We've all optimized for the craziest thing


Trying to get customers to execute perfectly when they don't have experience, expertise, or even the desire to do so.

Yet, we've designed our entire operation and organization to try to make this work. We've created a profession and discipline around this.

That's insane if you think about it.

I remember way back in 2012 when I was working with email marketing platforms. Customers would churn from one provider to another looking for better results. But the problem wasn't the platform. It was that they couldn't write a good subject line or email that converted.

We'd spend hours teaching them. Creating guides. Running webinars. All trying to get them to do something they fundamentally weren't equipped to do - and didn't want to do.

Back then, we couldn't write the email for them. So we built elaborate systems to try to get them to do it themselves. I came up with Joint Accountability to ensure they wouldn't blame us if they failed to get the results they thought they hired us to deliver.

But now, thanks to AI, we can actually write the email for them. And not just write it; write it better than they ever could, validated against millions of data points, in seconds instead of days.

That changes everything.

Not just "oh cool, efficiency gains." It changes what CS is responsible for. What your org structure looks like. How you measure success. What competitive advantage actually means.

Your competitors are still making customers figure it out. While they're doing that, you could be delivering results and watching retention, expansion, and advocacy spike.

Head of CS Training - October 20 through November 7

Three weeks where we rebuild around this shift:

  • What work should you actually do for customers vs. with them
  • How to restructure when one CSM can own the full lifecycle
  • The leadership layers you need when you simplify CSM structure
  • KPIs for a world where you control 10x more than before
  • Live examples from orgs already running this model

Never done this program? This is the inflection point.

Did it before? This isn't new content - it's a different operating system.

Register here.

~Lincoln

BTW: I'm teaching what's actually working in my CS org right now, as well as what's working in hundreds of CS orgs around the world. This isn't theory, and it's not the mainstream "best practices" that people who aren't doing the work share as truth.

Sign-up for the Head of CS program here. See you on the 20th.

...

Lincoln Murphy

I help SaaS companies Maximize LTV through Customer-centric Upselling

Read more from Lincoln Murphy

Oct-20 - Nov-7. Learn more and sign-up here. Leading a Customer Success org in 2026 requires more than just operational know-how. You need a strategic approach to driving NRR, building high-performing teams, and proving CS's value to the executive suite. Introducing: Strategy & ScaleOur completely reimagined Head of CS training program, running October 20 - November 7 at Impact Academy. Over three weeks, you'll learn about the three pillars that separate great CS leaders from everyone else:...

Our next Customer Onboarding training starts tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Learn more about the program and sign-up here. Onboarding is arguably the most important customer lifecycle stage. In this program you'll learn how to get your new customers to do the things they need to do to get this still-fragile relationship off to a strong start, setting everyone up for long-term success (the customer... and your CS team). Specifically, we'll cover: Lifecycle stage metrics Handover management...

Our next Customer Onboarding training starts on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Learn more about the program and sign-up here. Onboarding is arguably the most important customer lifecycle stage. In this program you'll learn how to get your new customers to do the things they need to do to get this still-fragile relationship off to a strong start, setting everyone up for long-term success (the customer... and your CS team). Specifically, we'll cover: Lifecycle stage metrics Handover management Time...