Monday Guest Hakan Ozturk
Get to know Hakan Ozturk
By: Mohammed Alqaq | January 02, 2023
Hakan from Paris, France. Top 100 Customer Success Strategist and the best-selling author of “How to Become a Customer Success Manager”.
I am also the founder of the free weekly CS newsletter “The Customer Success Café”, theCScafe.com, where I make customer success easy to digest and learn.
Besides I also run DrivingCustomerSuccess.com, top CS news from Silicon Valley to Paris and beyond, daily.
Most recently I also launched the no:1 job board exclusive to Customer Success, topCSjobs.com, where I help companies connect with top CS talents globally.
Finally, I am a professional musician, an award-winning photographer, and an instructor with 12k+ online students, helping amateur photographers sell their pictures online and build a passive income.
How it all started?
I was born in Ankara, Turkey, and moved to Paris when I was 12.
” Be bold, take initiative and lead the field. You are in the driver’s seat. Focus on your customer’s pain points.”
We asked Hakan to take us through a journey telling us about his career path, how he spends his workday, what advice he can share with someone starting as a customer success manager, and many other questions.
Enjoy reading this interview
Tell us about your career path?
I studied advanced mathematics and engineering. I started my career in IT, in different management roles until I joined Customer Success in 2012.
I always worked for large US companies such as SuccessFactors (SAP), Autodesk, Expedia, BMC Software, and Adobe.
Then most recently, I decided to make the switch, leave the corporate world and join a startup which I’m thrilled and honored to mention here, Delphix.
How did you join Customer Success?
Most of my customers started moving from on-premise to SaaS environments so when a 100% SaaS based company contacted me to be their 1st Support Account Manager in the region, I went all in.
How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?
To me, there are a few fundamentals CSMs must have so they can build on solid foundations.
The ideal CSMs:
- Enjoy learning
- Take ownership
- Are a team player
- Play the long game
- Do not judge or gossip
- Are curious and creative
- Always think customer first
- Know-how and when to say no
- Bring in solutions, not problems
- Celebrate other people’s successes
- Focus on productive activities, not busy things.
Besides, they also :
- Take responsibility for their actions.
- Do what they say, deliver as expected.
- Don’t blame others if something goes wrong.
- Listen actively, not to reply but to understand.
- Are clear, precise, on point, short and sharp in every interaction: emails, phone, meetings, 1:1…
- Give without expecting in return.
- Identify common interests to leverage.
- Bring in value first, then ask. Not the way around.
- Are genuinely interested in their customers’ business.
- Put themselves in their shoes, and see how they would react if they were the customer.
- provide constructive feedback.
- Say “we” more than “I”
- Give credit to other people’s work at any time.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?
- Be bold, take initiative, and lead the field. You are in the driver’s seat. Focus on your customer’s pain points.
- Listen actively. Ask questions. Under promise, but over-deliver.
- Trust is built in years but gone in seconds. Protect it whatever happens.
- Document your journey, engage and commit.
- Place the customer at the center of every decision you make.
- And most importantly, celebrate your wins and share them with everyone including your customers.
Celebrate your wins and share them with everyone including your customers!
Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?
6 am – 8 am are my sacred hours.
No matter what, I only focus on the activities that matter the most to me and my work.
No emails, no social media, pure productivity. I enjoy it much as it’s the ideal time in the day when everything is quiet.
By noon, I nail the most important and urgent three tasks I already planned on the evening before.
And I don’t do any other activities until I get them completed first thing in the morning.
I reserve most of my less urgent and less important tasks for the pm whenever possible.
I also work out and go for a walk every day for at least 30 mins both, mostly around lunchtime or late pm when the activity winds down and I start reflecting on what’s next – short and long term. One step at a time.
What makes you feel inspired or motivated?
I enjoy listening to podcasts every day and learning from the best and brightest minds who have ever lived.
I recently launched one where I started collecting motivational speeches from all around the world. To my surprise, I learned I was not alone. Today my podcast has crossed 118,000 downloads with an average of 450 listeners a day. Tune in and improve your life for the better here
I also like following other founders’ journeys on Twitter and see how I can improve and achieve the goals I set for myself and share my learnings along the way.
What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
The one question I keep getting is: how do you find time to do all this stuff on your own? 😊
The answer is simple: I’m a company of One where I’m the CEO, so you should be too.
We all have 24 hours a day.
What makes the difference is the way you decide on what to do with your time and where to focus on.
I live by the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. It basically says that 80% of the results come from 20% of your activities. I also set my goals following the Parkinson’s law to avoid spending more time than what’s truly required.
Once you make it become a habit and write down your objectives on a piece of paper, you can achieve anything you want.
Remember; The only limitation is in your own mind. No excuses.
And time is your most valuable asset. You must make good use of it, or it’s gone forever.
Who do you look up to the most?
There are many but the one who most influenced me over the recent years is Earl Nightingale and the strangest secret.
What are your top 3 priorities now?
Besides the non-negotiable priorities like family and health, I’m laser focused on my job and developing my activities to help the Customer Success community learn and grow.
What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?
Set your goals. If you don’t, others will do it for you.
And as Jim Rohn would say: work harder on yourself than you do on your job. Because you never know what would happen next but you can only control your efforts and reaction.
Keep learning and developing your skills as the knowledge you acquire today will be obsolete in 2 years. So it’s critical to stay up to date with what’s going on in the industry at all times.
Prepare yourself. Be ready. So that when an opportunity shows up, you can recognize and seize it.
Set your goals. If you don’t, others will do it for you.
What’s your favorite book, and why?
I have many. But if I had to mention one, it’s How to Win friends and influence People by Dale Carnegie.
It’s one of these books you should re-read every year to remind yourself of the importance of human relationships.
Have you had your “I’ve made it” moment yet?
Many times, But I like to think of it like this:
We are always happier going on vacation than on our way back, right? The same way when you anticipate the joy of receiving a present than after opening it.
So, to me, it’s key to set new goals as soon as you complete one. I always say “Yes I made it, but now, I’m on to the next!”
That’s the secret to infinite happiness.
What should I have asked you but didn’t?
I recently launched The Customer Success Café Podcast, where I am interviewing the top experts in the customer success industry. My goal is to provide you with valuable insights and tips to help you improve your customer success strategies.
Every month, I’m featuring a new guest who shares their experiences, challenges, and successes in the field of customer success. We have already lined up some amazing guests who are leaders in their respective organizations.
My 1st guest was Rav Dhaliwal, author of the controversial article “The Problem With Customer Success” that had a bomb effect on the CS community.
I invite you to tune in and listen to the Customer Success Café Podcast as I explore the latest trends and best practices in customer success.
Finally, I appreciate all that you do for the CS community in the Middle East and wish you all the success.
You have my full support and I’m so happy to see you leading the way in the region.
Where can people go to find out more about you?
Thank you, Hakan, for sharing your knowledge and for the opportunity to know you more.
Do you have a Customer Success Leader, Expert, or Influencer you would like to know more about?
