managing sponsor change change … · kelly payne director, customer success sandy miranda vp,...

©2015 Gainsight. All Rights Reserved.

Managing Sponsor Change: How To Navigate With A New

Champion

MATT HENSLER Allbound

BETH YEHASKEL Spredfast

KELLY PAYNE Glassdoor

SANDY MIRANDA Power DMS


Managing Sponsor Change: Moderator – Matt Hensler Director, Customer Success

•  14 months in customer success

•  Marketing and Brand Strategist

•  @matthensler

How To Navigate With A New Champion


Session Focus…

FREAK OUT, but don’t panic


Understand The Risk And Opportunity

Session Focus…


Deploy Strategies With Urgency And Purpose

Session Focus…


Meet Your Panelists

Kelly Payne Director, Customer Success

Sandy Miranda VP, Customer Success

Beth Yehaskel VP, Customer Success

•  6+ years in customer success

•  Publication Editor and Writer

•  Doctor •  @kelly_payne22

•  4+ years in customer success

•  15+ years in customer service & support

•  News Anchor •  @smiranda_DMS

•  8 years in customer success

•  Marketer and Technical Writer

•  Archaeologist •  @byehaskel


Why are sponsor change strategies critical for customer success teams? Explain what is at risk.


Relationship Advocacy ARR The Importance of Sponsor Change Strategies


• Retention/Churn Risk •  Early Warning Signs / Risk Alerts are Key •  If happens close to renewal, game plan

needed • Communication Risk

•  Overall Partnership (POC/EB) •  Communication Breakdown

• Knowledge Risk •  “Begin Again” = Value proposition •  Regain new Champion

The Importance of Sponsor Change Strategies


•  Higher ability to influence and manage this high churn risk (unlike things like budget cuts).

•  Requires “re-selling” an account. •  Effective management of sponsor change sets up

opportunities for revenue growth

The Importance of Sponsor Change Strategies


How should sponsor change strategies differ for different customer segments? (e.g. enterprise vs. SMB customers)


•  Strategic •  Re-evaluate Needs •  Document properly Enterprise

•  Automated •  Self Service •  Informative SMB

Sponsor Change Strategies for Enterprise vs. SMB


Sponsor Change Strategies: •  Who they are in the Org / How they play into the

Decision Tree/Partnership = measure the impact of the departure

•  CSM must understand the company hierarchy •  Having a repeatable process for this event is

essential to the larger partnership & success of your business



•  Easier to have a sponsor ecosystem at large organizations

•  Value of face-to-face meetings easier to cost-justify

•  More urgency in SMB since main sponsor assumes many roles (e.g. power user, budget owner, etc.)



How should your sponsor change playbook change for different types of sponsors in a customer organization?


Depends on: •  The “role” the Sponsor plays in the partnership. •  How well you know the customer, their

business and goals.

Different Strategies For Different Sponsor Types


•  Tailor your strategy to what VALUE means to each sponsor §  Power user value ≠ contract signer value ≠

budget owner value §  Make sponsors aware of value YOU bring

THEM in their role



•  Account for the complexity of your application. •  Know that your most crucial sponsor may not be

a user of your product/service. •  You may need to enlist the assistance of other

departments to keep in touch with non direct sponsors.



How should customer success teams proactively manage sponsor relationships to minimize panic when a change does take place?


Absolutely! •  Clean Data = Productivity •  Defined Process = Proactive Alerts for CSMs to

act on

Proactive Steps to Minimize Sponsor Change Events


•  Use technology •  Create

checkpoints



•  More contacts and sponsors = less impact •  Harder on SMB level but the more sponsors the

better!



What opportunities come with sponsor change?


Positive Opportunity

Identify new opportunities

Establish fresh

relationship

Define a new focus

Negative Opportunity

Regain trust

Reestablish value

Lose focus

Opportunities That Come With Sponsor Change


•  Help make new champion successful •  Follow exiting sponsor to their new company •  Customer “reset” to re-establish goals and gather

deeper intelligence about the account



•  Educate/Re-Educate New Sponsor/POC •  Excite/Delight the Customer •  Elevate the Partnership: opportunity to see

what we can be doing better •  Fresh Start (if needed!)



Provide an example of a sponsor change that did not go as intended. What went wrong?


Prior to using Gainsight: •  No defined process •  No Sponsor Change playbook •  No Ownership (AM/CSM) on who reached out

to welcome new Sponsor •  Time delay: Waiting too long, Sponsor went

MIA •  Got Scrappy & Fixed it, but Lesson Learned!

Sponsor Change Gone Wrong


•  Missed sponsor change is easier with small customers

•  One situation where it was missed until 2 months after the sponsor change event

•  Left an opening for a competitor to connect with new sponsor

•  Resulted in churn that could have been prevented

Sponsor Change Gone Wrong


How do you prepare personnel in your company outside of customer success for their role in a sponsor change playbook?


•  Forge relationships beyond the CSM •  Develop a strong Executive Sponsor program

The Role of Your Co-workers Outside of Customer Success


•  Pertinent information about a sponsor change is shared across systems.

•  Tasks are created if an assist is needed.



Everyone is involved: •  Exec Sponsors •  Strong Cross-Team/Dept Communication •  Sponsor Change Playbook



How does the sponsor change playbook change at different stages of the customer lifecycle? (e.g. onboarding vs. adoption vs. renewal)


System: Welcome

Email

Co

ntra

ct S

ign

Imp Manager & CSM Sales Cycle

Day 1: Imp Tech

Outreach

Pre-Close, Tech &

Project Call

Adoption Build & Customize Sales

Engage the right Sponsor for each stage of the Customer Lifecycle

Day 10: Build Update &

Review

Day 5: Build Update &

Review

Day 15: Build Complete &

Sign-Off

Day 20: Profile Update Training

Day 25: EC Walk-thru w/

Analytics

CSM & Sales

Day 30: Services Launch & Employer

Branding BP

Expertise, Speed, Professional, & Quality


•  Onboarding: - Evaluate the WHY

•  Adoption: - Evaluate the WHAT

•  Renewal: - Re-establish possibilities

Sponsor Change Strategies At Different Customer Lifecycle Stages


•  Different areas of focus based on stage •  High end user adoption keeps you protected •  Focus on adoption and education early to lock in

value

Sponsor Change Strategies At Different Customer Lifecycle Stages


Audience Q& A


Name 3 things attendees should do FIRST if no sponsor change strategies are currently in place.


1.  Identify one or more sponsors a each account 2.  Keep regular, proactive touch points with

customers 3.  Make a simple playbook on steps with new and

former sponsor – gift baskets go a long way!

Top 3 Priorities For Getting Sponsor Change Strategies In Place


1.  HOW – do you identify a change 2.  WHO – is responsible 3.  WHAT – should be done



1.  Talk about it: Make sure Execs, Leaders & CSMs/Sales are all focused on it & Define a Playbook

2.  Use Tools & Monitor, Monitor, Monitor (CTAs): Gainsight Sponsored Tracking

3.  Tie to Retention/Churn


managing sponsor change change … · kelly payne director, customer success sandy miranda vp,...

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