Account Management Secrets

How to Spot a Growth Stall Early | EP72

Growth stalls rarely announce themselves. It usually starts with hesitation, mixed signals, and decisions that keep getting pushed to the next quarter.
 
In How to Spot a Growth Stall Early, Alex Raymond sits down with Ellie Wu, Founder and Executive Advisor of CSuiteCX, to talk about what post-sales leaders are quietly dealing with right now. From her vantage point across entrepreneurship and business, Ellie sees the same early warning signs repeat. Teams have tools, data, and ideas, but leadership struggles to choose a direction and commit to it. That indecision shows up long before revenue drops.
 
The conversation challenges the assumption that speed equals progress. What happens when teams move fast but in different directions? What if the metrics look fine, yet the effort behind them keeps growing? Ellie encourages leaders to look beyond dashboards and ask practical questions. Do you understand the level of effort required to deliver value? Where is time going, and does that work actually help customers? AI can reduce friction and surface context, but it cannot replace judgment or alignment. Without clarity, new tools often increase noise instead of easing pressure.
 
They also talk about how slowing growth affects retention, enterprise value, and team well-being. Waiting for perfect certainty tends to raise stress and drain momentum. Clear priorities do the opposite. Clear priorities change how work feels day to day. Teams stop spinning, effort gets focused, and progress becomes easier to see. When leaders choose direction instead of waiting, growth does not have to grind down before anyone notices. There is still time to correct the course, and the work stops feeling quite so heavy in the process.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Account Management and Leadership Challenges in Growing Businesses
01:00 Early Indicators of Business Growth Slowdowns
02:00 Calibrated Efficiency and Leadership Alignment
06:00 Why AI Strategies Fail in Account Management and Customer Success
08:00 Measuring Effort Versus Outcomes in Post-Sales Teams
10:00 AI Use Cases That Support Human Decision-Making
14:30 Leadership Decision Frameworks for Cross-Team Alignment
18:30 Gross Revenue Retention and Enterprise Value
25:00 The Enablement Gap in Customer Success Teams
32:30 Building a Business Case for Post-Sales Investment
37:00 Bias Toward Action in Leadership Decision-Making
Connect with Ellie Wu:
Connect with Ellie on LinkedIn
Visit the CSuiteCX Website
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Visit the AMplify website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

How a Chief Client Officer Leads | EP71

Long-lasting client partnerships are built through disciplined fit, visible value, and the conviction to say no to the wrong work even when the revenue looks tempting.
 
Joel Sylvester, Chief Client Officer at Five Star Call Centers, shares a grounded perspective on client leadership that blends entrepreneurship, business discipline, and wellbeing. Rather than chasing every opportunity, Joel argues that sustainable growth comes from clarity about what works and the willingness to protect it. Client service, in his view, means bringing perspective and structure clients do not always have internally, then making clear decisions when cost pressure, growth, or complexity enter the picture.
 
A central theme is fit. Joel explains the five pillars that guide Five Star’s partnerships: size, seasonality, technology, process, and culture, with culture carrying the most weight. Misalignment shows up quickly through burnout, turnover, and declining service, even when revenue looks strong. The episode also explores how value stays visible through a steady cadence of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reviews that keep progress measurable and priorities aligned. Joel closes by reflecting on hiring problem solvers who know when to ask for help and why long-term partnerships thrive when business success and team wellbeing are treated as inseparable.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 What a Chief Client Officer Really Owns
06:07 The Five Pillars of Strong Client Relationships
11:46 Hiring and Developing High-Impact Account Leaders
17:59 How to Track and Prove Client Value
20:50 The Review Cadence That Keeps Clients Engaged
27:10 Building Long-Term Client Partnerships Through Cultural Fit
 
Connect with Joel Sylvester:
Connect with Joel on LinkedIn
Visit the Five Star Call Centers Website
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Visit the AMplify website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Flip the QBR | EP70

If your QBRs keep getting ghosted or quietly deprioritized, the problem is not the calendar invite but the way those meetings are framed and led.
 
Alex Raymond challenges the default way most account managers think about quarterly business reviews. In a market where portfolios are growing, resources are tighter, and customer attention is harder to earn, QBRs reveal how your customer truly sees you. Are you a strategic partner with a point of view or a vendor reporting activity? The difference shows up quickly in who attends, how engaged they are, and what happens next in the relationship.
 
The episode centers on a simple but uncomfortable truth. Customers show up when QBRs give them insight they cannot get elsewhere, access to real expertise inside your company, and confidence that their priorities are genuinely understood. Meetings that focus too heavily on the past, rely on long slide decks, or play it safe send the opposite signal. Strong QBRs create forward momentum, invite real dialogue, and position the account manager as a leader in the room rather than someone trying to avoid risk.
 
Alex reframes QBRs as a moment of leadership and trust. When handled with clarity and intention, they become one of the most powerful tools for retention, expansion, and long-term credibility.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Why QBRs Matter More Than Ever for Account Managers
03:23 The Reality of Today’s Account Management Challenges
14:01 What Customers Actually Want from a QBR
19:19 Why C-Suite Attendance Drives Growth and Retention
22:43 Three Reframes That Turn QBRs Into Strategic Conversations
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Visit the AMplify website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The Win-Win-Win: Building Sustainable Partnerships That Serve Business and Community | EP69

Account management can drive renewals, reduce risk, and expand real career access when corporate partnerships are treated as long-term commitments rather than short-term transactions.
 
