Customized Health Scores: Create health scores that are customized to track progress against customer-specific goals, ensuring proactive engagement. 3. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞: - Co-Innovation Programs: Partner with top customers to co-develop features and solutions, driving deeper engagement and loyalty. - Proactive Feature Recommendations: Use data analytics to recommend features that align with customers' business objectives and future needs. - Specialized Success Teams: Form specialized teams that focus on specific customer use cases, ensuring expertise and targeted support. 4. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: - CS-Driven Expansion Playbooks: Develop playbooks that outline strategies for expanding customer accounts through success-driven initiatives. - CS in Sales Stage: Integrate CS teams in the sales process to demonstrate long-term value and close strategic deals. - Outcome-Based Compensation: Tie CS compensation to customer business outcomes, not just retention, to ensure alignment with customer success. Focus on these growth pillars and transform your CS strategy into a powerful growth engine, driving customer satisfaction, retention, and revenue growth. Share your insights below👇 PS: Ready to pump up your profit? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter – Profit Pulse - https://lnkd.in/gpuTKXGS and gear up for a turbo-charged profit #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #customerretention #saasfounders #csm