You can write the most beautiful get-well plan in the world. You can diagnose every risk factor and map out every milestone. But if your own team isn't on board - if Sales is working against you, if Support doesn't know the plan exists, if Product thinks this is just another CSM fire drill - you're dead in the water.

This episode is about the work nobody sees but that makes everything else possible: internal alignment.

Most recovery efforts fail not because the plan is bad, but because the CSM tries to execute it alone. The recoveries that work? Those are the ones where Sales has your back, Support prioritizes what matters, Product commits to high-visibility fixes, and leadership gives you air cover when things get messy.

In this episode, Mark walks through his signature Pre-Flight Checklist - the five boxes every CSM must check before presenting a recovery plan to a customer. He shares real stories from enterprise accounts where internal alignment made the difference between losing seven figures and turning red accounts green in under 90 days.

You'll learn:

• How to brief Sales without them undermining your plan with early discounts
• The exact message to send Support to get priority treatment during recovery
• How to get Product to commit to 1-2 high-impact fixes instead of a 47-item wish list
• The one-page, three-section format for briefing leadership so they're never blindsided
• Why documentation is your insurance policy when someone says "I didn't know that"

Mark covers what happens when you skip internal alignment (hint: you end up fighting internal fires while trying to stabilize the customer), and shares tactical examples from government, retail, and cybersecurity accounts where the invisible work of alignment turned impossible situations into expansion opportunities.

This isn't theory. This is the battle-tested playbook Mark used to rescue accounts at companies like Palo Alto Networks, Cofense, and Swimlane - accounts worth millions in ARR that everyone said were lost causes.

If you're managing an at-risk account right now, this episode will change how you approach recovery. Because the customer doesn't care about your internal dysfunction. They care about results. And you can't deliver results if your own team is working against you.

What You'll Get:The companion PDF download available at ClearPathCX.com contains:

• The Pre-Flight Checklist (to use before every customer presentation)
• Internal Alignment Tracker (document all your recovery team coordination)
• Email Templates (copy-paste messages for Sales, Support, and Leadership)

This is part of the Path to Green Playbook mini-series from ClearPath Conversations - where customer journeys find direction.

You can have the best recovery plan in the world, but if no one reads it, it doesn't matter. In this episode, Mark breaks down the harsh truth about most get-well plans: they're too long, too detailed, and too focused on documenting problems instead of driving solutions.

Drawing from a painful early-career mistake - a 37-page recovery plan that accomplished nothing - Mark walks you through exactly how to write a get-well plan that stakeholders will actually read, understand, and act on. No 50-page novels. No endless retrospectives. Just clear, actionable roadmaps that respect people's time and get results.

Mark shares the seven essential elements of an effective get-well plan:

1. THE ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY - Your elevator pitch that goes at the very top. Make it bold. Make it clear. If someone only reads the first paragraph, they should know exactly what this plan is about.
2. CURRENT STATE (3 bullets or less) - Provide context without writing a memoir. Three bullet points maximum. You're not reliving every mistake. You're setting the stage for action.
3. THE OUTCOME (Your Guiding Star) - Define the measurable end state you're driving toward. Make it specific. Make it time-bound. Make it a statement, not a wish.
4. THE PHASES - Break the work into 2-3 clear phases. Typically: Stabilization (stop the bleeding), Remediation (fix core issues), and Reinforcement (sustain improvement). Each phase gets a name, timeframe, and clear goal.
5. THE ACTIONS - This is where most plans fall apart. Every action needs four things: WHAT will be done, WHO owns it, WHEN it's due, and HOW you'll know it's complete. No vague action items. No missing owners. No ambiguous success criteria.
6. THE ASK - State clearly what you need from stakeholders. Be specific and actionable. You need support to execute this plan, so ask for it upfront.
7. THE FOLLOW-UP CADENCE - Define how you'll keep everyone informed. Plans die in silence. If you're not updating it, no one's going to believe you're executing it.

Throughout the episode, Mark shares real stories from his work with enterprise accounts at companies like Cofense and Palo Alto Networks. You'll hear about the two-page plan that saved a stalled retail customer deployment, the financial services account that went from red to reference in 90 days, and the critical lessons learned from plans that failed because they tried to do too much.

The key principle: constraint creates clarity. When you force yourself to keep it under three pages, you force yourself to be strategic. You can't document everything, so you have to prioritize what actually matters.

Mark also covers what NOT to include: no root cause analysis (save that for the post-mortem), no detailed project plans with Gantt charts (that's for internal management), and no "what if" scenario mapping (focus on the most likely path forward, then adjust as you go).

This episode is part of the Path to Green mini-series, which explores Mark's signature framework for rescuing at-risk accounts. Whether you're facing a red account, a stalled deployment, lost trust with an executive sponsor, or a relationship that needs rebuilding, this episode gives you a practical template for writing recovery plans that move the needle.

Perfect for: CSMs managing red accounts, team leads mentoring junior CSMs, customer success managers who've inherited messy situations, or anyone who's ever written a plan that got ignored.

