Networking for Customer Success Managers

Networking isn't just about sending a PERFECT initial message. It's about how you nurture those connections afterward. Here's how you can do that: 1. Thoughtful follow-ups Once your message is accepted, continue the conversation with genuine curiosity. Ask questions or share insights related to your field, showing that you're invested in a meaningful dialogue. 2. Provide real value Offer assistance, share resources, or connect them with someone who can help with their goals. Mutual benefit strengthens the relationship and shows you're committed to more than just personal gain. 3. Cultivate genuine relationships Regularly check in, congratulate them on achievements, and stay updated on their work. This approach fosters trust and collaboration over time. Remember, networking is a journey, not a destination. It's about growing together and creating opportunities for both parties. What's your best networking tip? Share in the comments!

If you run a small business, networking isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s an investment. Over the past year, I’ve attended events from an Amazon Web Services (AWS) soccer game to an American Express panel, and even a LinkedIn for Marketing launch party in NYC. One thing became clear: the connections you make and how you nurture them, can shape your business in ways you don’t see immediately. Here are 5 strategies that have made a real difference for Brkaway: Invest in conversations, not contacts. Showing up isn’t enough. At the AWS soccer game, I spent halftime asking people about their businesses and challenges instead of pitching Brkaway. That curiosity opened doors, sparked insights, and reinforced a simple truth: networking is about investing in others first. One warm introduction can change everything. Referrals and intros have outsized impact. A single connection might lead to a client, partner, or advice that saves months of trial and error. Showing up in the right rooms consistently keeps your business top of mind with the people who matter. Listen more than you pitch. At events like the AMEX panel, listening carefully was more powerful than rehearsing my elevator pitch. When you focus on understanding what others need, you build trust and credibility. People remember how you made them feel, not your elevator pitch. The best connections happen in between. At the NYC launch party, some of the most valuable conversations happened casually.. waiting for elevators, grabbing a drink, walking between spaces. Casual, unscripted moments often lead to more authentic relationships than formal networking. Follow up or it didn’t happen. Meeting someone is just the start. The real investment comes afterward: connecting on LinkedIn, tracking conversations, setting reminders, and engaging with people’s content. That’s how relationships grow into opportunities. Remember, networking isn’t a checkbox. It’s equity in your business. 

Sellers often mistake connections for relationships. Here are 5 ways you can build high-impact relationships, whether they’re specific to an opportunity, or they’re part of your greater network. ✅ Map out the relationships you have for a specific opportunity. I do an exercise with clients where we build out their relationship ecosystems and buying roles in an opportunity. This will give you a picture of strengths and gaps. Mapping your relationships doesn’t need to be time-consuming; it will pay off by helping you accelerate progress and reduce risks in your opportunities. ✅ Assess for gaps and get beyond the typical silos. You might be building relationships only where you’re most comfortable. Your success will be in getting beyond your comfort level; you can do that by assessing and filling in relationship gaps. In mapping your relationships you’ll see patterns. For example, you may see a pattern where you’re selling only one product or solution to one type of role. You’re siloed and likely missing many other relationships. This is especially important if your growth strategy includes expanding different products or services within your client base. ✅ Build your strategic alliances. This one strategy has made a significant difference in both the quality of my relationships and the quality of the opportunities I’m able to create. Do you have alliances outside of your organization, with other providers serving like clients? A way to begin is by creating a list of the tangential providers who sell non-competitive products or solutions to your clients and verticals. From there you can assess which ones are the most promising and begin building those relationships. ✅ Focus on deepening relationships with current clients. In the quest to always earn net-new clients, deepening relationships with current clients is often forgotten. But this can be the best source of continual, high-quality opportunities. One strategy is to create a list of your top ten clients and then create a relationship map for each one. See where you can uncover new relationships and new ways to serve that client. You’ll amplify your success with a client where you already have trust and credibility. ✅ Aim higher in the organization. You might be used to working in the middle of an organization, and in many cases that may be where your decision-makers are. But you can (and should) build awareness and relationships at the higher levels of an organization. Ways you might start this process include introductions on LinkedIn, sharing of research and insights that can improve their business, or a request for a higher-level leader to join your next account review or project meeting. To get started, choose one of your top clients and begin working through at least one or two of these strategies with that client in mind. It will undoubtedly open more relationships and also opportunities to serve your client and win high-value business. #ModernSeller #Sales #Relationships

