The Daily Standup

Episode 205: The answer is no. We cannot explain why Mickey Powell referred to himself that way. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:07 - The amoeba of customer success 00:03:34 - Biology and customer success 00:07:21 - Whales, cows, and CS roles 00:08:49 - Expansion vs. distillation 00:10:30 - Psychology, AI, and evolution 00:12:33 - Divergence and the future of CS 00:13:49 - Until next time 📚...

Episode 204: Denny Burda brought Dillon's favorite thing to the show: stats! ...they're not very positive, though. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:31 - Death of a salesman: is sales failing? 00:03:24 - The shocking reality of SaaS churn 00:05:16 - The metrics that really matter 00:07:51 - Customer success: the key to survival 00:09:37 - The sandwich analogy of retention 00:12:09 - Why holist...

Episode 203: Ilai Szpiezak makes his case for even more entrepreneurs. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:16 - Entrepreneurship is a mindset 00:03:37 - Ownership and driving value 00:05:06 - Redefining what it means to be an entrepreneur 00:07:42 - The thrill (or fear) of unpredictability 00:07:56 - Customer success and personal ownership 00:10:14 - Delivering value and owning the outcome 00:11...

Episode 202: Tahjai Conkerite gives his tips for networking your way into opportunities. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:24 - Breaking into customer success 00:02:13 - The power of networking 00:04:09 - Overcoming imposter syndrome 00:05:41 - Making meaningful connections 00:07:25 - Authenticity in personal branding 00:10:05 - Finding your tribe 00:10:46 - Parting words 📺 Lifetime Value: Yo...

Episode 201: The guys compare notes on handling objections at work. (No marriages were harmed in the making of this recording) ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:12 - Objection rebuttals: not just for sales 00:02:08 - Feel, felt, found: the persuasion playbook 00:03:51 - From customers to spouses: does it work? 00:06:20 - Chess match: uncovering the real objection 00:09:34 - When to back off: f...

Episode 200: Self-described psych nerd Rachel Provan gives the guys some tips. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:34 - Psychology’s role in customer success 00:05:07 - Business-oriented empathy explained 00:06:25 - The hidden power of reducing friction 00:08:27 - Psychology and personal motivation 00:11:31 - The mere exposure effect in onboarding 00:13:20 - The three-step strategy for success 0...

Episode 199: Does the moniker of customer success have too much baggage? Lincoln Murphy is leaning in that direction. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:32 - Is it time to kill customer success? 00:03:44 - Weak leadership and lost potential 00:06:31 - Evolving or becoming extinct? 00:09:15 - What marketing’s past tells us about CS 00:11:56 - A future of specialization and growth 00:12:57 - Shed...

Episode 198: Rohan Tailor is a recruiter focusing on customer success roles, and he's here to share his top tips for standing out. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:46 - The key to winning interviews 00:02:16 - Engage, engage, engage! 00:03:57 - Acing the interview process from start to finish 00:05:46 - Adding your unique personality 00:08:22 - Hiring managers spill their secrets 00:10:45 - P...

Episode 197: Andrew Fink was asked an interesting question the other day. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:32 - Who really owns the customer? 00:02:50 - The blame game in customer success 00:04:10 - Finding hope in career transitions 00:06:28 - The builder’s mentality 00:07:51 - RACI vs. RAPID: Who does what? 00:09:03 - Why CROs matter most 00:10:13 - The hidden agenda in job interviews 📺 Li...

Episode 196: Does customer success even need to exist? ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:48 - Should customer success exist? 00:02:52 - The Frank Slootman perspective 00:03:36 - Turkeys, digestion, and CS analogies 00:05:55 - The marriage of customer success 00:07:45 - A single throat to choke? 00:09:47 - Can tech replace CS? 00:11:27 - Most CS professionals lack this experience 00:13:12 - Eat...

Episode 195: Erika Villarreal wants to help, but first she needs to know what to help *with*. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:44 - The burnout crisis in CS 00:05:54 - Is it the job or the company? 00:10:54 - Personas problem in customer success 00:12:28 - Solutions need a part two 00:13:24 - Empathy vs. entertainment on Reddit 00:14:00 - Wrapping up, but not for long 📺 Lifetime Value: Your...

Episode 194: Donna Weber likens SaaS companies to orchestras, and shares one simple piece of advice. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:19 - Customer success starts with strategy 00:01:46 - Breaking down business silos 00:02:56 - Legato vs. staccato: rhythm in success 00:05:22 - Who owns the customer journey? 00:07:17 - A firsthand look at silo struggles 00:09:34 - Don't let customers feel your...

