This document provides a framework for customer success managers to discover and share customer insights. It discusses conducting curiosity calls with customers to gain unspoken or unexpected insights. The framework involves assessing a company's innovation, insights, value-add, customer service and core offering from the customer's perspective. Customer insights should then be shared with relevant teams through executive summaries highlighting insights and recommended actions. The goal is to use customer feedback to make real improvements that can increase value, revenue, sales messaging and reduce churn.

1. HOW TO LEARN WHAT
YOUR CUSTOMERS
AREN’T TELLING YOU
Bob London / CEO
Chief Listening Officers
December, 2017
A Framework to Help CSMs
Discover & Share Customer
Insights

2. Look
familiar?
@chief_listener

3. @chief_listener
Feel
familiar?

4. @chief_listener
Feel
familiar?
THE
CUSTOMER
YOUR COMPANY
YOU

5. STOP BRAINSTORMING, GET OUT
OF THE BUILDING & ASK YOUR
CUSTOMERS 5 QUESTIONS
Bob London @chief_listener
IF WE ALL PEEK OUTSIDE OUR SILOS…
THE
CUSTOMER
WE’LL SEE THE SAME THING.

6. Your job title
might not get
you a “seat
at the table.”
@chief_listener
Insights do.

7. UNSPOKEN/
UNEXPECTED
DIFFERENTIATED VALUE
INSIGHTS FRAMEWORK
Innovation
Insights
Value-Add
Customer
Service
Core
OfferingAre you consistently delivering
the basic value the customer
expects?
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to do
business with?
Do you go above & beyond?
Do you give clients insights that
help them do their jobs better
& make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust you to
bring them new ways to solve
challenges?
COMMODITY
OBVIOUS /
EXPLICIT
FROM TARGET AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE

8. UNSPOKEN/
UNEXPECTED
DIFFERENTIATED VALUE
INSIGHTS FRAMEWORK
Innovation
Insights
Value-Add
Customer
Service
Core
OfferingAre you consistently delivering
the basic value the customer
expects?
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to do
business with?
Do you go above & beyond?
Do you give clients insights that
help them do their jobs better
& make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust you to
bring them new ways to solve
challenges?
COMMODITY
OBVIOUS /
EXPLICIT
FROM TARGET AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE
ELEVATOR
RANTS

9. JUST
SHUT
UP &
LISTEN
TO
THEM

Relax. Breathe. Smile.
It’s a conversation not a survey.
Drop ego, biases
& defensiveness
Be authentic
& human.
Stay agile & iterative
@chief_listener
Be curious
What do you
mean by that?
INTRODUCING
THE CURIOSITY
CALL
Start with their
big picture
Go where they want to go.
No selling.
Embrace
the rants
Ask disruptive
questions.
9

10. Want fresh
insights?
Ask better
questions.
Be disruptive &
thought-
provoking.
@chief_listener
“WHAT KEEPS
YOU UP AT
NIGHT?”
• Business
buzzwords (value,
impact)
• Marketing-Speak
(differentiation)
• Jargon (SaaS-
based, platform)
AVOID:

11. Innova on
Insights
Value-Add
Customer
Service
Core
Offering
5. If you started a
company in our
space, what would
you do differently?
6. If you had a free hour
with a leading
industry expert, what
would you ask?
7. What would the
impact be if our
product went away?
1. What’s on your
white board?
2. What do you and
your team need to
get better at?
3. What’s the first think
you think of when I
say _____?
4. What are we great
at? Better than
anyone else?

12. 8.“What would make you
a customer for life?”
“Hmmm…that’s a
good question.
“No one’s ever
asked me that!”
@chief_listener

13. Subj: A quick favor if you
can
Dear (name):
I hope this note finds you
well. I’m touching base to
see how things are going
and also to ask if you’d be
able to participate in a very
brief research project we’re
undertaking.
As background, things are
going very well at
(organization name). To
make sure that continues,
we want to make sure we’re
aligned with our
customers—and that means
getting real-world
perspectives from folks like
you. We’re just looking for
your candid thoughts on a
few things.
Would you be able to have a
20-30 minute, one-on-one
phone conversation with
me?
If so, please reply with a
couple dates/times when
you’re free. Or you can use
this scheduling link to find a
date and time that works
for you: (use
TimeTrade.com or
Calendly).
Your involvement would be
greatly appreciated! If you
have any questions, please
feel free to reach me at
(phone) or (email).
Best regards,
(Your name)
E-MAIL INVITATION (TEMPLATE)
13