Companion resource: Download the free Get-Well Plan Framework template at ClearPathCX.com. It includes a one-page summary template, phase-by-phase action tracker, and stakeholder communication guide, all designed to help you write a plan in under two hours that you can send with confidence.

Next episode: We'll tackle what happens before you ever send that plan - how to get internal alignment from Sales, Support, and Product before taking your recovery plan external.

When an account goes Red, most CSMs panic. Meetings multiply. Emails fly. Sales blames Support. Support blames Product. And you - the CSM - are expected to fix it.

But here's the problem: without a shared framework, everyone's just running around with their hair on fire, hoping something works. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.

In this episode, Mark introduces the Path to Green: a repeatable, milestone-driven methodology for taking at-risk accounts and moving them back to health in 90 days. This isn't theory - it's the exact framework Mark used to save millions in ARR. It's the reason people call him the "At-Risk Whisperer."

You'll learn why most recovery plans fail before they even start. The answer? CSMs skip the most important step: defining what "Green" actually means. Without a bullseye, every shot is off-target. Mark walks you through how to sit down with your customer, capture their version of success, align it with your internal requirements, and merge them into one clear, measurable definition that everyone agrees on.

From there, Mark breaks down the three phases of recovery:

Phase 1: Stabilization (Days 1-30) - Stop the bleeding. Rebuild basic trust. Fix the most urgent pain points. This phase isn't glamorous, but if you can't stabilize the account, nothing else matters.

Phase 2: Execution (Days 31-60) - Deliver on your commitments. Prove progress through action, not words. Track everything in a Recovery Progress Dashboard so nothing falls through the cracks.

Phase 3: Optimization (Days 61-90) - Shift the narrative from crisis to growth. Run the pre-renewal conversation. Transition the account back to normal CSM management.

Mark also shares the three core principles that make this framework work: clarity (everyone knows what Green means), alignment (all actions support a shared goal), and accountability (tasks, owners, and timelines are locked in and visible). He explains why visibility is just as important as the work itself - if no one can see progress happening, confidence doesn't build. And confidence drives renewals.

To make it real, Mark tells the story of a $2 million retail account he inherited that was about as Red as they come. The executive sponsor had stopped returning calls. The primary user was openly badmouthing them in industry forums. The internal team was paralyzed. Mark walked through exactly how he applied the Path to Green framework: defining success with the IT director, building a 90-day plan, stabilizing the relationship, delivering on commitments, and shifting the conversation from "what went wrong" to "what's next." Three months later, they renewed. Six months after that, they expanded.

This episode also covers what to do when you're ready to implement this yourself. Mark gives you the four-step process: pick an account showing early signs of risk, define Green with the customer and your internal team, build your 30/60/90 plan with specific milestones and owners, and execute while tracking progress weekly. If you want to go deeper, Mark mentions that the full methodology - including templates, the Recovery Progress Dashboard, and stakeholder mapping tools - is available in his book, The Path to Green.

Whether you're managing a healthy portfolio or currently staring down a Red account, this episode gives you the playbook to lead recovery yourself. Because at-risk accounts aren't a failure - they're an opportunity to prove your value, build trust with leadership, and turn a customer who was ready to leave into your biggest advocate.

Grab the free companion download pack with worksheets, templates, and the complete recovery planning framework at ClearPathCX.com.

What does it really take to build a Customer Success toolkit from the ground up? Not the theoretical frameworks from textbooks or the polished playbooks from enterprise teams with unlimited budgets - but the real, practical tools that frontline CSMs actually need to do the work.

In this episode, host Mark Bernardin breaks down how to assemble your essential CSM toolkit when you're starting from scratch, working with limited resources, or stepping into a role where nothing has been built yet. Whether you're a new CSM figuring out where to start, a team leader trying to standardize your approach, or a seasoned professional looking to refine your arsenal, this conversation cuts through the noise to focus on what actually matters.

Mark shares insights from years in the trenches of cybersecurity SaaS customer success, exploring the difference between tools that look impressive and tools that drive real outcomes. You'll discover how to prioritize what to build first when everything feels urgent, how to create lightweight documentation that actually gets used, and why the best toolkit isn't about having everything - it's about having the right things at the right time.

This episode tackles the hard questions about building a toolkit that serves your customers' success.

You'll hear practical strategies for creating customer health frameworks that aren't just red-yellow-green guesswork, building templates that drive real conversations instead of checkbox meetings, and developing escalation protocols that actually prevent fires instead of just documenting them. Mark also explores how to navigate the tension between standardization and customization, knowing when consistency matters and when flexibility wins.

But this isn't just about spreadsheets and slide decks. This episode digs into the mindset shifts that separate CSMs who collect tools from CSMs who wield them effectively. It's about understanding that your toolkit is never "done." It evolves with every customer conversation, every renewal cycle, and every lesson learned from the accounts that didn't go as planned.

Whether you're working at a startup where you're inventing the playbook as you go, or at an established company where legacy processes need an overhaul, this episode gives you a clear framework for building something that works. No fluff, no corporate jargon - just honest guidance from someone who's built these toolkits multiple times and learned what matters through trial, error, and plenty of at-risk accounts saved along the way.

