Monday Guest Maria Jose Villanueva-Y3-W44
Get to know Maria Jose Villanueva
By: Mohammed Alqaq | October 28, 2024 | Year 3 – Week 44/2024
I’m a Customer Success leader with over 10 + years of experience based in Montreal, QC, Canada. Originally from Honduras, where much of my family still resides, I hold an MBA from Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, and I speak English, French, and Spanish.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work across diverse industries, including IT/SaaS, retail, manufacturing, and logistics. I’ve developed strategies that enhance the customer journey from onboarding to value realization and renewals. At companies like Coveo and UKG, I built and led dedicated Customer Success teams in the enterprise sector, established customer playbooks, and designed the initial Customer Success strategy for a workforce management startup.
In addition, I founded CS-MTL, a community where Customer Success professionals in Montreal can connect, collaborate, and learn from one another. My passion lies in mentoring other CS leaders, helping them navigate their journeys and achieve their goals. I deeply value building strong, supportive communities.
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and immersing myself in new cultures. You can often find me hiking with my husband, our curious 2-year-old, and our playful Frenchton, enjoying nature and making memories together.
We asked Maria to take us through a journey telling us about her career path, how she spends her workday, what advice she can share with someone starting as a customer success manager, and many other questions.
Enjoy reading this interview
Table of Contents
Tell us about your career path?
Like many other CS leaders, I started my career in sales, where I quickly discovered my passion for building lasting relationships with clients. This led me to my first role as a Customer Success Manager, where I focused on top-tier accounts and helped clients realize the full potential of their solutions.
After that, I joined a workforce management company as a Customer Success Manager, managing a portfolio of enterprise customers. This role deepened my strong foundation in Customer Success, serving as the basis for my career and fueling my passion for the Customer Success community.
I later transitioned to a leadership role as the Senior Manager of Customer Success at a company specializing in AI-driven solutions. There, I led a talented team of Customer Success Managers and helped build the foundation for our operations and strategy. Shortly after, I joined a UKG partner to help establish their Customer Success strategy and playbooks.
Currently, I continue to advance my career in Customer Success within the enterprise sector, focusing on delivering value to my customers.
In 2019, I founded CS-MTL, a community for Customer Success professionals to connect and share insights. Throughout my career, I’ve been dedicated to mentoring others and fostering strong relationships, always with a humble and positive mindset.
How did you join Customer Success?
My journey into Customer Success began while I was working as a Sales Executive at Buzz Solution, I recognized how important the client service team was, in helping customers adopt our solutions and build long-lasting relationships. It was during this time that I had my “aha” moment—I realized that I wanted to move my career forward in Customer Success roles.
This insight led me to seek my first Customer Success role, where I had the opportunity to manage larger enterprise accounts. My background in sales and account management, along with strong communication skills, provided a solid and natural transition to Customer Success. I believe my sales experience has been invaluable in helping me understand the true pain points of customers and how our solutions can address those needs effectively.
At the same time, recognizing the significant impact that Customer Success can have on revenue growth for both the team and the organization. I’m grateful for the path that has brought me here and excited about the ongoing journey in Customer Success.
How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?
The ideal Customer Success Manager (CSM) has a customer-centric mindset and solid business acumen. They excel at identifying customer pain points and understanding how solutions drive positive outcomes.
With a strong appetite for learning, they act as a bridge between the product and the customers. They are adaptable to change and have a learning mindset, leveraging AI tools to enhance their efficiency and find innovative ways to deliver value by becoming a trusted advisor.
I believe that there are many valuable skills; however, the two main ones are building strong business acumen and identifying customer problems to align solutions effectively. Combined with a proactive, positive mindset, these qualities will enable the CSM to foster lasting relationships and drive customer success.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?
I would advise someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager to prioritize mastering the product. It’s essential to engage practically and confidently demo it to customers. While other roles may focus on this aspect daily, having a solid understanding of the product will provide the foundation necessary to articulate how it delivers value and addresses customer outcomes, ultimately translating to customer retention.
Additionally, developing strong business acumen is crucial. Gain insights into marketing, sales, and revenue operations—not just Customer Success. Understanding how your business generates revenue and becoming proficient with revenue metrics will help you connect the dots as you advance in your Customer Success career.
Lastly, remain humble, maintain a learning mindset, and cultivate key relationships not only within the Customer Success community but also throughout your broader professional network.
Developing strong business acumen is crucial.
Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?
