Business & Financial Literacy for Account Managers with Jay Nathan | Customer Success 2024

“Every team should have some kind of number, some kind of metric to show what their impact on the business is,” says Jay Nathan, a veteran in customer success and account management. In this debut episode of Account Management Secrets, he joins host Alex Raymond to discuss why customer success teams need to focus on measurable business results—whether it’s revenue, bookings, or customer retention—especially in today’s efficiency-driven economy. Jay points out that understanding the financial side and aligning customer success efforts with the company’s goals are key to reducing churn and driving growth. He also emphasizes that customer success needs to be woven into every part of the business—from product design to marketing—so that everyone is working toward the same goals. Structured onboarding and enablement resources is essential in ensuring long-term retention and customer satisfaction, helping teams secure success right from the start. Jay predicts that companies will focus more on efficiency and profitability, moving away from the growth-at-all-costs mindset. He expects a bigger push toward sustainable business practices, with customer retention and operational alignment becoming top priorities. Jay also sees shifts in venture capital, with more attention on private equity and long-term value. For customer success teams, this means they’ll need to deliver measurable outcomes that not only align with business objectives but also drive lasting customer satisfaction. Quotes “You should actually understand the business that you're in so that you can make the biggest impact no matter where you sit in the organization structure.” (05:19 | Jay Nathan) “The reality is, every team should have some kind of number, some kind of metric to show what their impact on the business is.” (07:21 | Jay Nathan) “I think a North Star metric should be a customer-facing metric. So, what is the thing that your product or service enables that proves that the customer is getting value from your product?” (08:31 | Jay Nathan) “You could grow that North Star metric by selling new accounts, by retaining the customers that you have, and by driving adoption and getting more value into the hands of the customer so that more users come in and use the product over time. So, I think a North Star is an external metric. It’s a value metric for the customer.” (09:09 | Jay Nathan) “That is the fundamental use case for a CRM, the pipeline management. How many deals are being won? What’s the time to close on those deals? The reality is, everybody wants the answer. They want you to tell them what the answer is when you say that. And the reality is, there is no one answer. It depends on the market you serve, the product that you provide, and the value proposition that you’re selling. If you can map those things out, then you can find the answer.” (12:05 | Jay Nathan) Links Connect with Jay Nathan: Website: https://growthcurve.io/ Connect with Alex Raymond: LinkedIn:   / afraymond   Website: https://amplifyam.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm