CSM for Mid-market Customers

Hey there @GeetikaJ, fellow mid-market CSM here! 😃

Awesome question! It's pretty common for customers to look to us, their CSMs, for a nudge in the right direction when it comes to setting goals. Here at Gainsight we've got a framework that helps propel our conversation with a customer. Think of it as a high-level roadmap that helps the customer envision what areas they could focus on and then myself as their CSM breaks down how these areas can turn into real, actionable motions within our platform.

For instance, let's talk about increasing advocates – a key goal in our framework. If a customer would like to work on that then we talk about how to make that happen with Gainsight. You might kick things off with an NPS survey or get a Voice of the Customer program rolling. Then, it's all about the follow-through: Did your NPS scores jump? Are your G2 reviews looking better? These are the kinds of results you can look for to see the framework in action.

It's this blend of strategic direction and practical steps within our framework that can really spark some great ideas and clear path forward with our customers. It's more than just setting sights on a goal; it's about mapping out the journey there, making sure our customers can make the most out of what Gainsight has to offer.

Hope this helps shine a bit more light on how we can guide our customers to not just envision but also achieve their big wins with our product. 

Hi @GeetikaJ even with our bigger customers they do not always have a clear idea of their goals or how to measure their impact when asked directly. The framework Jordan mentioned above definitely helps in these cases but if you do not have a defined framework the overall theme is you often need to guide them on how to achieve success and be prescriptive. Here are some additional tips beyond that:

• First make sure you are talking to the right person, sometimes the person you are speaking with is too junior, not the right role and may not be the person within that org to know their strategic goals
• Ask open ended questions not just “What are your goals?”, Some examples: What is your biggest challenges right now in “X” area? How are you solving this problem today and describe that process? Is there anything you wish you could change about X? If you could do X what would that mean for your business? What are the biggest blockers that could get in the way of achieving X? How are you measuring the impact of this initiative? How will we know if we have been successful in X?
• A great motivator is to show them how their peers have had success and what others in their industry are doing. If others similar to them have certain goals or KPIs and are seeing results they may want to model off those. 
• If they truly have no clue what their goals are with your product and you are not working towards anything together that is a sign of risk. Flag the account for risk and bring in your leaders for help to make a plan. 

Hello  @Ahunt  and @jangel , it is nice to meet you both. Thank you for your quick replies. I believe this framework just gives me enough food for thought to craft my next discussion with some of my important customers. 

It is about asking the right questions that forces them to somehow think, as You can't manage what you can't measure.