The VP of Customer Success role has become one of the hottest hiring priorities for companies in the Subscription Economy. Although the impact is now widely recognized, businesses still struggle with identifying the right time to bring on a CSM leader, and furthermore, how to recognize truly great candidates.
Join a lively conversation between Nick Mehta, CEO at Gainsight, Tomasz Tunguz, Partner at Redpoint Ventures, and Monica Adractas, VP of Customer Success and Retention at Box as they share how (and when) to hire a great VP of Customer Success.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:
- How data supports hiring a VP Customer Success earlier in the company lifecycle
- What the key characteristics of greatness are and how to identify them early
- How maturing companies have evolved the VP Customer Success role to meet the changing needs of their customer base
Featuring: Tomasz Tunguz, Partner at Redpoint Ventures; Monica Adractas, VP of Customer Success and Retention at Box; and Nick Mehta, CEO at Gainsight
W.H.Bender Quote 62 - Always strive to be a Hospitality Service professional
How (and When) to Hire a Great VP of Customer Success Management CSM
1. How and When to Hire a VP
of Customer Success
January 15, 2015
2. Housekeeping
• Q&A panel on your right
• Recording for colleagues who can’t make it
• All attendees will receive slides
• Twitter hashtag #customersuccess
4. On Your Mind?
• Timing
• Why do I need to invest in Customer Success this year?
• When should I bring in a leader of Customer Success?
• What do my CEO and board think?
• Hiring
• How does Customer Success fit into my organization?
• What does Customer Success own?
• Where do I find a leader with the skills my company needs?
• Preparing
• What do I need to know about Customer Success?
• What do I have to keep in mind about transitioning?
• How do I evaluate roles and employers?
28. What Should I Ask My Candidates?
• How do you define Customer Success?
• Whom do you admire in Customer Success?
• How should I measure you in this job?
• How will you track your team’s performance?
• What do you look for in team members?
• What will you do with the 25th hour of the day?
• Tell me about your toughest customer situation
29. How Can I Test?
• Mock board meeting
• Mock QBR presentation
• Call one of their clients
30. What Should My Job Description Look Like?
www.gainsight.com/job-description
31. How Can I Sell?
• Importance to business model
• Customer commitment
• Org-wide customer culture
• Support from product
• Support from sales
• Investment (systems, training, comp)
• Career growth
34. What I looked for in an opportunity
Company vision, future prospects, and leadership
A customer-back mindset
Ability to have impact (company readiness to invest / change)
Culture
Specifics: role, comp, career trajectory
35. Recommendations for Future VPs
1 2
3 4
Define the company stage and complexity
that is right for you
Make sure you *love* the people and culture Spend a *ton* of time listening
Find companies with evidence of a cross-
functional, customer-back mindset