CS Just Changed Overnight...Now What???

Hey CS Pro,

Customer Success didn’t slowly evolve…it shifted overnight (thanks AI 🙄 ). And now you’re being asked to own revenue without ever being taught how.

If you’ve felt that pressure lately, you’re not behind…you’re just operating in a role that changed faster than your training.

13 years ago when I was a CSM I was taught differently. Onboarding, support, customer happiness was what I was trained for. And to be fair that is what CS did for a long time and it was working, until it wasn’t. This new era of CS has hit us all very quickly and it is all about adapting or being left behind. Let’s talk about the new modern Customer Success that is infront of us now…

But first, today’s sponsor

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Renewals should not feel stressful, last-minute, or reactive.

Yet for most CSMs, they still do.

Not because they lack effort, but because customers are not clearly connecting your work to THEIR business outcomes.

That is exactly what this free live masterclass is designed to fix.

Join me for a BRAND NEW live masterclass session where I will walk you through the framework I use to help CSMs move from check in calls to outcome led conversations that customers actually value.

Join live and learn how to start driving revenue, not just managing accounts.

⏰ Wednesday, April 29th at 10 am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm UK

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Customer Success Got a Promotion (Without Training)

Let’s call it what it is. The world economy is in a state of flux. No one is saying it is a recession, but there is very little stability which means…

Customer Success has officially become a revenue function.

You’re now expected to forecast renewals, drive expansion, and influence pipeline. But the reality is…most teams were never trained to do any of that.

So what happens?

You end up in this weird in between space.

You’re running check ins, answering emails, supporting customers, but at the same time, leadership is asking you about forecast accuracy, expansion pipeline, and NRR targets.

And those two worlds do not match.

This is why so many CSMs feel stuck right now. Not because they’re not capable, but because they’re being measured like sales, while still operating like support or account management.

And let’s be clear about something. This shift isn’t random.

Budgets are tighter. Growth is harder. Investors care more about expansion than ever before.

Which means the fastest way to grow a business is no longer new logos…it’s existing customers.

And that puts YOU at the center of revenue.

The Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Revenue

Now here’s where it gets uncomfortable. Because most of the things that used to work in Customer Success… don’t work anymore.

The biggest one?

Believing that strong relationships lead to revenue. (I know. This one stings.)

You can have amazing rapport, great calls, happy customers…and still lose the renewal.

Why?

It comes from delivering and proving outcomes.

Another mistake I see all the time is staying in “helpful mode.”

Answering questions. Walking through features. Solving tickets.

That work feels valuable… but it’s not what drives revenue.

And here’s the reality…AI is already taking over a lot of that.

So if your value is based on being helpful, you’re going to stay busy… but not impactful.

And then there’s the biggest one.

Treating renewals and expansions like events.

Waiting until 60 or 90 days before renewal to talk about value.

At that point, it’s already too late.

Revenue is not built at renewal.

It’s built in every single interaction leading up to it.

3 Skills That Change Everything

If you want to actually succeed in this new version of Customer Success, there are three skills you need to master.

And no, they are not product knowledge or relationship building.

1. Commercial Discovery

You need to understand how your customer’s business actually works.

How do they make money?

Where are they losing money?

What are their top priorities this quarter?

If you don’t know this, you cannot drive revenue.

Because your product is not valuable on its own… it’s only valuable in the context of their business.

2. Value Articulation

This is where most CSMs fall short.

You need to clearly connect your product to business outcomes.

Not features. Not usage.

Impact.

You should be able to say:

If you can’t say that with confidence, renewal conversations will always feel hard.

And expansion will feel impossible.

3. Expansion Strategy

Expansion is not about selling more.

It’s about solving more problems.

Where are the gaps in adoption?

Where are new use cases?

Where is there unrealized value?

When you approach growth this way, it stops feeling like selling… and starts feeling like helping at a strategic level.

And that’s when customers say yes.

Weekly Challenge

This week’s challenge one is simple…but powerful.

Pick ONE account. (Just one!!!!)

And answer these three questions:

1. What is this customer’s top business priority right now?

2. How is your product directly impacting that priority?

3. Where is there an opportunity to expand value?

If you cannot answer any of these clearly…that is your gap.

And that gap is exactly where revenue is being lost.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika