Hot but silly SaaS debate: Are Client Success Managers sellers?
The answer is unequivocally yes if they own the renewal and their performance is tied to the dollars they bring in each year. (It’s also a yes for anyone who has been properly corporate-trained with the automatic-response, “Yes, everyone’s a seller.”)
This is only a debate because we tend equate Sales with hunting (going after new business), whereas Client Success (nurturing existing business) is certainly farming. But the farmers are still selling. CSMs have their set book of customers to nurture and show value to so they’ll buy the next year. That’s selling. Hunting and Farming are both selling, and one is not necessarily easier than the other—they’re each challenging in different ways.
CSMs are sellers. Even if they don’t technically “own the renewal.”
And even if they don’t actually want the title themselves.
Which is common.
People attracted to Client Success tend to be very empathetic, giving, and relationship-focused. They are also organized, driven, and masters at follow-through.
And they are explicitly NOT “SALES-Y.”
That’s how they like to see themselves anyway. But the role has changed and they do own the renewal. Businesses started requiring these teams to be revenue-based years ago.
One of the companies I worked for was on the very front of this, and I was hired to turn a team of relationship-building, satisfaction-oriented CSMs into renewal-owning, expansion-driving Challenger Sellers before it ever became the industry standard.
We did it. We broke company records. CSMs increased their earnings and were awarded President’s Club year over year.
It requires a significant identity shift, and this continues to be the number one thing CSMs come to me for: Their company expects them to be salesy—and they don’t wanna!
I get it. I had to go through this transformation before I could bring others through it. If this is you, here’s where you start:
You have to challenge the belief that you’re not a seller.
You have to drop the outdated image of a car salesman who uses shady tactics to trick people into buying something they don’t want.
Replace it with:
A solution-oriented business consultant who applies skills to show people value so they’ll buy something that will help them.
Recognize that you already have many of the skills you need to be good at this. Listening. Empathizing. Understanding someone’s pain. Knowing how to validate, reflect it back to them. Solution-finding. Organization. Follow through.
You think these are what make you good at customer relationships? True. And they’re exactly what will make you good at sales.
If you’re a CS Leader working through this transition with your team, let’s talk!