5 years ago - this question changed my business philosophy forever. In 2019, I reached out to customers who’d been with us for over a year, asking a single question: “What’s the one thing you enjoy most about working with us?” I was expecting them to mention things like - Quality - Pricing - Timely delivery But surprisingly, 90% of them had the same answer: they valued the relationship and the feeling of partnership they had with us. 🤝 That insight shifted everything for me. We decided to make partnership a core KPI—actively nurturing our client relationships daily, not just tracking transactions. It turns out that loyalty doesn’t come from flawless products or low prices. It comes from making customers feel like partners in the journey. This is how you can start measuring true customer success: 1. Client Satisfaction Index: Use surveys to assess how well you’re meeting client expectations on both service and relationship. 2. Retention Rates: Track how long customers stay with you; it’s a strong indicator of relationship value. 3. Engagement KPIs: Measure frequency and quality of interactions with clients to ensure regular, meaningful contact. 4. Net Promoter Score (NPS): Ask clients if they’d recommend you to others—happy partners usually do! How are you measuring your relationships with customers? Is it just transactions, or is it something more? #customersuccess #customerrelationships #cx

Your biggest customer risk? Betting everything on one relationship. What happens when that one person leaves? ❌ Projects stall. ❌ Your partnership unravels. ❌ The renewal becomes risky. And the worst part? You never saw it coming. Top-performing CSMs don’t take that risk. They don’t rely on one strong relationship—they build a network of champions. Why multi-threading matters: ✅ Mitigate Risk: If one stakeholder exits, others keep things moving. ✅ Increase Influence: Connect the dots across teams and drive execution. ✅ Drive Results: More relationships = better insights, faster problem-solving, and stronger success. How to multi-thread before you need it: 1️⃣ Leverage Your Existing POC Your primary contact is your bridge—use them to expand your network. 🔹 “Who else on your team is involved in this initiative?” 🔹 “I’d love to connect with someone in [department X] to better understand their goals.” 🔹 “Can you bring someone from IT/Operations to the next meeting so we’re fully aligned?” 💡 Pro tip: Position these as opportunities for collaboration, not an end-run around your contact. 2️⃣ Navigate Office Politics Like a Pro Every company has internal dynamics. The key? Stay neutral, and focus on value. ✅ Align on shared goals – “We’re all working toward [specific metric]. How can I best support your team?” ✅ Ask for cross-team feedback – “Are there challenges I can help with? I want to ensure we’re delivering max value.” ✅ Share positive results and the value your product delivers - "Sharing our last quarter's shared results to celebrate 3 big wins!" ✅ Be a connector – Bridge gaps between teams. Your influence will skyrocket. 3️⃣ Use Data & Insights to Open Doors Customers trust numbers—use them to justify new relationships. 📊 “Our data shows [team X] could optimize [Y process] in order for us to see even better results. Can I connect with someone there?” 📊 “We’ve helped similar teams achieve [result]. Would it help to set up a quick call with your [relevant team]?” 4️⃣ Build Relationships Across Departments Don’t limit yourself to one function. Get to know: ✔ Customer Support – They hear pain points firsthand. ✔ IT/Dev Teams – They control key tech decisions. ✔ Finance & Procurement – They hold the budget. ✔ Marketing/Sales – They shape customer messaging. 👀 Ask: “What are your top priorities this quarter?” or “How do you measure success?” Their answers will reveal hidden opportunities for you to add value. 🔥 Take Action: Build Your Safety Net The best CSMs don’t leave relationships to chance. They expand their influence and build networks of trust—before they need them. 👇 Want to sharpen your Swiss Army knife and build the skills to succeed in CS? Join 15K CS professionals in Unconventional Growth [link in comments]. #CustomerSuccess #CSM #CustomerRetention #RevOps #CX

