An Outcome Mentality: The Right Way to Approach Customer Success

02/22/24 • 55 min

Dan Barrett is the Senior Vice President of Customer Success at MongoDB. With a background in sales, Dan has held various leadership roles in the technology industry. He started his career at IBM before moving on to Q Associates, Symantec, and ServiceNow. Dan joined MongoDB as a Regional Director for the UK and Ireland and has since been promoted to Vice President of Northern Europe and then to his current role as Senior Vice President of Customer Success.

In this episode, Dan discusses his transition from sales to customer success and the importance of aligning sales and customer success teams. Dan shares insights on reducing churn, proactive customer success strategies, and the changing expectations of customers in a consumption-driven world. He emphasizes the need for measuring and demonstrating the impact of customer success and the role of customer success in driving business outcomes. Dan also highlights the significance of cultivating advocates and engaging economic buyers throughout the customer journey.
Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:40] Dan's initial thoughts on transitioning from sales to customer success
[00:06:41] Organization structure: customer success, product-led sales, account management, and renewal
[00:09:19] Challenges of silos and lack of alignment between teams
[00:12:18] Building skills, trust, and impact in customer success
[00:15:14] Reviewing and addressing risks on a weekly basis
[00:17:48] Promoting internal talent and maintaining company culture
[00:19:59] Challenges in selecting and developing customer success leaders
[00:22:10] Understanding the complex root causes of churn
[00:26:00] Moving to a consumption-based model is the ultimate test of value
[00:29:47] Customer success is often the first to be cut due to lack of impact measurement
[00:32:00] A good customer success team should be able to pay for itself
[00:36:24] The importance of a positive customer experience and the potential impact on future projects
[00:39:00] Economic buyer engagement and the changing dynamics of the sales process
[00:47:09] The importance of aligning the customer journey with the software development lifecycle
[00:51:53] Being data-driven and analytical

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution:
https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Learn more about Dan Barrett and about their company.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/newbusinesssales/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mongodbinc/
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:54:26] "If I can't self-identify on how that makes me feel, I call it the indignity of the close. If I'm not understanding what that means, that the sale really begins with probably an objection or a no or somewhere, and I'm not comfortable with that, then I'm probably not gonna do so well in that sales career."
[00:55:41] "I wanna understand someone's character more so than anything. So I think those, As part of our structured interview framework, we're trying to focus more in the early stages of that process of identifying what are the aspects of someone's character and capability that we're looking for."
[01:01:41] "I think if the sales reps need to remember where they came from and help invest in that SDR 'cause it's gonna lead to success for them if they make those investments."

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution:
https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Learn more about Dan Barrett and about their company.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/newbusinesssales/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mongodbinc/
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Previous Episode

The Negativity Bias with Pouli

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive deep into the concept of negativity bias and its impact on sales performance. Joined by Jim “Pouli” Pouliopoulos, a seasoned sales management facilitator and author of "How to Be A Well-Being," the conversation explores the roots of negativity bias, its evolutionary significance, and practical strategies to counteract it. The hosts emphasize the importance of focusing on the sales process rather than fixating on closing deals, offering valuable insights for sales professionals looking to enhance their mindset and performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:57] Understanding Negativity Bias: Jim explains negativity bias as a hardwired human tendency to interpret external events negatively, rooted in evolutionary survival instincts.

[00:02:25] Impact on Sales: The hosts discuss how negativity bias can adversely affect sales professionals, leading to self-doubt, fear of rejection, and a negative spiral in their approach.

[00:03:27] Counteracting Negativity Bias: Jim suggests countering negativity bias by training the brain to focus on positive aspects daily, cultivating gratitude for small things.

[00:06:28] Shifting Focus to Process: The conversation shifts to the idea of focusing on the sales process rather than fixating on closing deals, emphasizing the importance of controlling what can be controlled.

[00:08:13] Empathy in Sales: Jim advises sellers to approach conversations with empathy, asking, "How do I help this person right now?" instead of being overly concerned about closing deals.

[00:09:21] Managerial Support: The hosts discuss the role of managers in fostering a positive mindset, encouraging them to shift their focus from demanding closed deals to understanding and supporting the seller's efforts to help their clients.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:20] "Negativity bias is hardwired into us; it gave us the tools to evolve, but we need to recognize and manage it in sales."

[00:03:45] "Training our brains to focus on daily positives can counteract the immediate negative interpretations of events."

[00:07:53] "Instead of fixating on closing deals, ask, 'How do I help this person?' – it leads to better questions, rapport building, and positive outcomes."

[00:09:21] "Managers play a crucial role; shifting focus from closing deals to understanding and supporting the seller's efforts leads to better results."

Listen to the full episode with Jim “Pouli” Pouliopoulos through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/how-to-be-a-well-being-in-sales

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Next Episode

Measuring Churn with Allison Pickens

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast as they dive into the intricate world of churn with special guest Allison Pickens. Former COO of Gainsight, Allison shares her insights into scaling a company and understanding the nuanced reasons behind customer departures. From measuring churn metrics to the importance of responding to external factors, this episode provides valuable lessons for businesses aiming to enhance customer success and retention.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:54] Superficial Understanding of Churn Causes: Alison discusses how some companies may view churn too superficially, attributing it to external factors like a change in company leadership or losing to a competitor.
[00:01:44] Strategic Response to Churn: Emphasizing the importance of responding appropriately to churn events and considering them as opportunities rather than inevitable losses.
[00:02:48] Honest Evaluation: Encouraging companies to be honest about what aspects of their operations can be improved and aligning strategies with company goals.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:54] "One way in which they might think about it too superficially is they might note things, root causes that are outside of their control."
[00:01:44] "When your customer gets acquired by another company, that is not an obvious churn or like an inevitable churn reason. It might be an opportunity to expand your deployment to the larger company."
[00:02:48] "What's important is just being honest with yourself about what you can improve and what you can based on the strategy of your company at the time."

Listen to the full episode with Allison Pickens through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/mastering-the-art-of-customer-success-with-allison-pickens

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/