The Journey: #41 Who's Who in the Zoo

We can all agree that people matter. In fact, it’s the people who make or break the success of any partnership.

So imagine walking into a high-stakes customer relationship… and realizing you don’t actually know who’s who in the zoo.

That was me.

My very first conversation as VP of CS with one of our largest, most strategic customers. I hop on a call with our main point of contact, a “Director.” Naturally, I assume that means middle management. Important, yes. But not the executive-level partner I should be mapping to.

When I asked the CSM on the account about their role, they shrugged and said, “I think they’re part of the decision-making process, but not really sure.”

Perfect.

To make matters worse, the salesperson who closed the deal was long gone, and (surprise!) there weren’t great notes in Salesforce.

So, like any good detective, I turned to LinkedIn. Their profile wasn’t exactly illuminating, vague title, no clear org context, and a bunch of buzzwords. So I went into the conversation armed with loose assumptions and optimism.

The conversation was fine… until I said:

“Would you mind introducing me to your leader so we can align on the partnership?”

Cue the awkward silence.

They were the executive decision-maker. The person who approved the deal. And I had just made them feel invisible.

Lesson learned: when you’re dealing with large enterprise organizations, titles mean nothing.

That experience changed how I approached every relationship after that.

The Art of Relationship Mapping

I started doubling down on relationship mapping, not just names on an org chart, but understanding people. I built my own framework for every account, and it looked something like this:

1.Name

Obvious, yes, but you’d be surprised how often we misspell it or forget it in an email chain. Names matter.

2.Title

Don’t assume. A “Director” at a 50-person company might be the CEO’s right hand. A “Manager” at a Fortune 500 might control a multimillion-dollar budget. Context is everything.

3.Role & Scope

What do they actually do? What are they responsible for? What’s in their control and what’s not? Who's part of their org and what org are they a part of?

4.Influence

Can they make decisions, or do they influence them? Who do they go to when they need to move mountains?

5.Sentiment

How do they feel about us? Enthusiastic advocate? Skeptical user? Cautious evaluator? Neutral bystander?

6.Relationship Owner

Who from our side owns this relationship? Because not every CSM should be managing every person in an account.

When you take the time to truly map the zoo, you realize who’s swinging from the vines, who’s guarding the gate, and who’s quietly ruling from the top of the food chain.

Believe Me, This Stuff Matters

When you understand your people map, you can:

• Navigate politics with empathy and precision.

• Identify hidden influencers before they derail a renewal.

• Tailor communication styles to each persona.

• Build real partnerships, not transactional relationships.

Because here’s the thing, your success in Customer Success isn’t just about adoption, outcomes, or QBRs. It’s about humans.

And in this wild zoo we call SaaS, the ones who can read the room, and the org chart, always win.