Giovanni Testori

Most CSMs will face this awkward moment: You realise you need to reset a customer relationship because you didn’t handle it so well at the start. 😳 Maybe you skipped the goals and priorities conversation at the start. 😳 Maybe you’ve been overservicing and now need to pull back. 😳 Maybe you never captured baseline metrics, and now you’re scrambling ahead of an EBR. So… what do you do in that situation? The best approach is ridiculously simple: Just tell them. Literally. For example: Skipped goals: 💬 “There’s an important discussion we skipped: your goals and priorities. It’s been too long, I’d like us to align now.” Overservicing: 💬 “I leaned in heavily to support your rollout. Now that you’re in a better position, let’s talk about the resources you’ll need to succeed long term.” No metrics of success: 💬 “We never took a baseline of your key metrics. To measure progress, let’s take a look back together. Can you help me with that?” We build these moments up in our minds, convinced they’re bigger than they are. We think the customer will be mad. But guess what? 9 out of 10 times, they won’t. They appreciate the course correction. Yes, ideally, you’d have nailed it the first time. But you didn’t. And that’s okay. We are all learning, and we get better everyday with experience. Missing it because you didn’t know better at the time isn’t the problem. But continuing to miss it because you’re afraid to address it even though you know better is.. 💡 Curious… have you ever had to reset with a customer? How did it go? 💌 For more tips on how to build a super Customer Success engine for your business, sign up to Unconventional Growth [link below]. #customersuccess #csm #cx #revops #relationship #EQ

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Interviewing for a Customer Success Manager role? Most CSMs wing it. Top performers come prepared, with STORIES. Here are the 7 most common CSM interview questions I ask (and how to stand out when answering them) 1️⃣ How do you define and measure success in your role? Talk about metrics like NRR, adoption, and product usage, but also strategic wins like building trust and creating value. Get specific, don’t just say that you had a 100% NRR rate. Talk about the details underneath, how much of that was driven by expansion, churn and what the total portfolio was you held. 2️⃣ Tell me a story of how you grew seat utilization or expanded an account. Be specific. Walk through the signals you saw, the conversations you had, and the value you delivered. 3️⃣ How have you handled a renewal that was at risk? Show commercial acumen. What data did you use? What stakeholders did you engage? What was the outcome? How did you plan the strategy out, did you multi-thread and how… 4️⃣ What are early warning signs that a customer might churn? Mention things like drop in engagement, exec turnover, missed QBRs, and how you take action fast. Show that you have a bias towards action. 5️⃣ What’s your playbook when an account goes dark? Go beyond just “follow-ups.” Think multithreading, value emails, and reactivation campaigns. How are you really adding value for your customers? 6️⃣ How do you partner with Marketing or other teams to drive advocacy? Share a real example of a case study, webinar, or customer story you co-created. 7️⃣ What’s one way you’ve sped up time-to-value or onboarding? Show your process thinking. How did you reduce complexity, improve documentation, or drive engagement early? Which of these would YOU want to be asked in an interview? Let’s hear your strongest story in the comments.

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Only 4.4% of RevOps professionals in EMEA are VPs, compared to 13.6% in the US. When will EMEA close the gap? Globally, we see the following: - 8.5% VPs - 17.5% Directors - 55% are senior ICs - 17.5% entry-level The US shows greater maturity with a strong concentration of leadership. → 13.6% are VPs and 22.7% are Directors. → But only 9.1% entry-level. To me this shows clearly that RevOps is more strategic in the US. In EMEA, RevOps is earlier in its journey. → Just 4.4% are VPs and 15.9% Directors. → 22.2% are entry-level, the highest share across regions. To me this shows clearly that RevOps is more execution heavy in EMEA. I’ve spoken with several companies recently that are trying to hire a VP of RevOps. They’re struggling. The talent pool is too thin. And there’s no easy fix. Europe will need to wait until its talent base matures or companies will need to source senior RevOps leaders from the US. The contrast is clear: the US is leadership-heavy, while EMEA is entry-heavy. However, the gap is closing fast. 2023: around 3,000 RevOps in EMEA 2025: around 4,500 RevOps in EMEA EMEA is the fasting growing market for RevOps. The VP gap will sure close over time. Join the journey! P.S. Is the US really more mature in RevOps or just handing out inflated VP titles?

