Gain, Grow, Retain Podcast

Donna Weber of Springboard Solutions joins Jay to talk about Donna's recent webinar around onboarding and enablement. First Impressions, confirmation bias and buyer's remorse are all concepts we need to pay attention to. When customers adopt quickly they renew forever - we can no longer use 'hope' as a strategy after the deal closes Onboarding becomes the most critical milestone within the journey The audience during onboarding becomes critical - who are executive sponsors, champions, users, buyers, etc. - they all need to have a plan Customers can rethink "have I made the right choice" - don't let them feel that regret If you can stay proactive Build a connection - take a moment to try and get personal - the connection can help you through hard times -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j

Jay joins Dave Duke of MetaCX around how customer success teams can help deliver outcomes for customers: Talk for a few minutes about how MetaCX helps align to outcome delivery for customer success teams Data and analytics becomes a major point in this discussion to tie the strategy to outcomes Collaboration with customers Is a major asset to a customer success team - there needs to be a transparency Customer success plays like the go-to-market function more than we like to admit; they need to tie delivery to outcomes -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

A fun back and forth with Dave Duke of MetaCX around the Idea of 'Success Planning' for customer success teams... Success planning looks very similar to account planning that's been around for a number of years Success planning starts within the sales cycle and gets pulled through the customer success team as the customer enters the customer journey The 'Success Plan' changes over time as the relationship with the customer changes 'Success Plans' should be thought about differently as you overlay them over your customer segmentation -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

What % of churn happens because of over-selling or poor client onboarding, and what process/tools are used to solve this? Organizations need to incentivize looking for long term goals instead of short term revenue Potential ideas to help when working with sales:For the good customer (within ICP), Pay more incentives; while for customers who are not within ICP, the Sales team gets fewer commissions. Align compensation to milestones of the customer journey Commission variable according to Customer adoption and LTV Commission linked to the payments received from customers (cash in the bank account) Focus on business cases during the sales-to-success transition Are you really getting to the root cause of the churn? Find out and document the churn reasons within the CRMTake it to the leadership level: All the departments, Be it marketing or sales should make their effort into the right direction. Do a Success Analysis: Find out which of the existing customers are churning and which ones are successful. What ar

There's an opportunity to build and cultivate a community within your B2B SaaS Industry. The COVID Pandemic could be the catalyst needed to spin up a community that can become an aspect of your customer success strategy. Communities can be a way to support the long-tail of your customer-base but It needs to be broader than just your product This needs to be a full-time dedicated job to build, cultivate and engage with the community Make communities valuable -- what Is the hard-hitting, actionable content that can drive value How do you build listening channels to help translate challenges Into content -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay and Jeff bring on Carl Yost of Black Diamond Advisory to talk about the Importance of customer success and finance building a relationship. Forecasting models have become daily exercises that help finance teams operate the business Customer success should be creating a 'pacing-model' that can layout assumptions and adjust as time goes - this can be beneficial to finance teams Revenue operations Is becoming a larger-trend In organizations -- retail operations has taken a similar approach to coordinate data and action within one organization Finance organizations have transitioned from an abundance model Into an operational model -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay and Jeff take some time to hit on Internal Team Communication and Board Reporting: Internal CommunicationFind ways to share the hypothesis and tactics that have been Implemented - possibly release this company-wide and Mondays/Fridays so everybody knows whats happening Find Intimate 1v1 ways to record a video and share It with an Individual, a team or customers when trying to give updates Board ReportingFocus on the retention forecast Focus on the upcoming renewals Leverage the board members to gather their Insight from the market (I.e. what're they seeing In other companies) -- If you'd like to join CS Leadership Office Hours, sign up here: https://tiny.cc/csofficehours -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay joins Mark Stoddard and Dave Blake of ClientSuccess as part of their CS Leadership Webinar Series. Jay shares a few Insights we've picked up from the market on how to engage with customers during this crisis. Then after about 20 minutes there Is a Q&A with the audience to hit on relevant topics to CS leaders. -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay and Jeff sit down to talk about the job market at B2B SaaS organizations during this pandemic. A couple of quick hits: Individuals need to find ways to stand out (LinkedIn connections, building a 'new version' of the resume) Organizations need to be forecasting so that they can have the right staffing model -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

-- If you'd like to join CS Leadership Office Hours, sign up here: https://tiny.cc/csofficehours -- Customer Engagement Modification:More human touch has been inserted into most companies tech-touch segments. Further segmentation by industry, region, etc has been deployed to support customers that are experiencing business disruption For booming industries, the lessons learned from tech touch have been applied up market to address the influx of new customers. Messaging to customers should be owned jointly by the marketing team and Customer Success, as CS has a pulse on what their customers need at the moment. Salespeople that normally focus on new logo acquisition can support the CS efforts if their pipeline is freezing, but a consideration for CS and Sales comp plans should be taken into account. Changing Metrics and Strategies:Decreasing time to value during the onboarding phase has become necessary for companies that are experiencing higher volumes.We heard examples of decreasing TTV by 75% and by

