Account Management Secrets

Account management is more than a role. It’s the backbone of customer success and a springboard to leadership. David Karp, chief customer officer at DISQO, joins Alex Raymond to share how his 20-year career journey, rooted in building relationships and understanding customer needs, led him to the C-suite.    David provides a behind-the-scenes look at the multifaceted responsibilities of a CCO, fro...

“Any successful organization is only successful because it puts its customers at the heart of what it does. If they’re not, then it’s what I would call a scam or a rip-off, quite frankly,” says Dave Jackson, a coach and author known as the “CS Heretic.” In this episode, Dave joins Alex Raymond to talk about customer-led growth, exploring why it’s not just a post-sale activity but a comprehensive a...

Retention is the secret weapon for sustainable growth, yet too many companies overlook its true power. Ali Cudby, the CEO of Alignment Growth Strategies and author of “Keep Your Customers,” joins Alex Raymond in this episode, and explains why fixing the leaks in your bucket changes everything.    Why do so many businesses prioritize acquisition over retention? Ali breaks it down, and points out th...

Customer success teams are facing mounting pressure to prove their worth as organizations tighten budgets and shift priorities. Ed Powers, an expert in customer success and account management, joins Alex Raymond to discuss the challenges of reducing churn and demonstrating customer value in a way that resonates with decision-makers. Why do some customers leave while others stay and deepen their en...

“Customer success is no longer just held accountable for adoption and NPS; CS teams now have to own a portion of the number, as we should,” says Maranda Dziekonski, the new VP of Customer Success at ID.me. In this episode, Maranda joins Alex Raymond to talk about the transformation of customer success into a strategic driver of revenue, providing insights on how CS teams can align their goals with...

How can account managers and customer success teams become true drivers of growth in today’s competitive, profit-focused landscape? In this episode, Rod Cherkas, the author of “The Chief Customer Officer Playbook” and “Reach: A Framework for Driving Revenue Growth from Your Existing Customers,” joins Alex Raymond to share insights into his REACH Framework, a structured approach to uncovering expan...

“It’s all about ‘what I want the customer to do based on what I care about.’ Nobody says that explicitly, but underlying that is a mindset still focused on what we need for our business to succeed, rather than what we need to do to help the customer’s business succeed,” says Shakeel Bharmal, as he highlights the critical gap between claiming customer-centricity and truly living it. Organizations m...

“We’re diplomats, we’re orchestrators, we’re figuring out how to thread the needle of client needs and agency ambitions,” explains James Hidden as he reflects on the complexities of account management in creative agencies. This role isn’t about following a script but about balancing strategy and creativity, structure and adaptability.   In this episode, James, who’s a seasoned account management l...

Most account plans fail not because they lack detail, but because they fall short as tools for proactive, strategic partnership. In this episode, Alex Raymond challenges account managers to rethink their approach to account planning, asking: Are your plans truly aligned with your clients’ goals, or are they just ticking a box? He identifies the most common mistakes—overcomplicating plans, treating...

“There’s a mythology surrounding the concept of listening to the customer and being customer-centric. It comes from the fact that we think we’re listening, but the reality is customers don’t feel heard and understood,” says Bob London, the creator of the Radically Authentic Discovery Method.     Joining Alex Raymond in this episode, Bob challenges account managers to rethink how they approach clie...

Blind spots in customer understanding can hold companies back, but customer advisory boards offer a way to uncover them and strengthen strategic accounts.   Alex Raymond is joined by Betsy Westhafer, the CEO of the Congruity Group, to discuss how CABs reveal gaps in customer knowledge that companies often miss. Are you as customer-centric as you think? Betsy shares eye-opening stories, including o...

“Most QBRs suck,” says Alex Raymond, calling out the truth that too many Quarterly Business Reviews are boring, one-sided, and lack real impact. But what if QBRs could be more? In this episode, Alex gets into why so many of these high-stakes meetings fall flat. Are outdated beliefs holding you back from having the kind of QBRs your clients want? Alex uncovers four common missteps: seeing QBRs as p...

“There are strategic accounts that will organically grow without proactive effort. Every account is strategic but you don’t have the time to grow them in terms of the way in which top performers do versus the rest. I think it’s a big mistake up front by trying to go for it all, because you end up winning less,” says Andy Springer, the Chief Client Officer at RAIN Group.   In this episode, Andy joi...

“I strongly believe that there’s a strong connection between employee experience and customer experience. Employee experience drives the customer experience,” says Annette Franz, the CEO of CX Journey Inc. She joins Alex Raymond to talk about how putting employees first fuels customer success. Annette challenges the typical focus on metrics, asking us to consider: Are we truly supporting our emplo...

“When we try to get customers to do something, if we ourselves don’t know what the path to success looks like and how to measure that path to success, how do we get them to do what we want them to do?” says Kia Puhm, CEO of DesiredPath. In this episode, Kia shares her insights on customer journey mapping, making the case that businesses need to understand their customer’s true needs—not just follo...

“You’ve got to move your customers to be a partner. Your aim is to get larger revenues, have partnership relationships with your key customers, so that you have a much bigger share of the purse going forward,” says Janice Gordon, a renowned account management strategist. She joins Alex Raymond in this episode to talk about the importance of account managers shifting from transactional to more buye...

“Winning somebody back who had experiences with you is easier than taking net new share. You need to understand why they left because certain reasons for leaving are more likely to result in a potential opportunity for a win back than others,” says Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions. He sits down with Alex Raymond in this episode to talk about the expansion sale and the nua...

“Happy customers stay, and unhappy customers leave”—or at least that’s what we’ve always believed. But Greg Daines, a customer retention expert, sits down with Alex Raymond to challenge that assumption. Are metrics like net promoter score really reliable indicators of loyalty? According to Greg’s extensive research, retention has more to do with delivering measurable results than simply keeping cu...

Account managers are emerging as the key to long-term growth as sales teams struggle with decreased win rates, longer sales cycles, and rising costs to acquire new customers. Would it be wiser for businesses to keep chasing new leads or should they focus on sustaining existing relationships?   Alex argues that account managers should prioritize deepening relationships with current clients, who are...

“When I got into sales, I was thinking about the customer throughout the whole life cycle. It wasn’t just about the hunting aspect; it was also about the farming aspect. Because of that, I think I always connected how to grow the account with how the customer was growing,” shares Jan Young, an expert in customer success and post-sale strategies.   In this episode, Jan joins Alex Raymond to dive in...

“Every team should have some kind of number, some kind of metric to show what their impact on the business is,” says Jay Nathan, a veteran in customer success and account management. In this debut episode of Account Management Secrets, he joins host Alex Raymond to discuss why customer success teams need to focus on measurable business results—whether it’s revenue, bookings, or customer retention—...

“I am responsible for ensuring that our customers derive value from our partnership and remain with us for the long term,” says Mary Poppen, President and Chief Customer Officer at HRIZONS and co-author of “Goodbye Churn, Hello Growth!” In this episode, she sits down with Alex Raymond to talk about how the role of a CCO is evolving, especially as customer success becomes essential for reducing chu...

Account Management Secrets is the podcast designed specifically for the unsung heroes of the business world—Account Managers. Every week, we share insights, strategies, and tools that will help you excel in your role and drive success within your organization. As someone responsible for over 70% of your company’s revenue, the stakes are high, but the resources and training available to you are oft...