WHAT IT COSTS YOU
The money on the line.
If one person at a customer knows your name, that renewal walks out the door the day they do. Champions get promoted, poached and laid off, and the new leader has no idea why they're paying you. Every single-threaded account on your books is revenue that depends on one person's career plans.
FROM THE FIELD
What I've seen.
When one of my CSMs was single-threaded or stuck behind a blocker, I didn't ask them to go around their contact. I went over that person's head myself, straight to the CFO, CEO, CRO or CCO, and I took the fallout. That way my CSM kept the day-to-day relationship clean, and we finally had a line to the people who actually decide.
You need to know who's in the room, not who's at the table.
SIGNS IT'S BROKEN
Your team can name one contact per account, and it's the admin.
The executive who signed the deal hasn't heard from you since.
A champion leaves and you find out from LinkedIn.
Renewal conversations start with "who's the decision maker now?"
WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE
Every account has a relationship map with an executive sponsor, a champion and the end users.
An executive hears from you on a planned cadence, not only when something breaks.
A champion leaving triggers a play, not a panic.
Relationship mapping starts in the sales process, before the contract is signed.
ALWAYS ON
When this motion restarts.
Engage never really finishes. Turn it back up when:
A champion leaves, gets promoted or goes quiet.
A new executive arrives with new objectives.
An expansion brings in teams who have never met you.
A renewal is coming and the relationship map hasn't been touched since last year.
ASK YOUR TEAM THIS WEEK
How many of our top 20 accounts have more than two active contacts?
Who is the executive sponsor at each of them, and when did we last talk?
What happens, step by step, when a champion leaves?
WHAT TO MEASURE
Contacts engaged per account, by segment
Executive sponsor coverage on your top accounts
Churn and contraction where a champion left in the last 12 months
FAQ
What does multi-threading mean in Customer Success? It means building relationships with several people at a customer, including an executive sponsor, a champion and end users, so the account doesn't depend on one person.
When should multi-threading start? During the sales process and at kickoff. If you wait until renewal, you're introducing yourself to the person deciding whether to keep you.
ALWAYS ON
Which motion is costing you the most?
Ten questions, about ten minutes and you'll know where to start.