I usually start my day by writing down my priorities with a simple paper and pen to-do list. This 15-20 minute ritual helps me map my top tasks before I dive into my inbox or any other collaboration tool. My schedule typically consists of internal, cross-functional meetings with teams from Sales, Marketing and product, where we can discuss operational and strategic initiatives.
Additionally, connecting with my CS team about top challenges for the week. Alongside these, I have customer-facing meetings that include CS touchpoints, adoption reviews, follow-ups, product demos, and other engagements.
To stay productive, I make sure to block time for focused work on strategic thinking, planning, training, and catching up on industry trends. I also make sure to take walks to get fresh air and recharge throughout the day.
What makes you feel inspired or motivated?
I’m inspired by professionals who have successfully achieved their career goals while maintaining a healthy balance between personal and professional life.
I admire those who genuinely take the time to help others, build meaningful relationships, and mentor their peers – these are the leaders who inspire me, who lead with no title, with empathy and passion, and who care.
Addinally, my family is also a source of motivation, encouraging me to continue always pursuing my dreams and goals. Lastly, I’m also motivated by the opportunity to mentor, guide, and coach other CS professionals within the Customer Success Community, as I find it incredibly rewarding, and I believe in supporting others to help you grow too.
What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
One thing people are generally surprised to find out about me is that I left my home country, Honduras, at just 18 years old to come to Canada on my own for university, showing courage to follow my dream of studying abroad, leaving behind my family, friends, and everything familiar.
At that young age, I had to adapt to life in a new country, navigate college, and even learn a third language, French. I feel blessed to have had such a great opportunity and a wonderful family that has supported me every step of the way.
Who do you look up to the most?
At work, I admire leaders who selflessly give back to their professional network, whether through mentorship or coaching and who actively make an impact on others’ careers.
In life, my mom and grandmother both are my biggest inspirations. Both are incredibly brave, wise, and smart women who I turn to for advice. I feel incredibly fortunate to have their guidance and support.
What are your top 3 priorities now?
These are my top 3 priorities:
My continuous growth in my career in Customer Success by learning and developing.
Understanding how to leverage AI in the Customer Success field.
Growing the CS Montreal Community by providing more valuable in-person CS meetups with valuable speakers and more meaningful connections.
What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?
Proactively and genuinely build your Customer Success network to learn from other CS leaders and find support – not only through mentorship but also by cultivating relationships that can guide your throughout your journey. Expand beyond CS and tap into your wider professional network.
Establish your “all-start-team” of key individuals who can add value in different ways but also learn from them and help in your career growth by mentoring and coaching you.
keep track of your successes and accomplishments across your different projects and endeavors. Its easy to lose track, but documenting those will become essential tools for effective self-advocacy, whether within your organization or when seeking new opportunities.
Stay humble, curious and maintain a positive, growth-focused mindset. Remember that change is an inevitable part of the journey and being adaptable is key.
What’s your favorite book, and why?
My favorite book is definitely The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’ve read it about three times, and every time, it shares new insights with me. One of my favorite quotes is, “The universe conspires to help you achieve your dreams.” It’s such a beautiful reminder that when you truly chase your passions, everything aligns.
This book has inspired me to pursue my personal and professional goals with heart and determination. I love the adventure and the quest for self-discovery that it embodies. The journey and challenges it shares have helped me appreciate the challenges in my own life and stay motivated and inspired. That’s why it holds such a special place in my heart.
» Check out the 10 Books a CSM should read to advance and improve their skills.
Have you had your “I’ve made it” moment yet?
While, I’ve reached many important and fulfilling milestones throughout my career, I don’t think I can pinpoint a single moment to call “i’ve made it”, instead, I view success as an ongoing journey, I believe there’s always more to learn, more to strive for, and greater ways to grow both personally and professionally. I’m definitely proud of how far I’ve grown in my career, but I remain driven to keep evolving. It’s a continuous pursuit of excellence rather than a final destination.
What should I have asked you but didn’t?
What’s your favorite activity that you like to do outside work?
One of my favorite activities outside of work is hiking. Over the last few years, I’ve taken on medium to difficult trails, which have taught me to truly appreciate the journey to the top views. Once I reach the summit, I always take a moment to breathe deeply, soak in the beauty of nature, and enjoy the view.
Hiking has also given me a new perspective on my career. It reminds me to embrace the journey itself- not just the destination. It’s about climbing with the right support system by your side and enjoying each step along the way, rather than solely focusing on reaching to the top of the mountain, but also appreciating the journey.
Where can people go to find out more about you?
People can find out more about me through my LinkedIn profile where they can connect with me. Can also follow CS-MTL linkedIn page for valuable content.
Thank you, Maria, 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?
