Erika Villarreal

Ask. One other way to make sure you understand customer's needs is by asking. I recently sent a feedback survey to all of my customers and one of the main questions was: How well do you think I understand your business needs? If you are asking the right questions and are constantly updating their needs and challenges... customers will see this, and they will value that you are interested enough to ask for feedback in case something needs to change.

Empathy allows you to connect with your customers at a deeper level. When you put yourself in their shoes, you can empathize with their challenges and their aspirations. This allows you to provide personalized guidance and support. Empathy helps build trust and foster long-term relationships. As a CSM there are many times things do not go as planned, and customers will feel frustrated. Lead with empathy, always!

Active listening is an art, and when done well, it is a catalyst for continued growth. With customers facing their own set of challenges... understanding customer needs, concerns, and aspirations becomes a critical aspect of your job. In an era where personalized and tailored solutions are critical, truly hearing and understanding the customer’s needs becomes a competitive advantage. The only way to do this is to meet with your customers regularly and constantly update their goals and challenges. Active listening is all about creating a dialogue rather than a monologue, encouraging open communication, and making customers feel heard and valued.

One of my favorite tools to assess my team’s strenghts are personality tests. I love WingFinder’s report, but there are many other tests out there. Every team member has different strenghts, and it is important to have this in mind. Once I made a huge mistake, assigning one of my team members with data analytics tasks. He struggled with data, it got him frustrated, it took a ton more of his time and it was counterproductive. Having your team asaigned to the things that they love doing is the way to go. It will also increase productivity, guaranteed!

Let's say you want to grow your network on LinkedIn. Step 1: Who to network with? People that align with my goals, values and that are talking about the topics that I feel passionate about. It is easier to have a conversation or share thoughts when I feel a connection. Step 2: Connect and network with intent. Don't just send a connection request. Personalize your request adding information of what it is that got you interested. Maybe you saw them on a webinar? Read an article about them? Read a post that caught your attention and you want to share your opinion. Step 3: Engage with their content regularly, comment, and share value add comments. Engage on a discussion. Step 4: Build strong and lasting relationships, 1:1 chats, virtual coffee.

After finishing my personality test from Wingfinder, I created a very visual slide to showcase my strengths. It included my four major strengths: Drive, creative, connected, and analytic. I have presented this multiple times internally to different teams. When I've applied to internal roles I am trying to demonstrate I am the best fit. I added my skillset to my Customer Success portfolio, and I make sure to showcase it in every opportunity that I have. It has been a game-changer.