Elizabeth Roberts

CS teams NEED to start "managing up" with execs and the board by talking about REVENUE. Yes, you can keep talking about sentiment and feelings, but start with the $. Don't lead with churn- Bottom-line-focused execs don't like that headline, so you need to tell the story better. An informal poll had CS teams owning over 50% of the revenue of many SaaS companies. Lead with this and have it be your first talking point. From there you will be able to get more things done with other departments, as your requests will be revenue-focused Need to get a Customer Success Platform as you scale? Point to revenue and the potential to lose revenue without efficiencies Need to hire more to prevent burnout? Point to Revenue potential with renewals and upsells Talk in the language your execs and board want to hear.

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🌶 Search is easily one of the most underrated features of Slack. Now that I've gotten my (potential) hot take out of the way: Slack AI is now available on all paid plans. 🚀 Starting today, you can summarize conversations, see a personalized digest (or Recap, if you will) of summaries from selected channels, and my favorite of them all: search answers. Slack search was already such a powerful tool (cc: hot take mentioned above). But with Slack AI, it's been taken to the next level. I can't tell you how many times I have found super specific information in Slack by asking Slack AI a question. And the *direct citation* of said answer is linked for me. Beautiful. Slack AI is waiting for you—get started now: https://lnkd.in/gVZDi2fV

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Day -5, Customers - 4, ARR - $0 If you aren’t a force multiplier as an IC, you won’t be as a manager In some cases I have seen people make bigger impacts on culture as an IC peer vs team lead. IC’s can - set the standard - educate their peers - sympathize and empathize - problem solve by truly understanding the problem Impacting a culture can seem daunting, if you are struggling to get started, show up with relentless positivity and you will figure it out from there

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Are you building an SDR/BDR function? Stop what you are doing and read this. Megan Hardy is some you need to learn from - I’m stoke I get to learn from her EVERYDAY She’s really brilliant. She’s freaking cool. She’s got a fire to win like no other. She’s a builder. She’s a wife and mother with an awesomely cool family……..ask Chester Hardy….he’ll agree 😁 She cares about her people……..but doesn’t put up with nonsense. She done this multiple times….. She’s been an SDR (multiple times), AE (multiple times), run enablement (multiple times)…… Built a kickbutt SDR/BDR organization multiple times……… Read the dang thing….. She knows her stuff……. https://lnkd.in/gFG7qSem. #sdr #bdr #sales #saas #enablement #rockstar #leadership #restauranttech #wfm #leader

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ZoomInfo Copilot is working 24/7 — surfacing important updates you should know about your top accounts.  With breaking alerts delivered via Slack, you'll never miss when a buying group shifts or a key account spikes on intent. 🔔 Have a question about one of your accounts? Ask Copilot's interactive, AI-powered chat and get answers in seconds.  Ready to give Copilot a try? Request a demo: bit.ly/3Kj4myP #ZoomInfoCopilot

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ZoomInfo Copilot is working 24/7 — surfacing important updates you should know about your top accounts. With breaking alerts delivered via Slack, you'll never miss when a buying group shifts or a key account spikes on intent. 🔔 Have a question about one of your accounts? Ask Copilot's interactive, AI-powered chat and get answers in seconds. Ready to give Copilot a try? Message me today ! #ZoomInfoCopilot #zoominfo

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"How much space do I need?" There are a handful of considerations. --> What type of equipment / workouts do you want to use? --> Are you working out solo or with others? --> How much space do you have to build? --> What's your budget? --> Any state, town, or HOA rules? I had another meeting last week to put the finishing touches on the Backyard SHREDS building plans. We're starting with 3 sizes for folks with different space requirements and budgets. ➡️ 12x12' Shred: Great for tight back yards. Budget friendly. Room for one big piece of equipment like a squat rack or cable machine with additional floor space for 1 person's movements OR a cardio machine. ➡️ 12x16' Shred: Room for several pieces of big equipment plus floor space for at least 1 person's movement. ➡️ 12x20' Shred: Spacious to fit several pieces of equipment, cardio, and room for several people's movement. (Or make half a gym, half an office like I'm doing with my 12x20 Shred) ALSO INCLUDED: ✅ An extra guide for alternate foundations. ✅ An extra guide for rough openings to customize for different door/window options. ✅ A pre-build planning guide, cost estimator, and material list. These are the BEST building plans for home gyms. 💪🏼 Rock solid floors rated specifically for heavy lifting. 💪🏼 Taller side walls and ceiling than storage sheds for room to lift overhead. Easy to hand off to a builder to get exactly what you need. Easy to understand and follow even if you have limited experience but want to build it yourself and save $$$. The goal is to have them available on the website by the end of May. Sign up for the wait-list and be the first to know when they arrive! (Link in comments)

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What's a fair salary for a CSM? Last week Noah Little blew the CS corner of the internet with a hot take that CSMs should be paid like sales reps. Needless to say, when it comes to money, the more the merrier. 🤑 But should CSMs and Sales Reps be paid in the same "structure"? Probably not... Different roles and different tasks, therefore different comp structures. So instead of comparing ourselves to sales, we need to be able to: 1- compare ourselves to the rest of the industry 2- align the comp of the CSM to the revenue it generates That's how we fight for more of the pie. The issue is that if you are in Europe, it's really hard to get good salary data to even start this process. That's why I partnered with some of the top CS brands in Europe to collate a survey that helps us understand our local salary landscape. The report will help: - Leaders design fair and equitable compensation packages - CS Professionals benchmark their offers and salaries Link to answer the survey is in the comments section! #csm #customersuccess #salary #compensation #growthmindset

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Feeling Undervalued in RevOps? Here's How to Shine Is your hard work in RevOps going unnoticed? Are you: Excluded from key discussions? Lacking resources to excel? Left out of the loop on important decisions? Treated as a task-doer, not a strategic thinker? The culprit? You might not be effectively communicating your value. We get it, RevOps folks are: Team players who love to see others succeed. Content to work diligently behind the scenes. But here's the reality: You deserve recognition! The Fix: Strategic Communication Communicate your impact, not just your tasks. Here's how (without bragging): Highlight Achievements: Showcase how your projects improved efficiency, accelerated processes, or boosted results (e.g., faster campaign turnaround with new intake forms). Connect to Goals: Tie your work directly to the GTM team's objectives (e.g., improved data enriched contacts for more qualified leads, increased ICP penetration with better segmentation). Basically, show how you empower the GTM team's success. Examples: "The new intake form streamlined campaign launches, saving Marketing X hours per week." "The revised pipeline review process accelerated deal closure by Y%." "Data enrichment enabled a Z% increase in qualified leads for sales outreach." Remember, you don't need to brag. Just share the impact! By effectively communicating your value, you'll gain the recognition and resources you deserve.

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Is there anything more validating than seeing a 5-star review from a customer? It's just a few lines of feedback, but it represents countless hours of work from hundreds of people. All of the product development, engineering hours, marketing campaigns, sales calls, legal review, and customer success meetings have led to this. Congratulations to the whole Kong Inc. team for creating a product and experience our customers give 5 stars to! Head of API Platform & Governance in the Banking Industry gives Kong Gateway 5/5 Rating in Gartner Peer Insights™ API Management Market. Read the full review here: https://gtnr.io/64AWPA6SL #gartnerpeerinsights

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Starting RevOps? Here's how to NOT fall flat on your face Imagine starting a new job where things are a bit messy, like a fresh mountain of snow. Building RevOps from scratch is kind of like that. Here's how to be a superstar (and avoid wiping out): 1) Listen Up: Ask questions and understand how things work before you start changing everything. 2) Don't Be Reckless: Take smart chances that can make things a lot better, but don't jump in head first. 3) Learn from the Past: Just like a good skier knows the mountain, use your experience to make good decisions. 4) Get Moving: Don't just stand around – take action and make things happen. The goal? Figure out what's most important, make things smoother, and pick a clear direction for your business. Bonus Tips for a Smooth Ride: 1) Be Bendable: Things change all the time, so be ready to adjust your plans. 2) Follow the Clues: Numbers and data are like your compass – use them to see how you're doing and make changes. 3) Talk it Out: Tell everyone where you're headed and why they should care. 4) Celebrate Small Wins: Building RevOps takes time, so pat yourself on the back for progress along the way.

