Monday Guest Noah Little-Y3-W16

Mohammed Alqaq April 15, 2024April 22, 2024

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Get to know Noah Little

By: Mohammed Alqaq | April 15, 2024 | Year 3 – Week 16/2024

I’m currently an senior enterprise customer success manager at Recharge Payments, where I’ve racked up over five years of experience in the field, working with powerhouses like Facebook, Procter & Gamble, VaynerMedia, and Sephora.

My journey through the COVID pandemic, leading a team of nine CSMs, really fine-tuned my leadership abilities and gave me a solid understanding of what it takes to manage team dynamics effectively.

Outside my day job, I’ve tapped into something pretty special. I’ve helped over 60 people land jobs without relying on networking—a side hustle I’m really proud of. This endeavor has been incredibly rewarding, not just for me, but for those I’ve been able to help along the way.

Now living in Finland, my roots are firmly planted in Toronto, Canada, adding a bit of a global twist to who I am and how I approach both life and work.

We asked Noah 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?

Super messy.

I worked all the labor jobs putting myself through school—for example, landscaping, snow shoveling, door-to-door sales, and concrete work.

I think I went the academic route until I dropped out of my neuroscience PhD in 2017.

From 2017-2019 I was just trying things out. I drove Uber, got fired from being a lousy project manager, did a plumbing apprenticeship; and opened my own food service business in the meanwhile too. I was lost and unsure of what I wanted to be doing.

But since 2019; I’ve been all tech in the customer-facing roles. Getting the role at the startup changed my life.

How did you join Customer Success?

After starting out as a customer support agent at a startup in 2019, I worked my way up to becoming an account coordinator at the company. It was from there that I became a CSM, and six months later, I became a Senior Customer Success Manager. Over the next 1.5 years, I led a team of 9 CSMs.

As a result, I moved into enterprise CSM, where I had the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 companies such as Facebook and P&G. At the moment, I am working for Recharge payments as a Mr. Enterprise CSM, working with some of the largest subscription brands in the world.

How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?

It is important to have someone who is willing to dig deep into the matter. In order to succeed, it is essential that you understand that this is a mentally demanding role.

A new CSM athlete is someone who knows the product, has the ability to have strategic conversations, has emotional stability, and is able to talk openly about pricing and renewals without being afraid to do so.

The goal is no longer to have a good relationship with them and to make them like you; it is to make them successful and to recognize them as such.

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

Treat your client’s business like one your parents own, and you will start thinking through their lens of your product.

Treat your client's business like one your parents own.

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

Each day is different; which is why I love the profession.

So the morning is a true focus time for me. Its a mix of work from the night before for communications that came in, emails, slacks, and internal tickets. Because I protect my mornings, all administrative work, follow-ups, and tasks; can be actioned rapidly.

Then standing meetings with clients such as monthly check-in calls, QBR, training; or anything in between; there are several of those per day at an enterprise level.

Also internal meetings such as with your sales partner, or a product manager you’re working closely with, or team meetings. These are throughout the day and week.

Lastly, escalations; things happen and you do need to be ready to jump in for those times.

What makes you feel inspired or motivated?

I like seeing people grow. I’ve seen people start as an intern to support, work their way up to CSM, and then a team lead in 5 years.

Career growth takes years of compounded effort and direction; it’s an earned merit.

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

I was in my PhD for Neuroscience.

Who do you look up to the most?

My parents. Hard-working, ethical, kind; and always did their best throughout my life.

What are your top 3 priorities now?

These are my top 3 priorities:

Taking care of my family and being present.
Focusing on health and well-being.
Improving my skills as a CSM.

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

Deal with the hardest and most difficult customers in your portfolio; and take those off of your colleagues.

You need to not be scared to enter the hard conversations. This makes you an asset to the company, learn about your customers, and be relied upon for the harder accounts.

I think this also helped me raise my skill set from handling SMB, and midmarket; to the harder conversations with enterprise accounts

What’s your favorite book, and why?

Never Finished. It’s about David Goggins a retired Navy Seal who discusses the mindset you need to have to excel in life.

Refusing to give yourself excuses, or reasons as to why you aren’t living the life you want to achieve. Using his personal story, Goggins talks about the “40% rule,” the idea that most of us only use 40% of our potential. He says we can unlock our true potential by pushing beyond our perceived limits.

» 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?

When I reached a six-figure salary. As soon as I received the job offer, I closed my laptop and cried. From $35,000 a year as an Uber Driver, to breaking into tech; starting from the bottom; it was a full-circle experience for me.