Monday Guest Alex Turkovic
Get to know Alex Turkovic
By: Mohammed Alqaq | December 11, 2023
Alex Turkovic here! I’ve been a resident of Austin, TX for 17 years now. My wife and I moved here from Nashville where we were both in the music industry, which was my original professional aspiration (more on that later). I was born in Vienna, Austria which is where my father still lives, but moved to the States when I was 10. I have a 12-year-old son named AJ, who is much smarter than his dad.
We asked Alex 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 started my career in the music industry, having studied audio engineering/music production in college. I have an extremely musical family and played percussion since age 5, so it was a natural assumption that I too would be a musician. After college, I moved to Nashville where I spent a few years working as a recording engineer and teaching percussion. This is where my career took a hard left turn.
After meeting my wife, who was as disillusioned with the music industry as I was, we decided to move to Texas where I got a job at Dell in sales training. Over the next five years, I honed my skills in learning and development. I held several leadership positions over the next decade or so, ranging from L&D, customer-facing training, professional services, and customer success.
How did you join Customer Success?
In a way, I have always operated in the realm of customer success as I’ve been focused on customer outcomes within the various customer-facing responsibilities I had. A few years ago, it all came together as I was able to marry my passion for customer outcomes with the pedigree of systems & learning knowledge I had gained in previous roles. I now lead the Digital Customer Success function at Snow Software and host a weekly podcast called The Digital Customer Success Podcast.
How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?
I would say that the ideal CSM candidate would be someone who is curious and asks a lot of follow-up questions. It is someone who is curious about their customers’ intentions and has a good balance of business, economic, sales & technical knowledge.
That said, I run a Digital Customer Success team – and so the profile that I look for in this function is quite a bit different. I think it is important to look for people who have an eye for customer outcomes, much like traditional CSMs – but also an eye towards and experience in marketing automation & content creation.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?
Spend a couple of weeks digging into the various books & online resources that exist for CS. There are some very good online courses and certifications available as well from Gainsight, SuccessHacker, and others. Then, do some networking and interview as many tenured CSMs as possible, both within your organization and without. Learn the best practices that have led to their success and emulate them – make them your own.
Get to know your CS leadership and operations team very well. Your work is an extension of theirs and the more you know about the behind-the-scenes, the better.
Finally, be extremely curious in your customer conversations. Ask lots of questions, listen actively, and always tie what the customer said back to your documentation, success plans, and general conversation.
“Be extremely curious in your customer conversations”.
Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?
I don’t have many days that look the same, but there are a few constants. I always try to find time to exercise every single day, even if it’s just a mile or two walk. I usually try to wait to check my work email for the first hour of my working day – but that can be hard sometimes as I have a lot of colleagues overseas who have already been busy. I usually take my son to school on the way to the office (if I’m going in) and try to knock as many meetings out in the morning as possible. By the end of the day, I try to get to inbox zero – but that is easier said than done.
A practice that has helped me to stay organized over the years is a system of to-do lists, where I always try to end my day by making a to-do list for the following day. This helps me to wrap up the day and separate from it so that when I’m home with my family, I am not thinking about what will need to be done the following day.
What makes you feel inspired or motivated?
My family is the biggie. Aside from that, I am big on enabling people to do things better today than they did yesterday. The big reason why I started the podcast is to help people navigate what may be a completely foreign subject to them. Hearing from listeners that I’ve had a positive impact on their own career or work project gives me massive fulfillment and keeps me motivated to press on.
What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
I have a solidly American accent, so it’s always a shock to people when they learn that I am a dual citizen of both Austria and the United States. Surprise is quickly replaced by disappointment that I don’t have an Austrian accent. Interestingly enough, when I speak German I don’t have an American accent. I attribute this largely to the fact that my parents always spoke the two languages with me separately: my father in German and my mother in English.
Who do you look up to the most?
This is a somewhat vague answer, but I tend to look up to people who have made something out of nothing. This could be in business – but also art, music, etc. The creativity, vulnerability, and risks involved in making something are things that I am endlessly impressed with. There is a great book by Rick Rubin, a famed music producer, called “The Creative Act” in which he talks about the fact that everyone – in their different ways – is a creator.
What are your top 3 priorities now?
1) The proliferation of knowledge and adoption of digital customer success into B2B SaaS.
2) Being a resource for people in the CS industry, whether it be via the podcast or 1:1 syncs
3) Being the best leader to my team that I possibly can be.
What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?
Be a sponge, pay attention to what’s going on around you (not just what’s in front of you), and ask lots of questions. If you’ve got a good handle on your book of business and the customers you’re taking care of, take a bit of time and learn about other functions & people around you, what they do, what their OKRs are, and how you might be able to help them achieve their goals through your work.
By providing value to others, you’ll open doors you never knew existed.
What’s your favorite book, and why?
I mentioned ‘The Creative Act’ by Rick Rubin earlier – which is good.
I love ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear as it helps you set the tone for designing the life you want to lead through small changes.
» 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?
Yes and no. I think I could say that I’ve had those moments constantly over the last decade or so, because I love focusing on achieving small goals as part of the bigger picture.
On the flip side, I immediately move towards the next thing and I don’t see myself ever getting to the point of not having another goal to push towards. So, I guess my answer would be that I have felt like I’ve made it – but don’t think we ever truly make it as there is always something new to learn and experience.
What should I have asked you but didn’t?
It might be interesting to ask people’s opinions about revenue ownership in CS, which in my opinion absolutely should live in CS.
Where can people go to find out more about you?
I’m happy to connect on LinkedIn. You can also check out the podcast, get in touch and other resources
Thank you, Alex, 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?
