By the time churn risk is obvious in your CRM, you're already behind. The customer who ghosts your calls, the usage numbers that start to dip, the stakeholder who suddenly goes quiet - these aren't the first signs of trouble. They're the late signs.

The real red flags show up weeks, sometimes months, earlier. And if you know what to look for, you can catch them, name them, and fix them before the account goes red.

In this episode, Mark Bernardin breaks down the six critical warning signs that separate great CSMs from average ones. These are the subtle signals that whisper "this account is heading sideways" long before anyone else notices - and the tactical steps you need to take when you spot them.

The 6 Critical Red Flags:

1. Engagement Drop-Off
When response times go from hours to days, when champions stop asking about the roadmap, when decision-makers send junior teammates instead - it's not about being busy. It's about priority. Learn when to escalate and exactly what to say to get the conversation back on track.

2. Stakeholder Turnover
Your champion leaves. Your executive sponsor retires. Suddenly you're starting over. Mark shares his 24-hour playbook for managing relationship risk when key contacts change, including how to own the handoff and rebuild trust fast.

3. Scope Creep Without Expansion
When customers ask for more features, more support, more customization - but push back on any discussion of expansion - it's actually a warning sign. They're trying to extract maximum value before they leave. Learn how to spot it and have the hard conversation early.

4. Support Ticket Escalations
If your customer is bypassing you and going straight to support or leadership, it means they don't trust you to solve problems anymore. Mark walks through the three-step process to own it, fix the process, and rebuild trust before they start asking, "Why do we even have a CSM?"

5. The "We'll Circle Back" Loop
Polite deflection. Endless rescheduling. The customer who never actually commits to a meeting time. This isn't about scheduling - it's avoidance. Learn when to stop asking for permission and how to break the stall tactic before you lose your window to intervene.

6. "This Should Be Easier" Comments
Offhand comments about friction, comparisons to previous tools, frustration that seems minor - these reveal unmet expectations. And if you don't address them, that frustration compounds until customers start questioning whether they made the right choice.

What You'll Learn:

• The single biggest mistake CSMs make when monitoring accounts (hint: you're watching outcomes instead of inputs)
• Why engagement drops are almost never "just about being busy" - and what they actually mean
• The exact message to send when a customer goes quiet (non-confrontational and effective)
• How to act within 24 hours of stakeholder turnover to protect the relationship
• Why some customer complaints are actually a good sign (and silence is the real danger)
• The 4-step framework for responding to any red flag: Name It, Diagnose It, Act On It, Communicate It
• Real examples from Mark's experience managing high-value cybersecurity SaaS accounts

The Hard Truth:
Not every red flag means churn. Sometimes customers really are just busy. Sometimes stakeholder changes go smoothly. But the cost of assuming everything's fine is way higher than the cost of investigating. The best CSMs lean in, ask hard questions, and take ownership - even when it's uncomfortable.

This episode is for CSMs who refuse to wait until it's too late. Whether you're managing your first portfolio or leading a team, you'll walk away with a clearer understanding of what to watch for and exactly how to respond.

Download the Free Red Flags Checklist:
Get the companion resource with all six red flags, warning signs, action steps, and the 4-step response framework at www.ClearPathCX.com.