This conversation with Liz Jones of Genesis Works Chicago, reframes account management through a nonprofit lens and shows how the core principles still hold. She explains what changes when corporate partners are treated as long-term customers rather than one-year commitments, and why understanding a partner’s motivation matters as much as delivering outcomes. How do you show value when success includes both ROI and human impact? What does trust look like when budgets shift, priorities change, or the political climate tightens?
 
At the heart of the episode is a thoughtful look at renewal health, risk awareness, and the discipline required to surface hard truths early. Liz shares how intentional questions, internal transparency, and credibility with partners create stability for the people nonprofits ultimately serve. The result is a clear case for account management as a strategic function across sectors and a reminder that sustainable impact depends on relationships built for the long term.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 What Nonprofit Account Management Really Means
03:03 The Genesis Works Social Enterprise Model
06:01 Corporate Partnerships and Long-Term Talent Pipelines
12:02 Corporate Social Responsibility After 2020
14:59 Trust, Credibility, and Renewal Risk
17:53 Asking the Questions That Surface Risk Early
23:57 Why Nonprofit Account Management Is a Real Career Path
Connect with Liz Jones:
Connect With Liz On LinkedIn
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Visit the AMplify website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

How to Make Key Account Management Work | EP68

Most key account programs collapse because companies treat a strategic discipline like a standard sales motion, and this conversation reveals what it actually takes to build one that works.
 
Alex Raymond and Mark Davies examine why so many organizations invest in key account management yet struggle to see meaningful impact. Mark argues that KAM only succeeds when the company recognizes it as a different business model with a longer horizon and deeper expectations. Without cultural alignment, even the most capable account managers slip back into transactional patterns that limit growth and dilute the value customers could receive.
 
They explore how real progress begins when teams study a customer’s strategy, pressures and financial priorities, then build offers that match the customer’s world. This raises a key question for any account leader: are you creating conversations that reach senior decision-makers or staying confined to a narrow vendor role? Mark shares how better segmentation, thoughtful prioritization and a series of small wins can open that door, especially when paired with an internal pitch centered on material impact, margin and momentum. The episode leaves you considering whether your business treats its most important customers with the intention they deserve.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Why Most Key Account Programs Fail
06:08 The Mindset Shift Required for Strategic Accounts
09:01 Value Leakage and What Customers Really Expect
18:05 How to Identify True Key Accounts
31:48 Building Offers That Drive Meaningful Growth
35:12 Leadership’s Role in Making KAM Work
47:55 The Internal Pitch: Securing Executive Support
Connect with Mark Davies:
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
Value Matters - Articles and content to advance B2B selling
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Visit the AMplify website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

How Account Managers Can Beat Imposter Syndrome and Build Executive Presence | EP67

High performers don’t grow out of imposter syndrome. They just learn how to hide it better.
 
Executive coach and imposter syndrome specialist Dr. Tara Halliday joins the show to unpack why so many accomplished people still feel like they don’t belong and how that belief quietly shapes confidence, performance, and presence at work. She explains how the nervous system hijacks clear thinking in high-pressure moments and why so many account managers slip into over-preparing, perfectionism, or self-doubt even with a strong track record behind them. What shifts when your worth no longer hinges on every client reaction or tough conversation? How different does leadership feel when your body finally stops sounding the alarm?
 
Tara offers a simple way to return to calm in high-stakes moments and shows how that state unlocks clearer thinking, better judgment, and a sense of authority that feels natural rather than forced. The conversation reframes confidence as a trainable internal skill and invites listeners to rethink what real executive presence looks like from the inside out, with insights that resonate across entrepreneurship, business, and wellbeing.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 What Imposter Syndrome Really Is
07:52 The Root Cause of Self-Doubt
13:21 How Stress Hijacks Performance
15:50 A Two-Minute Reset for Your Nervous System
24:50 Building Executive Presence Through Calm
30:59 Inner Work and Career Growth
Connect with Tara Halliday:
Visit Inner Success
Connect with Tara on LinkedIn
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Visit the AMplify website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

How Great Account Managers Spot and Manage Risk Before It’s Too Late | EP66

The biggest threat to your revenue often isn’t churn, it’s the blind spots you never realized were there.
 
Alex sits down with Lisa Honaker, a seasoned account management leader who has coached teams across fast-moving entrepreneurship and high-stakes business environments. They get into why so many AMs misread early risk signals and how a narrow set of contacts can leave even strong accounts vulnerable. Lisa shares her three-wide, three-deep relationship model and explains why the people who enjoy working with you aren’t always the ones who can move deals forward.
 
