May 31, 2024 - Week in Review

Heather Wendt

May 31, 2024

End of May means a lot of things are gearing up for a break…but we often celebrate those changes. Graduation ceremonies, vacations to celebrate the end of the year, etc.

I know that I personally tend to look at the end of a program, initiative or event as the start of the next one, forgetting to give myself some space to look at what went well and truly acknowledge it. Skipping this step can result in the feeling that I am never done and always work on the next thing.

Be sure to take some time to reflect on and celebrate your wins. It is an energizing process that increases your motivation to continue.

As we begin the last month of the 2nd quarter, are you looking at things to celebrate?

EVENTS

🗨️ GGR CS Leadership Office Hours

The GGR Leadership Office Hours are a great way to connect with your peers through conversations about leading CS topics.

Wondering if it is worth it? Here is some feedback from our latest event:

This was my first time joining the group and it was an amazing and enlightening experience. Can't wait for the next one! Thanks for hosting and I look forward to putting the great ideas we gathered to work!

Our 2024 schedule is now available here, and our next meetup is Thursday, June 13th and will be led by @Diane Gordon who is going to bring a conversation about Using Value Frameworks to Drive Retention.

Be sure to register!

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2024 Demopalooza is coming!

GGR is finalizing the details for our 2nd annual Demopalooza. We are looking at mid- to late-September, so keep an eye out for the registration launch!

Are you a vendor who would like to participate? Reach out the me (heather@gaingrowretain.com) and get on the list. Spaces are limited, and Demopalooza sponsors will get the first pick of time slots!

BEST PRACTICES (Conversations)

Check out some of the great conversations happening on GGR. Click the title to see the full conversation and share your insights!

NPS feedback – negative feedback that has nothing to do with your product
@Brian O'Keeffe brought up a great issue with NPS scores – low scores that have nothing to do with the product itself but either user issues or limitations imposed at the customer level. How do you handle these low scores? Do you exclude scores that are not based on true product issues or maybe only use administrator scores? Share your take on scores that are not accurately reflecting your product.

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Thoughts on sales target approach for CSMs
Although this was originally posted last year, it is highly relevant for the increasing revenue expectations for teams. @daniele shared her need to create a more systemic approach to identify targets and other ways to predict and forecast upsells (or expansions) more accurately. As more teams are moving into this space, thought it would be good to resurface and continue the conversation!

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Self-serve model vs sales-based approach
Another timely post that focuses on empowering customers through self-service versus a traditional demo-style strategy. While some CSPs have added this to their practice, are other software companies moving to this style of pipeline driving? @Rahul Choudhary would love to hear more!

Measuring value of risk mitigation
@Rich Rans started a conversation a while back that looked at how you prove value when your product is risk mitigation. When your entire purpose is to prevent issues, how do you demonstrate the value? Would love to see if there are teams in this position and methods you have utilized to reduce the need to re-sell the product each renewal cycle.

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Do You Map Competencies or Skills for All the Roles in Your CS Org?
@erickingsbury asked a question that bears repeating: are you mapping out the skills of your CS team? What stage does this make the most sense for? Has it successfully impacted your strategy and impact? Does this help you move your team from a generalist to a specialist model?

CONTENT

Spring Survey!

We all know that understanding our audience is critical to a successful engagement and retention plan, and GGR is no different. Will you help us understand the needs of the CS (and CS adjacent) audience? This short survey will help us continue to provide content and opportunities that meet your needs. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

Survey Link

COMMUNITY NEWS
Member Highlights🎉

Welcome to Our New Members!
@MarleneRuttenberg
@Tiffany Graves
@eveal
@Sarah Post

Congratulations to all of our Members Moving Up the Ranks!
Navigator
@bwang415
@Jacklyn
@Fatima Somarriba
@Mohamad Alsughiar
@eveal
@MCarmichael
@iara
@Gillian Taylor
@ryantessier
@Sarah Post

Seeker
@Andy Chandler

Celebrating Anniversaries!
1st Year
@Elizabeth Italiano
@MCarmichael
@iara

2nd Year
@Mo Gorman

3rd Year
@Lakshmi Narayanan Gurumurthy
@JimG
@Nina Nowaczyk