14. What type
of insights
can you get?
• Product/Service
Innovation & Delivery
• Value Prop
• Brand Identity
• Positioning/Differenti
ation
• Sales & Marketing
Messaging
• Buyer Journey
• CX/UX
• Personas
• Content Ideas
• Real Customer
Language (Vs.
Marketing-speak)
• New Use Cases
• Goodwill
• Case Studies
• Identify Problems

15. Now, to share
insights…
…identify a
partner/
champion
• Review insights & recommended
actions with the appropriate
department head.
• Agree on whether/how to
prioritize.
• Discuss who to approach as the
next partner.
@chief_listener

16. @chief_listener
Execu ve Summary
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
Are you consistently
delivering the basic
value the customer
expects?
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to
do business with?
Do you go above &
beyond?
Do you give clients
insights that help them
do their jobs be er &
make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust
you to bring them new
ways to solve
challenges?
• Overall, customers believe we are/aren’t
delivering on our core promises. Areas of
note are ______, ______ and _____.
• In par cular, customers want and even
expect us to educate them or hold their
hand on __________.
• There appear to be opportuni es to add
value by providing insights on ________.
For Product Team
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
• INSIGHT: Customers are really
focused on (these 2 market or
internal challenges).
o ACTION: Let’s discuss what can
we do to help or how we can
be er posi on our product.
For Marke ng / Communica ons
@chief_listener
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
Are you consistently
delivering the basic
value the customer
expects?
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to
do business with?
Do you go above &
beyond?
Do you give clients
insights that help them
do their jobs be er &
make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust
you to bring them new
ways to solve
challenges?
• INSIGHT: Customers want to
know more about (emerging
topic), because they think it
could help them with
(business objec ve).
o ACTION: We should explore
providing insights/content on
this.

17. @chief_listener
For Product Management/Marke ng
@chief_listener
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
Are you consistently
delivering the basic
value the customer
expects?
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to
do business with?
Do you go above &
beyond?
Do you give clients
insights that help them
do their jobs be er &
make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust
you to bring them new
ways to solve
challenges?
• INSIGHT: Customers aren’t
making the connec on
(between what our product
does and their business
objec ves).
o ACTION: We need to have a
candid internal conversa on
about whether their
percep on is valid.
For Product Team
@chief_listener
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
• INSIGHT: Customers don’t just
want (data and reports). They
expect us to review with them
what it means and how to
take ac on.
o ACTION: I recommend
(trying a couple customer
calls with our analyst).
For Marke ng / Sales
Innova&on'
Insights'
Value1Add'
Customer'
Service'
Core'
Offering'
Are you consistently
Are you honest, clear,
responsive and easy to
do business with?
Do you go above &
beyond?
Do you give clients
insights that help them
do their jobs be er &
make their lives easier?
Does the customer trust
you to bring them new
ways to solve
challenges?
• INSIGHT: (This theme) is
coming up a lot as
something that is driving the
need for our product.
o ACTION: Let’s chat about
whether it makes sense to
work it into our messaging.

18. @chief_listener
REAL INSIGHTS…
18
We can’t just say “smaller is
better,” we have to prove why
that’s valuable.
Our platform is too broad &
doesn’t solve the main
problem enterprises have
today.
We focus on customers
renewing their data
subscription, but they want
help incorporating the data
into their operations.
Our 1st & 2nd level support
team acts like we’re in
the technology business,
but we need to be in the
efficiency business.
Our customers need us to
educate them on trends
and best practices—they
simply don’t have time to
do it themselves.
REAL IMPROVEMENTS

19. @chief_listener
REAL INSIGHTS…
19
We can’t just say “smaller is
better,” we have to prove why
that’s valuable.
Our platform is too broad &
doesn’t solve the main
problem enterprises have
today.
We focus on customers
renewing their data
subscription, but they want
help incorporating the data
into their operations.
Our 1st & 2nd level support
team acts like we’re in
the technology business,
but we need to be in the
efficiency business.
Our customers need us to
educate them on trends
and best practices—they
simply don’t have time to
do it themselves.
+ VALUE PROP
+ REVENUE
+ SALES
MESSAGING
+ CLOSE RATIO
+ PIPELINE
+ AVG. DEAL
SIZE
+ CLIENT SAT.
- CHURN
+ CROSS-SELL
+ CLOSE RATIO
+ MARKETING
LEADS
REAL IMPROVEMENTS

20. Free Customer Re-Discovery Playbook
www.chieflisteningofficers.com/free
Listen First. Grow Faster.
Bob London / Founder & CEO
bob@chieflisteningofficers.com +1 (240) 994 7644
www.chieflisteningofficers.com
THANK YOU!
(AND HAPPY LISTENING)