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Great overview of how Calendly: 1. optimized their existing lead flow 2. enriched and then routed those leads so sales could convert more 3. re-configured their website to convert more high quality leads The results? 📈 increased the number of qualified meetings booked by 40% 📈 boosted the amount of leads from their website by 50%

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A CSM for a software we pay for shamed me for how we are using their tool. It wasn't aggressive but it certainly didn't feel great. Here is what happened: We are on their lowest tier subscription as a small org with limited budget. I signed up to solve a few initial problems and have not put the time in to fully optimize what's possible with the tool. A different situation arose that I was looking to leverage the tool for so we booked a call. In a quick audit of my account, the feedback started: - You used up all your limits on xyz - How did you manage to build these lists? - Looks like this connection has an error - This isn't optimized, best practice is abc - You should have reached out, we would have been happy to help you with this Apparently, onboarding and implementation was included in my plan... news to me. When I pushed back, everything got blamed on how I was on the lowest plan and apparently should have known all this. Yes, I haven't been using the tool properly... but is that my fault? How and why didn't I know about implementation when I initially signed up? You telling me all the things I did wrong is not a really strong motivator for me to want to work with you more. Where's the 'success' in CSM? The sad part is, with some light support, we would have likely paid more and probably even upgraded. ------------------------------------- Here is what I would have liked to see instead: → At signup, a prompt that clearly lets me know implementation is included and how to take advantage of it → In that first week, a personalize email from the CSM/AM introducing themselves and recommending a few best practices → In subsequent weeks, gently personalized touches on how I could leverage xyz feature and how to avoid some putfalls. → As I approached a limit, touch points letting me know how to better optimize → Continuously offering and reiterating that implementation is recommended and included → Recommending long form content on best practices and other success stories to get me excited about learning more ----------------------------- The difference in my opinion between Success and Support, is proactivity. Lets give our customers all the resources and suggestion we can and guide them from the jump. Shame and scolding are not how we build successful relationships.

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Since Lindsay Cope has officially name-checked me for being a browser extension nerd, might as well lean in! One of the reasons I love a good browser extension—aside from the obviously lovable: efficient, convenient, productivity-boosting—is... design 🎨 There's no playbook on designing the perfect extension, no go-to best practice guide or white paper like you'd find for web or mobile or email... it's kind of the wild west 🤠 AND it's full of interesting UX tensions to consider: - Easy-access but unobtrusive - Powerful but simple - Small real estate to work with (like mobile) but big functionality expectations (like desktop) And, in the case of Calendly's new extension, it has to add unique & specific value, otherwise risking redundancy with our web app. I'm super proud of the new & improved extension we launched yesterday which lets you: - View + take action on your meetings—join, cancel, reschedule, or mark someone a no-show in 2 seconds flat (give or take your wifi connection) - Share your scheduling link (duh) OR book a meeting in real time (ooh!) - Keep track of contacts + meeting history so you're never sweating the "who am I about to meet with? have we spoken before?" It replaces at least 4 tabs I used to have open round-the-clock, and for that, I am grateful 🙏 Try it out yourself ( 👀 ⬇ ) and let me know what you think! What's your favorite feature? What's on your wishlist?

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The new episode of The Science of Scaling Podcast dropped today. In this episode, I speak with Ang McManamon the VP of Sales at Crunchbase. We dissect managing sales through a pivot, specifically how she managed the team as the market transitioned from one of the most bullish markets in tech in 2021 to one of the biggest down markets in tech in 2022. Example discussion points include: How to manage a board that is demanding an unrealistic revenue target? (1) Educate them on the current bottoms-up GTM model by showing them where the team has been performing on the key drivers of revenue outcomes over the past 2 quarters (i.e. the average productivity per rep (PPR), MQLs generated per month, average sales cycle and close rate on sales opportunities, etc.). We implement this framework with our portfolio companies Stage 2 Capital before issues like this even surface in order to establish the narrative from the beginning. (2) Illustrate where these metrics need to be to achieve the revenue outcomes they are demanding. Often this analysis yields the conclusion that the team would need to 2x PPR, MQL generating, and and close rates essentially overnight. Hopefully, they start to see how unrealistic the plan is and that the plan is going to lead to unnecessary burn and departures of top performers (3) Using the bottoms-up model, devise an aggressive but realistic plan that assumes say a 10%-20% Q/Q improvement in each of the performance drivers and the revenue outcomes that this performance would yield. (4) The board may ignore this line of thinking but at least we have educated them on the revenue mechanics and can use that framework to report back results at the next meeting. How to quantitatively assess whether a revenue miss is due to a macro condition, like the economy, or sales execution, like hiring and training the salespeople? An area few boards and leadership teams look at to conduct this diagnosis is the quarter-over-quarter performance of individual AEs, especially the consistent top performers on the team. If the company misses the target and you look under the hood and find that the historic consistent performers are still performing as usual and the miss was driven from AEs hired in the last year, we have a sales leadership execution issue. However, if we look under the hood and see that even the top performers' PPR decreased, perhaps at about the same time and about the same amount, then we have likely have a diagnosis outside of sales execution (i.e. economy, competition, product, etc.) Anyway, Ang is awesome and was completely open about this journey that so many leaders experienced over the past two years. Check out the episode here! https://lnkd.in/e2QiuPEH