In Session 2 of our CS Leadership Office Hours, we shifted away from a panelist and more Into group discussion to get free-flowing Ideas. Here's a quick hit recap: Contract Flexibility Levers available when talking with clients about account freezes or pricing reduction requests:Contract Term Length Discounts and Free Services Evaluating Pricing Structure Some objectivity during this time is still warranted as you enter contract negotiations. Looking at their industry, product usage data, and other analytic sources can help you understand if your customer truly needs you to be flexible for them, or they are taking advantage of the situation. Most people are currently providing free services for a short amount of time, as long as they are able to lock in a full-term contract on the tail end of the free period. Ensuring that team members are empowered with the necessary information for challenging contract discussion with clients is key. Investing in a dashboard that aggregates this data for them now wil

In Session 1 of our CS Leadership Office Hours, we had a panel talk through how to engage with both customers and employees during the COVID pandemic. Thanks to our panelists: Megan Bowen, Platterz Ziv Peled, AppsFlyer Aaron Thompson, SuccessHacker Sheryl Hawk, Customer Imperative Customer Engagement Customers are going to remember who was a partner and willing to ride this out with them! CSMs need to be acutely aware of their customers. needs at this time, reaching out with tailored messaging to understand how their services fit into the changing needs of their portfolio. For industries that are experiencing a boom during this time, be sure to quickly communicate any expected downtime due to the higher demand on your organizations. There is an opportunity to lean into this situation and foster a community around your customer base, allowing those in similar positions and situations to learn from each other. -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where

Jay and Jeff sit down with Chris Hicken, CEO of 'nuffsaid, to discuss health scores. Typically they become complicated, lagging Indicators and unrecognizable for teams - Chris helps us look at what factors represent leading Indicators and how teams should be thinking about placing a health score on their accounts. -- Big shoutout to Chris Hicken and the 'nuffsaid team -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach/

Jay and Jeff dive Into typical SaaS contracts - particularly the levers available for a business to pull during negotiations. This has become a major topic of conversation given the current political climate. -- If you are Interested In attending our CS Leadership Office Hours, be sure to drop us a line on LinkedIn and we'll send you the Invite. Every Thursday at 11:30am EST. -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay and Jeff sit down for a new format...shorter episodes, quicker hits and full of punch. This week they dive Into the ever-present Coronavirus and how that Is Impacting the SaaS world. -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

In this episode, we are joined by Steve Bernstein, the Founder of Waypoint Group and TopBox. Steve has spent his career perfecting the art of customer feedback and NPS programs as It relates to software companies. Steve offers up his opinion on when to survey customers, the types of questions you should be asking, and the action that responses should enact within your organization. -- Big shout out to Steve and Waypoint Group! Waypoint Group & TopBox: https://waypointgroup.org/topbox/ Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbernstein/ -- This can be found on our website: https://customerimperative.com/steve-bernstein-waypoint-group/ -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

In this episode, Jeff and Katie talk through how Monster has had to leverage customer success technology to deploy against their customer journey. She has worked cross-functionally to implement the tool, data and processes to help her customer success team manage their books of business effectively. -- Big shout out to Katie and the Monster team! Monster: http://www.monster.com Katie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-yagodnik-b3997b/ This can be found on our website: https://customerimperative.com/katie-yagodnik-monster/ -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach

Jay and Jeff sit down with Gail and Bruce Montgomery to talk through how Improvisation and art of Stand-Up Improv can be applied to business. -- Big shout out to Gail and Bruce Gail: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gailmontgomery/ Bruce: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-montgomery-7773162/ -- This can be found on our website: https://customerimperative.com/gail-and-bruce-montgomery-experienceyes/ -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach/

Jay and Jeff sit down with Lauren Culbertson, Founder and CEO of LoopVOC. They talk through some key topics that link Voice of Customer programs to the larger business strategy: The importance of having consistent feedback loops How VOC programs play into your customer success strategy Why the voice of the customer has become so important to B2B SaaS -- Lauren is co-founder and CEO of LoopVOC, Voice of the Customer software designed to revolutionize the way B2B SaaS companies collect, analyze, and respond to customer feedback.Before Loop, Lauren worked in the B2B software space, leveraging her passion for analytics to build data-driven VOC processes, product marketing teams, and growth initiatives for businesses ranging from $14M to $200M ARR. If you get the chance, be sure to read on why It has become so Important for B2B SaaS organizations to create a voice of customer program. -- This can be found on our website: https://customerimperative.com/ep017-lauren-culbertson-loopvoc/ -- This podcast is bro

This episode, Jay and Jeff welcome Abby Hammer, Chief Customer Officer and Head of Products at ChurnZero. She's a rockstar that marries product and customer success and lets us in on her best strategies for connecting the two. -- Big shout out to Abby and ChurnZero: https://churnzero.net/ Abby Hammer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbyhammer/ -- This can be found on our website: https://customerimperative.com/abby-hammer-churnzero/ -- This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach of Customer Imperative, where we help B2B SaaS organizations build growth & retention strategies. Learn more at https://customerimperative.com/ Jay Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/ Jeff Breunsbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybreunsbach/