Marley Wagner, Author at ESG

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Back To Basics — How To Talk To Your Customers

There’s an old joke about a naval officer who sees a blip on the radar and gets on the radio to tell them to change course. The person on the other end of the radio refuses, telling the naval officer that he should change his course instead. Indignant, the captain of the ship takes the […]

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The Importance of the Customer Check-In

There was a time when a business’ relationship with its customers basically ended at the point of purchase. You convinced customers that you had the best product, made the sale, and that was the end of it. Those days are long gone. Customers today are spoilt for choice. In every area of business, they have […]

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Customer Retention Strategy: Measuring & Managing Subscription Consumption

The need to measure product utilization and/or subscription consumption is a no-brainer. Usage metrics are critical indicators of how well your products are helping customers achieve their desired outcomes, which in turn influences your customer retention strategy. If usage is low, odds are that your customer sees little if any value in your solution. And […]

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Customers Can’t Live on Automation Alone

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? If we’re talking about time at the beach or the love of a puppy, I’d argue the answer is no. However, when it comes to automation in Customer Success (CS), I say yes, and science is in my corner. Fundamentally, it’s proven that the […]

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Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. Segmentation Delivers Results

I’d be preaching to the choir if I droned on about the importance of segmenting customers to snag results. That said, in this ever-changing world it is easy to miss the boat on how to effectively do that — even for the biggest data hounds among us. It requires us all to think differently and […]

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Customer Journey Mapping: It’s Not Just About the Destination

“Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” While this wise quote may have come from the unlikely lips of Drake (award-winning hip-hop artist for the uninitiated), it couldn’t more accurately describe the importance of Customer Success (CS). In fact, it’s also a solid place to start answering the question of […]

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The Trifecta: Top 3 Customer Success Manager Traits to Increase Customer Retention

How do I increase customer retention? It’s one of our most frequently asked questions. Although the answer is multilayered and complex, one of the essential building blocks to answering it includes Customer Success Managers (CSM). A career field that barely existed five or so years ago, CSMs make up ground zero for all CS functions […]

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3 Unique Concepts to Connect Marketing & Customer Success

A Director at a successful SaaS company recently approached me about the role of marketing in customer success. This leader understood that the marketing team was a valuable resource when developing customer-facing communications but wanted more. As we discussed possible options for the “future state” of a marketing + customer success partnership, it became apparent […]

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Step Out of the Customer Success Silo and into the Light of Education Services

Let’s be honest. If it were possible to just make one sale, stop there and have a “forever customer,” everyone would be a Customer Success (CS) pro. That isn’t quite our reality though. The CS reality is a lot more complex, nuanced and ultimately scientific. It requires relationship building, thoroughly understanding customer needs, advocating for […]

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Champagne Results on Juice Box Budgets: Winning Customer Success Through vCSM Engagement

Chartered to increase revenue and promote company growth, but don’t have the resources? If this sounds familiar, you’re likely one of the many budget-strapped Customer Success (CS) leaders we talk to every day. Folks who know that to improve their bottom lines they need higher touch engagement with their customers — but don’t have the […]