Forecast accuracy is the fastest way for a post-sales team to earn trust or lose it with leadership. In this episode, Alex Raymond sits down with John Huber, Founder and Principal CS Consultant at Customer Success Architects, to break down what drives forecast accuracy when executives expect predictable revenue from existing accounts.

John shares the story of a renewal that looked safe at 94% and closed at 78%, creating a seven-figure gap. Instead of treating it as bad luck, he turns it into a framework any team can apply. You will learn how renewal forecasting improves when teams stop relying on optimism and start running a disciplined renewal process months before the deadline. He outlines four questions every account manager and CSM should answer before committing a renewal, including confirmed budget with the economic buyer, measurable outcomes, and what changes if the deal slips. This structure strengthens forecast accuracy because it replaces assumptions with verified customer signals.

The conversation also expands into churn forecasting and customer success forecasting. Strong forecast accuracy is not only about what is coming in, it is also about what might walk out. John explains how to build cross-functional alignment so risk does not live in silos. When churn forecasting becomes a shared responsibility, teams can protect gross retention and create a more reliable view of revenue.

If you want renewal forecasting and customer success forecasting that hold up in executive reviews and reduce end-of-quarter surprises, this episode offers a clear path to forecast accuracy you can defend.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Forecast Accuracy in Post-Sales and Why It Drives Executive Trust

02:23 Renewal Forecasting Fail: 94% Commit Missed by $1.2M

09:13 Improving Forecast Accuracy: Commit Discipline and No “Happy Ears”

12:53 Renewal Process Strategy: 6–9 Month Planning for Predictable Revenue

18:35 The 4 Renewal Forecasting Questions Before You Commit

31:45 Churn Forecasting and Gross Retention: A Cross-Functional Playbook

Connect with John Huber:

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Visit the Customer Success Architects website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The recurring revenue model is comforting. Contracts renew. Revenue repeats. Forecasts look stable. But that assumption hides risk. When renewals are treated as automatic rather than earned, blind spots form. A strong customer retention strategy requires more than waiting for renewal dates. It demands clarity around outcomes, proactive engagement, and a disciplined post-sales process that makes value visible long before a contract is up.

That is where the idea of value before revenue becomes transformative. In his book, The Growth Department, Alex Raymond explains that revenue is not something you chase. It is something that follows documented results. When your account management strategy focuses on defining success, measuring progress, and consistently demonstrating impact, commercial conversations become natural. Customer success renewals feel aligned rather than pressured. Expansion becomes a continuation of delivered value rather than an upsell.

Alex also addresses the structural gap between sales and post-sales. Sales teams operate with defined systems, predictable forecasting, and visible playbooks. Post-sales teams often rely on effort and heroics. Leadership trusts structure. Without a standardized post-sales process, account management is seen as reactive rather than strategic. Applying value before revenue creates the discipline and visibility needed to shift that perception.

If you want renewals to feel predictable, revenue growth to feel earned, and your account management strategy to be viewed as a true growth function, this episode provides a practical framework. Moving beyond the recurring revenue model positions post-sales as a strategic driver of retention, expansion, and long-term customer success.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Account Management Drives Revenue and Renewals

01:01 The Growth Department Mindset in Post-Sales

04:18 The Myth of the Recurring Revenue Model

05:47 Active Retention as a Customer Retention Strategy

11:00 Value Before Revenue in Customer Success Renewals

15:21 The Value Revenue Chain Explained

20:20 The JV vs. Varsity Gap in Post-Sales Teams

24:52 Building Systems for Predictable Growth

29:39 From Heroics to Scalable Account Management Strategy

31:40 Implementing a Disciplined Post-Sales Process

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Alex’s book:

Learn more about The Growth Department

Get your copy of The Growth Department on Amazon

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Why do advertising agencies keep adding account roles, yet revenue growth is hard to account for?

In this episode of Account Management Secrets, Alex Raymond talks with Chantal Sagnes, founder of Chantal Sagnes Consulting, about what actually happens after an agency wins the work. Chantal has spent years on both the business development and account leadership sides, and she shares what she has seen play out inside agencies when revenue growth stalls, even though everyone is busy and the work is getting done.

They get into the tension most account teams feel between maintaining the relationship and growing it. The conversation touches on the hunter versus farmer mindset, why curiosity matters more than pushing a sale, and how unclear ownership often leaves revenue opportunity on the table. It is less about big pitches and more about what happens in the everyday moments that shape client trust and momentum.

With agencies dealing with consolidation, tighter budgets, and more pressure to “do more with less,” this episode comes back to something simple. Growth does not come from adding more tasks. It comes from account teams who take ownership of the relationship and think beyond delivery.

