Monday Guest Joshua Lyons-Y3-W41

Mohammed Alqaq October 7, 2024October 14, 2024

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Get to know Joshua Lyons

By: Mohammed Alqaq | October 7, 2024 | Year 3 – Week 41/2024

Hello to the global Customer Success community. I currently reside in the Baltimore/Washington DC area with my wife, who is also a Customer Success professional.

I’ve worked in the Digital Technology industry my entire career (including the last 20+ years in Cybersecurity) and I wasn’t officially in Customer Success until 2019. Throughout my career, a primary focus has been process improvement, aimed at enhancing team efficiencies and increasing value for customers in alignment with their desired outcomes. To date, I’ve typically started as an individual contributor, and the position inevitably evolves into a “player/coach” role, as I enjoy shaping strategy while helping those around me succeed.

Outside of my professional life, I’m typically either spending quality time with friends and family or competing in team and individual activities. Whether it’s soccer, basketball, golf, pickleball, the gym, or cornhole – I get joy from continuing to push myself and my teammates to be better than we were yesterday.

We asked Joshua 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?

Similar to most CS professionals, my path wasn’t linear. I began as a Field Engineer configuring and installing Routers and Firewalls and quickly pivoted into Inside Sales, which is when I realized that I have a passion for working directly with customers.

Over time, I transitioned into outside sales, account management, and sales management, where I learned the intricacies of the entire customer lifecycle and how to motivate a team. I also encountered failures along the way, which have proven to be just as insightful as my successes, reinforcing the idea that every experience is a valuable learning opportunity.

In my CS roles, this cross-functional knowledge has fostered trust with the sales team through shared experiences and provided me with valuable insights into the entire pre- and post-sale lifecycles. Integrating this expertise has been essential in shaping excellent customer experiences and improving internal processes.

How did you join Customer Success?

Within months of joining my last company as a Sr. Account Executive in 2018, I was asked to start a Customer Success program because the business wanted to focus on customer retention and growth from existing customers. Shortly after diving deep into the world of CS, I realized that I had been employing CS principles throughout most of my career.

As the founding CSM, I built our entire Customer Success program from scratch. I started with our most strategic Line of Business and developed the CS program and team over five years to cover all four of our Lines of Business. This was possible in part by developing strong relationships with peers in Sales, Product/Service, Marketing, Project Management, and our Executive Management team.

How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?

First and foremost – having an inherent sense of genuine curiosity. Whether it’s engaging with a customer or an internal resource, learning about “the why” behind a question or comment drives true collaboration, which ultimately leads to addressing the real need.

A great CSM also understands business needs and how to help a customer realize outcomes that align with their goals. Another important attribute is possessing and applying problem-solving skills while not getting rattled easily. CSMs tend to get hit from all angles with challenges. Being able to come up with creative solutions under pressure is vital to a CSMs longevity.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?

Learn the different functions of a subscription-based business, what motivates individuals/teams in these roles, and how they support each other and the business. The relationship you build with other teams, will have a direct impact on your success as a CSM.

The relationship you build with other teams, will have a direct impact on your success as a CSM.

Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?

I’m exploring opportunities for my next CS role now. But in my most recent Director role, I made sure to stay as consistent as possible focusing on the strategic mission, while leaving time to react to, and address, items that need more immediate attention.

I would typically start a day reviewing and prioritizing time-sensitive items followed by analyzing important data/metrics. I regularly met with peers in other departments, spent time evaluating processes, and meeting with members of my team to help support both their customers’ efforts and their own professional development. I also made sure to directly engage with our customers to solicit feedback in an effort to continuously evolve in how to best meet their changing needs.

What makes you feel inspired or motivated?

I genuinely love witnessing and contributing to successful outcomes, whether for individuals, teams, or entire companies! Seeing others succeed not only brings me joy, but also fuels my motivation to keep helping others, while continuously improving my own skills.

What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?

When I was younger, I was anxious to talk with people I didn’t know. I didn’t even like ordering a pizza over the phone. Little did I know that I would make a career out of that!

Who do you look up to the most?

True leaders. Those who can create or embrace a vision and inspire others to join them on a successful journey.

One of my favorite examples over the past decade is Jesse Cole, who founded the Savannah Bananas baseball team. In tandem, Jesse created a company called Fans First Entertainment and completely focused the organization’s approach to always do what is best for the fans (i.e, fans first!).

With that mission, they only have one type of ticket that includes all-you-can-eat concessions, they removed annoying advertising around the ballpark, players dance and do flips while playing positions, and they even created a rule that if a fan catches a foul ball – the batter is out! Jesse has led the organization to create an unforgettable fan experience that has driven fans to sell out their games almost immediately after tickets go on sale.

What are your top 3 priorities now?

My primary priority is finalizing the process for my next CS opportunity. 🙂

However, the top priorities in my most recent Director role were:

To make it easier for our customer stakeholders to showcase the value of our outcomes to their Executive Management
Continuous iteration of our internal processes to reduce friction and enhance the customer experience, while creating efficiencies
Driving revenue growth, when in the best interest of our customers

What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?

Try to find and work for a strong Leader who sees the importance of investing in their direct reports and commit to putting into action what you learn from them.
Proactively offer to take on additional cross-functional responsibilities and projects that positively impact the CS program – this is career-shaping experience.
Build a portfolio of your successes (i.e., a running list) and be ready to share them.
Connect with people in the CS community and foster real relationships where you can learn from others as well as share insights with them.
Overcome any potential aversion to selling – when done properly, you’re a partner that is helping your customer achieve their goals.

What’s your favorite book, and why?

How to Win Friends and Influence People (by Dale Carnegie)

I first read this book early in my career and try to re-read it every few years. It’s a very easy read due to the story-based format and is packed with actionable insights to authentically engage well with people in any setting. I credit the insights shared in the book with helping me gain confidence conversing with others and significantly improve the interactions I have with people regardless of the environment.

» 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 been fortunate to experience various successes over the years, (building successful programs, mentoring people who’ve become successful in their own right, etc.), I’m not focused on “making it.” My aim is to enjoy the journey, continue developing skills, and have a positive impact on as many people around me as possible.

What should I have asked you but didn’t?

How do you ensure that the CS department’s goals are aligned with the company’s goals?

Maintain regular communication with leadership across departments to stay informed about the company’s overarching objectives and any evolving priorities. This helps ensure that the CS department’s initiatives are directly contributing to those broader goals.

Emphasize collaboration between teams to ensure that everyone understands how their work impacts the company’s success. Encourage cross-functional projects and continuous feedback loops, so that adjustments can be made to your approach, as needed, to stay in alignment.

Regularly review performance metrics to ensure that our efforts are driving the desired outcomes, both for the department and the company as a whole. By staying agile, focused on the bigger picture, and maintaining a clear line of sight between daily tasks and company goals, ensure that the CS department remains a key contributor to the organization’s success.