You're doing networking backwards. I see it every day. Business owners walking into rooms armed with elevator pitches, business cards, and the same tired question: "What do you do?" Then they wonder why networking feels like a waste of time. Here's the secret: The person asking the questions guides the conversation. And if you're not guiding the conversation, you're just another vendor chasing leads. Stop selling. Start asking. I built Success Champion Networking on a simple principle - quit chasing leads, start owning real estate in people's minds. And that happens through three types of questions: ❓️Journey Questions: get people talking about themselves. Not the rehearsed elevator pitch, but their actual story. "Tell me your story. How did you get started in [industry]?" moves you past surface-level BS to reveal the real person. ❓️Challenge Questions: uncover pain points and build authority. "What's the biggest bottleneck in your business right now?" This isn't consulting, it's caring. When you understand their struggles, you become someone who gets it. ❓️Future Questions: identify where they're going so you can be the bridge. "What does success look like for you 12 months from now?" Now you're positioned to make valuable introductions and offer real solutions. When you guide the conversation with the right questions, three things happen: You offer solutions. You open doors. You make valuable introductions. That's not networking. That's relationship building. And relationships drive revenue. The old way was transactional - collect cards, make pitches, hope for ROI. The new way is relational - deep dialogue, genuine connection, long-term growth. Stop separating "Work You" from "Real You." Authentic relationships are what actually move the needle. What questions are you asking in your next networking conversation? --- Want more frameworks like this? Follow me for straight-talk strategies on building business relationships that actually matter.

Early in my career, I had a simple formula: Work harder + Get smarter = Success I was missing the most important piece. Buried in product roadmaps, customer feedback and feature backlogs. Skipping team lunches to refine user flows and debug features that customers rely on. Thinking "networking" was superficial and transactional. What I wish I'd understood earlier: Success isn't just WHAT you know. It's WHAT you know + WHO trusts you + WHO believes in your potential. The mentor who became a friend: Introduced me to product management - completely changed my career trajectory The student I spent extra time with: Now leads AI at a major startup and still calls for advice None of these were transactional. All of them mattered. What this looks like in practice: Share knowledge generously - even with "competitors" Make introductions when you see synergies Show up when people need support The caveat: Some people are just takers. When you recognize them, protect your time and energy so you give back to the community. Today, whether I'm leading teams or teaching students, I always remember: Technical and Business skills get you in the job role. Relationships determine how far you can go. What's the most valuable relationship lesson you've learned in your career? Drop it below - we're all still learning. #CareerAdvice #Relationships #Networking #Mentorship #Growth

The real work starts after the networking event ends. The event creates the introduction. The follow-up builds the relationship. Within 24–48 hours, send a short note and reference something specific you talked about. Going the extra mile differentiates you and personally, I find it gratifying. It shows my respect for them and their time and that I appreciated our conversation. Skip the generic “let’s grab coffee;” rather, make it personal: • Connect on LinkedIn with a personal note and a highlight from the conversation • Share a relevant article or insight • Make a thoughtful introduction • Send a quick “thought of you when I saw this” message In a world where there's a lot of AI jargon, a genuine comment and connection will stand out in the right way. Most people probably don't have a CRE need at the moment; rather, they’re deciding whether they’d enjoy continuing the conversation and building the relationship. Consistency builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. Trust builds strong relationships. What kind of follow-up makes you want to reply? #CommercialRealEstate #CRECommunity #Networking #RelationshipBuilding #MadisonWI

Building a CSM network isn't about collecting LinkedIn connections. It's about creating genuine relationships. 6 mistakes that kill your networking efforts: 1. Only Reaching Out When You Need Something ↳ People see right through this approach 2. Making It All About You ↳ Focus on how you can help, not what you need 3. Being Inconsistent ↳ Networking requires regular, ongoing effort 4. Not Following Up ↳ The magic happens in the follow-through 5. Staying Surface-Level ↳ Go deeper than job titles and company names 6. Forgetting to Give Back ↳ Always look for ways to add value 12 simple ways to build authentic CSM relationships: — Comment meaningfully on posts — Share relevant articles with context — Introduce people who should know each other — Celebrate others' wins publicly — Ask thoughtful questions — Share your failures and lessons learned — Offer to beta test new ideas — Recommend great tools and resources — Write LinkedIn recommendations — Send congratulations messages — Remember personal details — Be consistently helpful The strongest networks are built on: → Trust → Mutual respect → Shared value → Genuine care Start building yours today. One authentic connection at a time. P.S. Who in your CSM network has made the biggest impact on your career?