If you work in account management or lead an agency and want existing client relationships to contribute more meaningfully to revenue, this episode is actionable.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Agencies Have So Many Account Roles

03:00 Hunter vs Farmer Account Management in Agencies

10:00 Curiosity as a Revenue Skill in Account Management

14:00 Building Executive Relationships Through Contact Mapping

23:00 How to Protect Account Strategy From Day-to-Day Work

32:00 Agency Account Management Trends for 2026 and AI

Connect with Chantal Sagnes:

Connect with Chantal on LinkedIn

Visit the Chantal Sagnes website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Account management changes when your clients are artists, creators, and public figures. There are no predictable renewals. Attention fades quickly, and relevance is earned every day.

In this episode of Account Management Secrets, Alex Raymond sits down with Niko Ivanov, Partner and Head of Account Management at NOX Media, to explore how account management works when traditional SaaS metrics fall short. NOX supports artists and creators whose success plays out publicly, where timing, trust, and proactive leadership matter more than dashboards.

This conversation makes the case for account management as an offensive discipline. Niko shares how clear systems, weekly account health checks, and red-yellow-green definitions help teams stay ahead of risk instead of reacting to it. He also unpacks the mindset required to lead under pressure, including emotional steadiness, short-term memory, and the ability to guide clients without taking things personally.

If you want to strengthen retention, prove value before problems surface, and lead accounts with confidence in high-stakes environments, this episode is worth your time.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Account Management Beyond SaaS in Talent and Digital Media

00:02 What NOX Media Does for Artists Creators and Brands

00:06 Client Retention and Reputation in the Entertainment Industry

00:10 Defining Account Health Without Traditional SaaS Metrics

00:25 EOS Systems and Weekly Client Health Reviews

00:34 Proactive Account Management as an Offensive Growth Function

Connect with Niko Ivanov:

Connect with Niko on LinkedIn

Visit the NOX Media website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Post-sales teams generate most of the revenue and nearly all of the profit, so why are they still treated like a support function instead of a growth driver?

Alex Raymond shares the thinking behind his new book, The Growth Department, and names a reality many account management and customer success teams live every day. They carry responsibility for renewals, expansion, and retention, yet often lack the systems, authority, and recognition that match the role. When things go right, it is quiet. When something goes wrong, all eyes turn their way.

Alex explains how outdated post-sales models no longer fit modern economics, longer payback periods, or the pressure leaders feel around net revenue retention. He breaks down why early churn quietly destroys profitability, why expansion matters more than most teams realize, and why NRR reflects the health of the entire business. Are customers even reaching payback? Is growth happening by design or by luck?

The conversation also explores why post-sales needs the same structure and operating discipline that sales teams already have. Without a clear system, teams burn out, forecasts feel fragile, and success depends on heroics. Alex reframes revenue anxiety by tying growth back to customer value, showing how revenue becomes a natural result of doing the right work well. This episode challenges post-sales leaders to rethink how they describe their role and how their teams are built.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Post-Sales Teams Drive Revenue but Lack Recognition

07:20 Post-Sales Is a Design Problem, Not a Talent Problem

15:10 The Post-Sales Tax and Why the Model Is Broken

19:40 Expansion Economics and the Cost of Early Churn

24:55 Net Revenue Retention as a Company Health Metric

34:30 Why Post-Sales Needs Systems, Structure, and Discipline

44:50 How Customer Value Leads to Revenue Growth

56:40 The Amplify Method for Account Management and Customer Success

Connect with Alex Raymond:

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Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

What does it take to lead customer teams in 2026 when value creation matters more than renewals and curiosity separates trusted guides from replaceable vendors?

That question drives Alex Raymond’s conversation with Jim Richmond, Chief Customer Officer at Smartling, and it frames a grounded look at modern customer leadership. Jim shares a clear belief that last year’s success expires quickly. Teams have to keep earning trust through sharper skills, better discovery, and more honest conversations. Why did a customer buy in the first place? What are they trying to accomplish now? How do you know the value you deliver actually matters to them? Those questions take curiosity and patience, not scripts or dashboards alone.

Jim also challenges how customer centricity is often misunderstood. Customers are the heroes of the story. Customer teams serve as guides who bring expertise, perspective, and the confidence to speak up when a better path exists. That mindset shows up in how Smartling measures success, how risk is surfaced early, and how bad news is handled without fear. Gross revenue retention sets the bar. Early warnings are welcomed. Escalations become moments to build trust rather than defend processes. The conversation leaves you wondering where your team still plays it safe, where curiosity could go deeper, and what would change if guiding customers mattered more than simply keeping them.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Leading Customer Teams Into 2026

03:09 Customer Value Creation as the Core Strategy

09:08 Curiosity, Empathy, and Modern Customer Centricity

18:11 Performance Standards, Retention, and Risk Management

27:01 The Future Skill Set for Customer Success Leaders

Connect with Jim Richmond:

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn

Visit the Smartling website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

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