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Just got my hands on trumpet 🎺’s new Buyer Enablement Report 👇 And the data couldn’t be clearer: 85% of buyers already have their vendor shortlist before talking to sales. Add to that: ↳ 73% expect a tailored experience ↳ 90% of millennials care about authenticity above all else So if your first call is a 8-slide deck overview… you’re already behind before you’ve begun. The playbook really is changing. Less selling. More enabling our buyers to buy. This is just scratching the surface… the free report is stacked with insights on how to enable buyers better. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g_qjYqea How many slides do you use in an average first call?

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Predictive Enablement is transforming how we equip our revenue leaders. No longer just about delivering content or training on demand, predictive enablement leverages data and AI to: * Anticipate Skill Gaps: Imagine knowing which reps are about to struggle with a particular objection, product feature etc before it impacts a deal. Proactive, targeted coaching and training. RingCentral's enablement & Ops teams Kelly Molkenbuhr are launching The Revenue Standard which will be the framework to do just this. * Proactively Deliver the Right Resources: Instead of reps searching for answers serve it up. This is where Ringo I've talked about before is coming in for RingCentral. * Optimize Coaching & Training: By analyzing vast amounts of sales data – from call recordings to CRM activity – AI can pinpoint patterns in successful interactions. We are leveraging RingCentral's RingSense and Aviso AI to power this. * Accelerate Onboarding & Time-to-Quota: New hires can be brought up to speed faster with personalized learning paths and simulated scenarios Heather K. has a lot on deck to do just this! * Improve Forecast Accuracy: Account planning, opp planning and deal planning with AI Ratnadeep Chatterjee, MBA Michael Throssel and I have a few things up our sleeves to roll out in Q3! Predictive enablement isn't just a buzzword; it's a strategic imperative powered by AI and robust data analytics. It moves us from reactive problem-solving to proactive performance optimization, ensuring our go-to-market teams are always one step ahead. CC: Akshay Srivastava Joe Jacob Joe Fahrner Ayub Mohammed Amir Hameed Brandon Thomas Are you already exploring predictive enablement within your organization? What impact have you seen, or what challenges are you anticipating? #PredictiveEnablement #SalesEnablement #RevenueEnablement #AITech #Coaching #GTMStrategy

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Customer Success requires 5 c's: 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. What sets the high-impact, curious CSMs apart who can confidently consult with confidence is the knowledge of what is happening in the modern landscape. To stay in the know with the latest tech, techniques & trends, you 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 make it a habit to listen to podcasts every week. On a podcast, I heard about the latest Indeed XML job feed change & had relevant information that impacted my customers to talk about... & that, my friends, is 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. Here is my weekly line up as someone who operates in the Talent Acquisition / Recruiting world:   • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗱 & 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, Chad Sowash & Joel Cheesman - Candid hot takes, interviews, & 'shredded' segment that is a quick (5 min) recap of tech/vendor news   • 𝗥𝗲𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Chris Russell - Short form (10 min or less) Direct, no-fluff news about tech/vendors in the TA/HR space   • 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Matt Alder- He's had this pod for 10+ years & is filled with so much knowledge. Longer form interviews (20-30 min)   • 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Ryan Dull - (25 min interviews) Intriguing & relevant topics with impressive TA leaders   • 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱 - (30 min) Commercial/sales focused to build relationships with integrity Yes, I listen to these every single week. Playing in the background while getting ready for the day, dropping my kid off at daycare, walking my German Sheppard in the evenings -- I dedicate time to stay in tune with the industry & news, you you should too. Keep calm & listen on,  -Allie 👂

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