Join Mark Bernardin for a conversation that treats Customer Success like the craft it is: one that requires the right tools, the wisdom to use them well, and the courage to build something better when what you have isn't working.

ClearPath Conversations brings you inside the world of Customer Success with real-world lessons, strategies, and stories from the frontlines. Hosted by Mark Bernardin, author and "At-Risk Whisperer," each episode explores practical ways to build stronger customer relationships, rescue at-risk accounts, and unlock growth. Whether you're a new CSM or a seasoned leader, you'll find clear, actionable guidance to help customers succeed - and careers thrive.

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.

You just got handed a portfolio. Maybe it's your first one. Maybe it's a new book after a reorg. Maybe you're inheriting accounts from someone who just quit, and you have exactly zero context on what you're walking into.

Either way, you're staring at a spreadsheet with 15, 50, or 120 account names, ARR values, renewal dates, and absolutely nothing else. Your manager says, "Great. Let me know if you have any questions." Then they walk away.

Where do you even start?

In this episode, Mark breaks down exactly how to prioritize your accounts when you're handed a portfolio with no segmentation, no documentation, and no time to figure it out on your own. This is the framework he's used across multiple companies and portfolios worth millions in ARR to bring structure to chaos.

THE FIVE-STEP FRAMEWORK:

Step 1: Get the raw data in front of youPull together everything you can find: account names, ARR, renewal dates, contract terms, product usage, support tickets, sentiment scores, last touchpoint dates, and key stakeholders. If your company has a CS platform, use it. If not, build a spreadsheet. You can't prioritize what you can't see.

Step 2: Segment your portfolioTier your accounts based on ARR, strategic importance, risk level, relationship maturity, and complexity. Not all revenue is equal. Not all relationships are equal. Tier 1 accounts are high-touch strategic accounts. Tier 2 are standard medium-touch. Tier 3 are low-touch transactional. This isn't just about ARR - it's about where you need to focus.

Step 3: Identify your red flagsDo a fast risk assessment: no activity in 90+ days, declining usage, high support volume, executive turnover, renewals coming up with no recent check-in, or negative sentiment history. Your goal isn't to solve every problem on day one - it's to know where the problems are so you can plan instead of panic.

Step 4: Build your 30-60-90 day planFirst 30 days: Reach out to every Tier 1 account, identify your top at-risk accounts, and start building mitigation plans.

60 days: Have meaningful conversations with all Tier 1 and most Tier 2 accounts, get mitigation plans in flight, and start planning EBRs.

90 days: Feel confident in your portfolio, lock in your tiering, and have at least one success story to tell.

Step 5: Communicate your plan internallyShare your portfolio overview with your manager. Flag at-risk accounts for Sales. Create visibility for Support and Product. A simple email with your Tier 1 status, at-risk accounts, expansion opportunities, and blockers shows you're organized, strategic, and thinking ahead.

Mark shares the real story of inheriting Ernst & Young at Palo Alto Networks with zero documentation, using this exact framework to stabilize a high-risk account, and turning it into one of the strongest relationships in his portfolio within 90 days. Not because he was special, but because he was structured.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE COMPANION RESOURCES:Head to ClearPathCX.com and grab the Episode 4 toolkit:

• Portfolio Prioritization Worksheet
• 30-60-90 Day Planning Template
• Manager Update Email Template

Whether you're new to Customer Success or inheriting a book mid-year, this episode gives you a practical, battle-tested framework to stop reacting and start leading with structure.

Connect with Mark:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markbernardinWebsite: ClearPathCX.com

This is ClearPath Conversations - where customer journeys find direction.

Most CSM job descriptions are a mess - half Sales, half Support, half Product Management, and somehow they still leave out what you actually do day-to-day.

In this episode, I break down the five real roles every strong CSM plays:

• The Translator - Bridging the gap between product, sales, support, and customer expectations
• The Stabilizer - Managing the energy and temperature of difficult situations
• The Strategist - Planning ahead with account success plans, stakeholder mapping, and proactive risk mitigation
• The Firefighter - Triaging escalations and stopping the bleeding when things go sideways
• The Advocate - Balancing customer needs with company sustainability

I also cover what you don't own (even though it feels like you do), the mindset shift from "helper" to "leader," and why the best CSM work is invisible - until it prevents a churn.

Whether you're new to Customer Success or 10 years in, this episode will help you identify gaps, prioritize your time, and stop reacting your way through the job.

Key Takeaways:

• The five core responsibilities of a high-performing CSM
• How to lead without a title
• Mark's Rule: "Proactive feels like overkill until reactive feels like drowning"
• Tools and tactics that actually move the needle

Resources:Download the companion checklist at ClearPathCX.com.

Starting as a Customer Success Manager can feel overwhelming. In this episode of ClearPath Conversations, Mark Bernardin lays out a practical 90-day roadmap to help new CSMs hit the ground running. Learn how to align with leadership, organize your customer portfolio, and deliver value in those first critical touchpoints that shape long-term success.

For a deeper dive on the topic, grab Mark’s book CSM Bootcamp: Your 90-Day Onboarding Manual - your complete playbook with templates, frameworks, and real-world guidance to master your first three months in the role.