The Customer Success Pro Podcast

Book a team workshop - https://bit.ly/4wEOJbD
This episode explores how customer success professionals can effectively handle price increase conversations without damaging trust. It covers common mistakes, a proven framing method, and practical tips to protect and grow revenue during renewal discussions.
Chapters
00:00 The common fear around price increase conversations
04:22 Value alignment reduces churn
07:08 Common mistakes in price increase conversations
14:02 Frame the value first before discussing price
16:45 Anchor prices against value and cost of leaving
17:41 Meet objections with curiosity
19:02 Earn the customer’s yes by linking to future value
22:17 Handling objections with questions and curiosity
25:31 Recap: The key to successful price increases
26:00 The importance of framing and trust
29:01 Final thoughts

Connect with Anika Zubair:

Website: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/⁠

LinkedIn:  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/⁠

RevUP Academy: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup⁠

Grab our FREE resources here: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources⁠

Want to be our next podcast guest? Apply here: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest⁠

Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

Join RevUP Academy: https://bit.ly/4wRZDuY

Neil Sparkes, AVP of Customer Excellence at ServiceNow UK&I, has a global mandate to move agentic AI out of the experiment phase and into live production inside heavily regulated enterprises. In this episode he breaks down why efficiency gains no longer land with a CFO, how ServiceNow benchmarks real cost savings before and after agents, and where to draw the line between what an agent executes on its own and what still needs a human. We also get into the AI divide that is separating fast adopters from everyone else, why token bills are landing on finance desks with no ROI attached, and whether the SaaS model actually survives all this. Neil also shares why he brought in external training on value conversations for his team, and what he thinks CS will be held accountable for next year.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
03:19 Meet Neil "Sparky" Sparks of ServiceNow
16:50 Getting regulated enterprises to adopt agentic AI
22:05 Why efficiency gains no longer convince a CFO
25:00 Treat an AI agent like a new employee
31:10 Start here: low risk, zero human touch workflows
35:06 Separating your personal AI from your work AI
39:30 The AI divide and token bills with no ROI
42:13 Ripping out your tech stack: is SaaS dead?
49:41 What AI is doing to renewals and upsells

Connect with Neil Sparkes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-sparkes/

Connect with Anika Zubair:
Website:
https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/
RevUP Academy™:
https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup
Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event
Want to be my next podcast guest apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest
Download my freebies:https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources

Book a team workshop: https://bit.ly/4egTU9D

Anika Zubair discusses how customer success teams can better articulate their value to drive revenue, avoid being seen as a cost center, and climb the revenue proof ladder through effective storytelling and metrics.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:19 The receipts era and the importance of proof in SaaS
03:47 AI's impact on CS activities and the value of storytelling
05:14 The importance of storytelling to articulate CS value
06:08 The problem with reporting activity
07:27 How to connect work to revenue
19:36 The four levels of the proof
34:27 The key to recognition
36:16 Weekly challenge

Connect with Anika Zubair:
Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/
RevUP Academy™: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup

Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

Want to be my next podcast guest apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest

Download my freebies:https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources

Team Workshop: https://bit.ly/4egTU9D
Anika Zubair shares practical strategies for customer success professionals to increase visibility, demonstrate impact, and advance their careers by focusing on revenue-driven storytelling and multi-threading within organizations.

Chapters
00:00 The Invisible CSM
02:48 Understanding Recognition in Customer Success
05:36 The Importance of Visibility in Career Growth
08:51 Common Mistakes Keeping CSMs Invisible
11:36 The Seen Framework for Visibility
23:21 Implementing the Scene Framework
35:25 Personal Journey: From Invisible to Visible

Connect with Anika Zubair:
Website: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/⁠
LinkedIn:  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/⁠
RevUP Academy: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup⁠

Grab our FREE resources here: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources⁠

Want to be our next podcast guest? Apply here: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest⁠

Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

Join RevUP Academy: https://bit.ly/4wRZDuY

In this episode, Andrea Kayal, CRO at HelpScout, shares insights on how a small team manages a large customer base, the role of AI in customer support, and strategies for revenue growth through customer success and customer support.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:33 Meet Andrea Kale
03:46 Understanding Customer Success at Help Scout
17:07 Segmentation Strategies for 12,000 Customers
32:49 Revenue Generation from Support Teams
39:19 The Role of AI in Customer Support
43:59 Key Takeaways for Customer Success Leaders

Connect with Anika Zubair:
Website: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/⁠
LinkedIn:  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/⁠

Connect with Andrea Kale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakayal/

Grab our FREE resources here: ⁠https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources⁠
Want to be our next podcast guest? Apply here: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest⁠
Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: ⁠https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event