Episode 193: It's easy to explain what customer-centricity is NOT, but Ragna Ghoreishi helps us arrive at what it IS. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:53 - The challenge of customer centricity 00:02:28 - Why most companies aren't truly customer centric 00:05:27 - The balancing act of customer needs 00:07:29 - Avoiding the reactive CS trap 00:09:45 - The urgency of customer feedback 00:12:34 -...

Episode 192: Waqas Hussain is a CS leader who still craves time with his customers. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:06 - Waqas Hussain: a decade in customer success 00:02:07 - The secret to staying close to customers 00:04:20 - Handling protective CSMs and engagement 00:05:13 - Proven tactics for customer connection 00:07:16 - Executive alignment: the game-changer 00:08:24 - Why Waqas keeps...

Episode 191: Rob gives his 12 tips for cooling down a customer. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:49 - Setting the tone from the start 00:05:36 - Gaining control without losing trust 00:07:07 - Handling difficult customers with finesse 00:08:45 - The magic of labeling and mirroring 00:10:10 - Using whispers to calm the storm 00:11:05 - Knowing when to walk away 00:15:08 - The underrated power...

Episode 190: David Karp loves being a CS leader with all its ups and downs. But it's not for everyone. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:58 - Customer success is a roller coaster ride 00:04:19 - Not everyone is built for the ride 00:07:16 - Embracing unpredictability and teamwork 00:08:43 - Leadership must support the front lines 00:09:27 - Emotional resilience in customer success 00:12:02 - S...

Episode 189: The tech landscape is shifting rapidly. What part does customer success have to play? ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:25 - Parker’s big question on CS 00:01:45 - AI, SaaS, and the market shift 00:04:16 - Should we care about disruption? 00:07:17 - Finding hope in a shifting industry 00:08:06 - The SaaS identity crisis 00:11:04 - Practical tips for staying ahead 00:11:49 - Is thi...

Episode 188: Emily Deas has a unique chance to think about efficiency from the very beginning. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:27 - The challenge of scalable customer success 00:03:48 - Does everyone really want a personal touch? 00:05:35 - Choosing what NOT to do in customer success 00:07:19 - Segmenting customers for better service 00:09:03 - Generational differences in customer needs 00:1...

Episode 187: Thomas Voigt already has his eyes on the horizon beyond artificial intelligence. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:08 - Thomas’ bold vision for CS 00:02:06 - The call for customer intelligence 00:04:41 - Why doesn’t this exist yet? 00:06:12 - Can CRMs handle the future? 00:07:26 - AI co-pilots: hype or innovation? 00:09:46 - The human roadblock to progress 00:12:03 - Parting thoug...

Episode 186: Rob, Dillon, and special co-host Mickey Powell discuss how they'd recommend a newcomer learn CS from scratch. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:01 - Intro 00:01:24 - No topic? Time to check Reddit 00:02:57 - Firehose time: learning in customer success 00:04:33 - A roadmap to mastering customer success 00:07:39 - Theory vs. tactics in professional growth 00:08:56 - The brutal honesty of Reddit comm...

Episode 184: Alex Turkovic joins the pod for a two-part series on - what else? - digital customer success. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:45 - Digital CX burnout is real 00:02:42 - Rethinking digital customer success 00:03:43 - Digital CS vs. CS at scale 00:05:13 - Automation: help or hindrance? 00:07:53 - The hybrid future of customer success 00:09:35 - The dark side of digital experiences...

Episode 184: Alex Turkovic joins the pod for a two-part series on - what else? - digital customer success. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:45 - Digital CX burnout is real 00:02:42 - Rethinking digital customer success 00:03:43 - Digital CS vs. CS at scale 00:05:13 - Automation: help or hindrance? 00:07:53 - The hybrid future of customer success 00:09:35 - The dark side of digital experiences...

Episode 183: Holly Goodliffe tells us a tale of two conversations about building digital customer success processes. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:52 - The challenge of proving digital CS impact 00:03:40 - A framework for connecting CS to revenue 00:06:23 - From biscuits to business: Holly’s career shift 00:08:57 - Prerequisites for a successful digital CS program 00:10:49 - Digital CS is...

Episode 182: Chris Pitman is beginning his entrepreneurial journey and finding inspiration from an ancient practice. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:02 - Facing challenges early in customer success 00:02:52 - Negotiating with toddlers and customers 00:05:52 - Stoicism in business and life 00:08:00 - The battle within: mindset over stress 00:09:01 - Defining your boundaries in CS 00:11:29 - B...

Episode 181: Customer success vanishes tomorrow - what department do you move to? ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:17 - Surviving a customer success layoff 00:02:10 - Is two years of CS experience enough? 00:03:33 - The "what if CS disappeared?" test 00:04:48 - Where would you go if not CS? 00:07:01 - The surprising path to customer marketing 00:08:13 - How Reddit viewed CS career pivots 00:0...