I broke into Customer Success as a subject matter expert. I spent the first decade of my career in Marketing—hell, I even had big dreams of becoming a CMO one day.
So when I transitioned into my first CSM role, I had both advantages and blind spots. I had no idea what it actually meant to be a CSM. In fact, I didn’t even know what SaaS stood for (true story). But what I did know was the product and the customer—because I was one.
In those early days, being an SME felt like my superpower. I understood my customers, their workflows, their pain points, and exactly how our product fit into their world. I became their go-to person—the one they didn’t cancel on, the one they actually sought out for advice. And because I earned that trust, I loved my job.
Then came the real test.
As I moved into different industries—BI, SaaS app management, telematics—I no longer had that deep, firsthand knowledge. I knew how to do Customer Success, how to deliver value, how to run a strategic conversation… but I didn’t feel the customers' pain the way I had before. I could empathize, but I hadn’t walked in their shoes. And for me, that changed everything.
This realization shaped not only where I wanted to work but how I built teams. Because while being an SME worked for me, it’s not always the right hiring strategy.
The Truth About Hiring for CS
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of hiring and building some of the best CS teams out there. And here’s what I learned:
➡️ There’s no single "perfect" hire. No universal profile that always works.
➡️ The key to hiring well is knowing exactly what you need for your business, your customers, and your team.
So before making a single hiring decision, I always start with an audit:
📌 What skills already exist on the team?
📌 Where are the gaps?
📌 What do we need to complement, strengthen, or expand?
Once that’s clear, my hiring framework guides me through five key decisions:
1️⃣ CS Experience vs. Subject Matter Expertise
Do I need a career CSM who knows how to manage accounts, drive outcomes, and navigate tricky customer conversations? Or do I need someone who deeply understands the customer’s world, even if they’ve never held a CS role before?
💡 CS Experience: Pros—ready to jump in, understands best practices, scalable across industries. Cons—may lack direct industry knowledge, requires more ramp-up on customer-specific nuances.
💡 SME: Pros—deep customer understanding, credibility, insight into real pain points. Cons—may struggle with CS fundamentals, requires training on core motions.
2️⃣ Startup vs. Scale-Up vs. Enterprise
CS at a 20-person startup looks nothing like CS at a 10,000-person enterprise. The pace, expectations, and day-to-day execution are wildly different.
💡 Startups: Pros—scrappy, adaptable, comfortable wearing multiple hats. Cons—less structure, may struggle with ambiguity.
💡 Scale-Up: Pros—used to balancing structure with flexibility, good at refining and optimizing. Cons—may not thrive in extreme chaos or rigid systems.
💡 Enterprise: Pros—deep experience in process-driven CS, knows how to navigate complex orgs. Cons—may struggle in a fast-changing environment.
3️⃣ Consulting vs. Project Management vs. Commercial
Customer Success isn’t one-size-fits-all. Are you looking for a strategic consultant, an operational project manager, or a commercially focused CSM?
💡 Consulting: Pros—strong problem-solving, great for complex or technical solutions. Cons—may need training in commercial motions.
💡 Project Management: Pros—great at execution, keeping things moving. Cons—may need help driving higher-level customer strategy.
💡 Commercial: Pros—strong at revenue expansion, growth-focused. Cons—may need training on deep customer engagement beyond renewal cycles.
4️⃣ Field Experience vs. Transferable Skills
Does this person need direct experience in my industry, or do they have skills that translate well?
💡 Field Experience: Pros—faster ramp-up, deeper industry knowledge. Cons—can be harder to find, may have fixed ways of thinking.
💡 Transferable Skills: Pros—broader talent pool, adaptable thinkers. Cons—longer ramp time, requires more enablement.
5️⃣ Technical Aptitude vs. Business Acumen
Does this role require someone highly technical, or do they need strong business strategy skills?
💡 Technical Aptitude: Pros—great for API-heavy, highly configurable products. Cons—may need coaching on business impact.
💡 Business Acumen: Pros—strong at aligning with executive stakeholders, driving outcomes. Cons—may struggle with complex product configurations.
Hiring with Intention = Onboarding with Intention
Once you’re clear on what you are hiring for, you also need to be intentional about what you’re not hiring for.
If someone is new to CS, they’ll need training on customer engagement. If they’re an industry expert, they might need help learning your CS processes. If they’re great at strategy but weaker on execution, you’ll need to fill that gap.
Your job as a leader isn’t just to hire the right people—it’s to set them up for success.
So before you make that next hire, ask yourself: Do you know what you actually need?
Because hiring is easy. Hiring well is what makes or breaks your CS team.
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