The Journey: #27 The CSM Success Code

When I first stepped into CS leadership, I found myself managing a high-performing, high-engagement team full of hungry, driven CSMs.

They wanted feedback.They wanted coaching. But more than anything, they wanted clarity.

“How am I doing?”

“Where should I focus?”“What does great actually look like here?”

To be honest, I didn’t have a good answer.

Sure, I could rattle off some vague behaviors or general vibes of success, but I didn’t have a shared language or framework that we could use to consistently assess performance and intentionally grow.

So, I built one.

The Top-Performing CSM Matrix

I created a 20-trait matrix that mapped out what I believed defined top performance in Customer Success, spanning technical ability, relationship management, strategic thinking, and executional excellence.

I brought it to the team. We walked through each trait. I asked for feedback. 

They agreed: this is what success looks like.

From there, it became our north star; a coaching tool, performance framework, and self-assessment guide all in one.

 

The 20 Traits of Top-Performing CSMs

These traits aren’t just a checklist. They’re capabilities that compound over time. 

They’re what separate good from great and reactive from proactive.

Here’s what I’ve seen in the best CSMs I’ve ever hired, coached, and led:

1. Deep Understanding of Your Customer 

Know who they are, what they do, and what success means to them. Track changes in their org, goals, and market.

2. Strong, Strategic, and Diverse Relationships 

Build deep alignment with champions, power users, and decision makers. Don’t rely on one contact.

3. Product Expert 

Know the product inside and out. Be able to explain, enable, and apply it to real-world use cases.

4. Act with Urgency

Move quickly and thoughtfully. Customers should never wait for you to care.

5. Effective Communication 

Clear, timely, and value-driven. Proactive and professional always.

6. Intellectual Curiosity 

Ask questions. Dig deeper. Seek to understand, not assume.

7. Strong Technical Aptitude 

Speak your customer’s technical language. Understand how your product fits into their ecosystem.

8. Internal Voice of Customer (VOC) 

Advocate with clarity and influence. Elevate real customer needs into internal strategy.

9. Renewal Manager 

Own the renewal. Identify risk early. Drive timelines and outcomes.

10. Trusted Advisor 

Build credibility. Lead with empathy. Be someone your customer wants at the table.

11. Brand Advocate 

Represent the company with energy, consistency, and pride.

12. Program Manager 

Drive change and adoption through structure and process.

13. Lifecycle Orchestration 

Guide your customer through key phases and milestones with intention.

14. Growth Manager 

Spot growth opportunities. Align them to customer goals. Drive expansion conversations.

15. Follow Through 

If you say it, do it. Simple as that.

16. Objection Handling 

Listen with empathy, respond with confidence, and move toward resolution.

17. Expectation Management 

Set them clearly. Revisit often. Reset when needed.

18. Cross-Functional Liaison 

Partner internally to deliver value externally. Be the connective tissue.

19. Promote Customer Advocacy 

Identify happy customers and align them to the right advocacy opportunities.

20. Problem Solver 

Don’t just escalate, solve. Bring ideas and options first.

 

A Call to Every CSM

When I was an IC, I craved this kind of clarity. I wanted to know what “great” looked like and how to get there.

So if you’re a CSM reading this now: 

Don’t wait for someone to hand you a growth plan. 

Use this matrix as your guide.

• Highlight where you’re strong.

• Identify where you want to grow.

• Bring it to your manager and say, “Let’s work on this together.”

Great CSMs don’t just wait to be coached. They advocate for their development. They drive their own career forward. This is your blueprint. Use it.

 

Why This Matters (for Leaders)

When expectations are clear, accountability is easy. When performance is visible, coaching is meaningful. And when growth is mapped, your team knows where they’re headed.

This matrix has become one of my most-used tools, It’s helped me build high-performing teams, coach effectively, and support promotions with confidence and clarity.

If you lead a CS team and need a shared language of performance feel free to steal this.Make it your own. Walk through it in 1:1s. Use it to fuel conversations that move people forward.

If you want a head start, check out my template.