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I firmly believe - if you can't get sh*t done in your first 90 days, you never will. It's been ~90 days since I took on this VP of Marketing role. Looking back, I'm proud of how much our team has built in that time. To start, I gave myself two weeks to: 📊 Analyze - understand what's working and what's not ⭐️ Align - define success with one north star goal (it's sales pipeline) ✅ Decide - what programs, people, and budget do we need? Then, we went into build mode 🔨🔨🔨 I didn't have all the answers or a perfect plan, but we started anyway. We're a smaller team now, but... - We went from 2-3 blog posts a month to 3-4 blog posts a week - CS is having 40% more upsell conversations about our new product - We conceived, filmed, and finished a beautiful customer case study that's sparking all kinds of conversations - We've completely redesigned the most important pages on our website - We caught up from way behind to crush our Q1 pipeline goal - We have some big, exciting announcements brewing for later this year The results speak for themselves. But when I say "we" - I mean the team. The team is doing all of this work. The ironic thing is that I have *personally* done very little. Out of everybody, I'm struggling the most and getting the least amount of work done. My calendar is back-to-back with 1:1s and meetings. My email inbox is unnavigable. I lost more time to performance reviews and HR forms than I spent planning the whole marketing strategy and program. But I guess that's my job now. Setting goals and holding people to them. Creating an environment where people can do excellent work. And then getting out of the way of the work 😂 So that's my first 90 days recap! I went from planning to building as fast as I could. We've built some incredible stuff. I'm proud-beyond-words of this team. And, it still feels like I'm doing nothing and not enough. What a weird job!

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The most underrated role on Go-To-Market teams: Revenue Operations A great Rev Ops leader gives your revenue team leverage. I waited too long to hire for this role, instead choosing to do the job off the side of my desk. I was being lazy. I didn’t fully understand what “sales operations” or “revenue operations” meant. I hadn’t taken the time to sit down and write out the job description. But once I found the right person, it was like the world opened before my eyes. Our Rev Ops leader was my partner in running the revenue team. They were involved at the strategic level and at the tactical level. They knew where all the bodies were buried. So what does Rev Ops do? I’ll do my best to list some of the key responsibilities: - build the revenue model - weekly sales forecast - select, implement, and maintain the tech stack (CRM, sales engagement tools, etc) - design sales compensation plan - run the sales compensation report monthly - own the TAM data in the CRM (super important!!) - analyze sales team performance - manage lead distribution The list goes on. If you have 3 or more sales people on your team and you are planning to scale, hire a Rev ops leader ASAP. Who is your favorite Rev ops leader? Tag them!

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Two things I’ve seen the best PMs do really well: 1. Creating hype: They get everyone in the organization excited about any initiative and align xfn teams. 2. Open-mindedness: They don’t get too attached to a specific idea. Instead, they take a step back, view things objectively, and obsessively gather feedback from as many people as possible. Kevin Anderson is one such awesome PM who has a genuine curiosity and infectious passion for Experimentation. I had a fireside chat with Kevin last week hosted by Statsig, where we discussed various topics, including the latest trends in experimentation, build vs. buy, reducing friction, measuring success, and so many insightful anecdotes that you can check out here: https://lnkd.in/gRgi4KDd #productmanagement #experimentation #data

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