Their discussion centers on the deeper competency behind effective account management—clear insight into what customers value, research that goes beyond superficial prep, and a level of curiosity that strengthens both performance and professional wellbeing. They explore how AMs can use AI to speed up this work without losing the human judgment that earns trust at the executive level and how stronger risk discipline ultimately creates healthier, more resilient growth.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Why Risk Management Drives Account Success
03:00 How Multi-Threading Protects Your Revenue
08:59 Building Influence With Key Stakeholders
15:08 Smarter Account Research for Stronger Customer Insight
21:03 Investor Perspectives on Retention and Growth
Connect with Lisa Honaker:
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Visit the AMplify website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Why NRR Matters to Every CEO Right Now | EP65

NRR has become the pressure test for every account management leader who wants to prove they can drive real, sustainable growth.
 
Alex Raymond is joined by Jennifer Pinter, a longtime operator and advisor who works closely with account management and CS leaders navigating today’s retention-driven market. Together they dig into why net revenue retention now sits at the center of every strategic conversation and why so many teams feel unprepared for the weight it carries. With new logos slowing and early contracts shrinking, companies can’t rely on acquisition to cover weak retention, which pushes account management into a more commercial, outcome-driven role. Jennifer shares what she’s hearing from leaders who now hold explicit NRR targets without the playbooks they need. Their discussion points to the fundamentals that actually move the number: clean ICP discipline, faster time to value, and a value story customers can understand without effort.
 
Alex and Jennifer highlight how NRR exposes the health of the entire go-to-market engine. Product decisions, sales commitments, financial visibility, and customer outcomes all shape whether accounts renew, expand, or drift away. That reality raises a core question for any leader responsible for revenue: do you have the internal alignment and customer clarity required to build predictable growth? The episode offers a sharp, honest look at the shift happening across the industry and the mindset leaders need as NRR becomes the benchmark for both team maturity and long-term success.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 What Net Revenue Retention Really Measures
08:12 Why NRR Has Become a Board-Level Priority
15:27 Core Drivers of High NRR: Value, Fit, and Time to First Value
24:48 How Account Management Leaders Can Actually Move NRR
31:02 Building Community and Skill Development Around NRR
Connect with Jennifer Pinter:
Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Visit the AMplify website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Fix What’s Really Broken | EP64

Most companies don’t have a revenue problem, they have a process problem hidden in plain sight.
 
Alex sits down with Eddie Reynolds, CEO of Union Square Consulting, to unpack why growth so often stalls even when sales are strong. Through the lens of entrepreneurship and business strategy, Eddie explains how broken go-to-market systems, unclear ownership, and neglected post-sales 
processes quietly drain both revenue and team wellbeing. Together, they explore why customer success teams drive the majority of profit yet rarely get the resources or recognition they deserve.
 
They dig into what operational maturity really looks like and how to get there—defining clear steps, tracking execution, and aligning leadership around shared goals. How do you measure the true impact of account management? What does it take to fix revenue leaks before chasing new business?
 
Eddie’s frameworks, the GTM Ops Decision Tree and the GTM Efficiency Pyramid, offer a roadmap for identifying what’s broken and where to focus first. His message is simple: sustainable success in entrepreneurship starts by tightening the systems that serve your existing customers and strengthening the operational wellbeing of your business.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Eddie Reynolds on Fixing Broken Go-To-Market Systems
02:23 Why Most Revenue Problems Are Really Process Problems
14:21 The Real Value of Customer Success and Account Management
22:03 Rethinking Organizational Design in Post-Sales Teams
26:08 Building Operational Maturity and Efficiency
35:30 Capacity Planning for Scalable Growth
39:00 Final Takeaways with Eddie Reynolds
Connect with Eddie Reynolds:
Visit the Union Square Consulting website
Tune in to the GTM Science Podcast
Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:
Visit the AMplify website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Why RevOps Should Scare You Less | EP63

Mallory Lee proves that simplifying your systems can be the smartest growth strategy a company ever makes.
 
Alex Raymond sits down with Mallory Lee, VP of Revenue Operations at PhoneBurner, about how tearing out a decade of legacy systems and moving from Salesforce to HubSpot unlocked faster growth, cleaner data, and stronger alignment across the company. Guided by her “SEC” framework—simple, effective, confident—Mallory shares how she rebuilt the company’s go-to-market motion to unify sales, RevOps, and account management under one streamlined system that actually helps people do their jobs instead of getting in their way.
 
They discuss how simplification drives better business decisions, why post-sales deserves the same urgency as new revenue, and how operational clarity fuels both performance and wellbeing on fast-moving teams. Mallory also breaks down how her approach reflects the mindset of modern entrepreneurship, where efficiency, trust, and collaboration create the foundation for sustainable growth.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Simplifying the Tech Stack for Growth
03:00 Why PhoneBurner Rebuilt Its CRM Around HubSpot
06:41 How RevOps Unites Sales, Account Management, and Customer Success
12:32 The Power of Simplicity: Mallory Lee’s SEC Framework
21:01 Forecasting with Confidence and Cleaner Data
24:06 Using AI to Automate RevOps and Free Up Time
29:57 Why Customer Success Deserves the Same Urgency as New Business
Connect with Mallory Lee:Connect with Mallory on LinkedIn
 
Connect with Alex Raymond:Visit the AMplify website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm