Fieldguide

The definition of a great CSM is changing. It used to be: -Responsive -Organized -Great at managing relationships That’s no longer enough. Because AI is already helping with: -Follow-ups -Notes -Task management I’m already seeing early versions of this in how teams are being structured… The CSMs who stand out going forward will be the ones who can: -Understand the customer’s business deeply -Tie product usage to real outcomes -Identify where expansion actually makes sense And increasingly… Act as builders, not just managers. Helping: -Design workflows -Embed products into how customers operate -Shape (and even build) the agents that power those experiences In other words: -Less coordination. -More thinking. -More building. The role isn’t going away. It’s getting more strategic and more technical. #customersuccess #saas #ai #postsales #b2bsaas #leadership #futureofwork

A prospective client asked me something recently that I honestly wasn't ready for. I've never done a spit take on a Zoom call (there's still time) but this was about as close as it got. We were in the middle of one of those conversations where everyone's being very professional and dancing around each other with well-aimed small talk, but not really laying anything on the line just yet. And out of nowhere he says: "Alright, what makes your ideal client? What gets you excited about the work? And how can we be that?" He hit me with the ol' McKinsey interview Uno reverse card. And I loved it. Because it's the most honest question you can ask in that situation, and it cut right through all the overly formal chit chat. My answer was pretty simple: I like working with people and companies who are willing to have a dialogue. That's it, really. I don't expect them to agree with everything I say. That would actually be annoying and probably a sign something's wrong. But a willingness to think out loud, push back when they disagree, and work through the hard questions together? That's everything. What are we actually trying to say? Who are we trying to reach? What happens if we get this wrong? :chef's kiss: The engagements where that dynamic exists are the ones where something real gets built. The ones where I'm handed a brief and told to execute it are fine. But they're not the ones I'm still thinking about. Willingness to have a dialogue. That's it. That's the whole answer.

In which a Friday morning convo turns into a "hey, we should broadcast this" moment, quick and dirty. Thanks for the impromptu shop talk about startups and when to invest in brand narrative Evan Buhler and Talok Capital ! Doesn't get more authentic than this. https://lnkd.in/gkeqXdpJ

Something I keep hearing from founders and investors alike (usually after the fact) is that they wish they'd thought about the company's external story earlier. That doesn't mean earlier in the week. Earlier in the company's life. Before the raise was announced, before the category got crowded, before someone else's shorthand became the default way people describe what they do. I wrote about this for the Orange County OC Startup Council . Not a playbook, just an observation from having watched this play out a few times from a few different seats. If you're building something and the story feels like it's a quarter-step behind where the company actually is, this one's for you. https://lnkd.in/gqcAFV44

The best Customer Success teams 2–3 years from now will look very different from today. Not because of new tools. Because of what they prioritize. Today, most CS teams are built around: -Coverage -Activity -Managing a book of business The future will look more like: -Smaller teams -Clear ownership of revenue -Deep focus on high-impact customers And most importantly: Systems doing the work that people used to do. Playbooks, automation, and AI won’t support CS. They will define how it operates. And the roles closest to the customer are already starting to change. We’re seeing a shift from relationship managers → builders ⚒️ . Not just managing customers… But helping design workflows, embed solutions, and even build the agents that power how customers use the product. The question isn’t “how do we scale the team?” It’s: “What should the team actually be building?” #customersuccess #saas #aiinbusiness #postsales #b2bsaas #leadership #growth