Customer Success (S11E5)

What you’ll see in this episode

We’re almost halfway through the game, and as usual, the race is tight and the energy is high. See how the Day 3 challenge and subsequent Blox-Off unfolds in this exciting episode.

The underdog’s on top

Day 3 kicks off with contestants making some deeper connections before they head into the classroom. The day's focus? Customer success post-sale—because it's about more than just service; it's about building lasting relationships. 

The next challenge is dubbed a "doozy" for a reason—it's the first one this season to incorporate role playing. Each contestant must guide their judge through their customer success funnel, stepping into the shoes of the customer. The challenge brings about some lightbulb moments as well as some emotional ones.

And then, the moment we've all been waiting for—the third Blox-Off! The excitement is palpable as each contestant faces a pop quiz. After the battle, the new leaderboard is unveiled, and a surprising underdog takes the spotlight. It's a nail-biting race as we hit the halfway mark of this intense game.

Customer Success

This lesson underscores the critical importance of Customer Success in the realm of startups, emphasizing its role as the missing piece of the entrepreneurial puzzle. In a world where customers demand a meaningful experience, statistics reveal a staggering shift in focus towards customer satisfaction. However, the problem lies in the common startup narrative – an intense focus on creating a market solution and grabbing attention, followed by neglecting the customers post-sale.

The analogy of a "One Night Stand" describes the prevalent behavior: enticing customers, making promises, but abandoning them after the sale, leading to confusion and potential churn. The lesson advocates for a paradigm shift, rejecting the notion of a post-sale phase and embracing Customer Success as an integral part of the entire business funnel. Customer Success, often considered the last third of the funnel, involves more than customer service. It's a strategic approach encompassing onboarding, habit creation, time-to-value, and engagement. The goal is not merely acquiring customers but retaining them.

The lesson delves into the importance of onboarding, emphasizing the need to swiftly deliver value to customers, ensuring a positive initial experience. Following onboarding, the focus shifts to engagement, with a proactive approach to customer education, support, and connection-building. A significant challenge highlighted is the "Presenter's Dilemma," where assumptions about customer understanding post-sale can lead to issues. The importance of early education and ongoing customer training is stressed to ensure customer satisfaction and, consequently, retention.

The incorporation of technology into Customer Success is essential, with automation suggested for repetitive tasks. The lesson concludes with a financial perspective, illustrating how high-quality retention enables increased spending on customer acquisition, ultimately contributing to long-term business success.

Key Takeaways From This Episode

  1. Customer success needs to be baked into each stage of the funnel. We need to know where our customers have come from on their path to us so we can better help them.
  2. The better you onboard a customer and implement the new relationship, the longer you’ll see benefits in return. The customer who’s successfully onboarded will come back with fewer issues because they got the info they needed early on, not halfway through.
  3. Improvements in the user’s first five minutes alone can increase customer lifetime value by 50%. 
  4. Find ways to connect users and excitement by inducing a critical mass. For example, have an in-person pop-up event where your community comes to the same place at the same time. Or if more online, push users or customers to all show up to the same webinar so they can all ask questions and learn alongside each other.
  5. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the customer and make sure at every last little stage of the lifecycle are they setup for success? Do they have answers to hard questions? Are our directions clearly spelled out for them? Is their user experience as smooth post-sale as it was pre-sale?

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Meet The Judges

Andrea Furtick
Andrea Furtick
Founder & CEO of AGC Toys Inc.

Andrea Furtick is a multifaceted creative force, renowned as a published author, fine artist, and toy designer. As the CEO of AGC Toys Inc., she pioneers innovative concepts in the realm of toy design, captivating audiences with her distinctive vision and craftsmanship. With a passion for storytelling and divination, Andrea is the creator of the Afro Goddess Divination Collection, a series celebrated for its spiritual depth and artistic beauty. Her work has garnered widespread acclaim, culminating in a contract with U.S. Games Systems Inc. in 2022, a testament to her enduring influence in the industry. In addition to her creative endeavors, Andrea is a dynamic keynote speaker, captivating audiences with her insights on art, spirituality, and entrepreneurship. Her engaging presentations have graced prestigious events such as The International Divination Event 2022 and the Northwestern Tarot Symposium 2022, solidifying her reputation as a thought leader in her field.

Brad Ellison
Brad Ellison
Owner of Ellison Painting, LLC

Brad Ellison is the owner of Ellison Painting, LLC, known as Michigan’s Most Professional Painting Contractor. With a history as a former Blox competition winner, Brad is dedicated to elevating Bloxers’ business with his valuable insights.

Chris Kovac
Chris Kovac
Founder of kovac.ai

Chris started his adventure in digital marketing in 1996 when he and a college buddy started their first company, Merlin-Enterprises.com (long story…). The focus was on building websites and ranking high in the new search engines (aka search engine optimization). Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, that company did not set the world on fire. Since then, Chris has worked with some of the most well-known brands in the world (Hallmark, Sprint, Microsoft, 3M, others) as well as early-stage businesses and challenger brands. Over the last 15 years, Chris has had the opportunity to speak nationally on digital marketing and social media best practices. Speaking engagements include national marketing conferences, universities (KU, UMKC, NMS), Gallup’s AIM Institute, American Marketing Association, Business Marketing Association and many others.

Emily Keyes
Emily Keyes
Founder & CEO at The Talent Boom Group

Emily Keyes is a powerhouse in the global recruitment industry, renowned as a top-tier career matchmaker for executive-level creative, entertainment, and digital talent. As the founder of The Talent Boom Group, Emily bootstrapped the business in 2012, expanding its reach across three continents. Under her leadership, the company has achieved remarkable success, pulling in millions of dollars in profit annually while maintaining its status as a bootstrapped yet top-quality boutique recruitment firm. Emily's expertise lies in matching elite talent with the world's largest brands, advertising agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and scaling startups on a global scale. With a personal background spanning three continents, she is particularly passionate about assisting expat hires and nurturing expat talent. Based in Miami, Florida, Emily is not only a career matchmaker but also a dedicated business coach and mentor. Through The Global Business Coach, she helps business owners strategize their ventures and break free from emotional barriers to achieve success. Furthermore, Emily's role as a TV business judge and coach for over 300 start-ups and small businesses across the US has solidified her reputation as a trusted advisor in the entrepreneurial community.

Jordan Bell
Jordan Bell
Founder & CEO of Agency Bell

Jordan Daniel Bell is a sought-after advisor, consultant, speaker, educator, and expert contributor in the areas of digital marketing, technology, automation, and startup management. Jordan is the CEO of Agency Bell, a Digital Advertising Agency that leverages Machine Learning to build competitive advantages for high-budget digital brands. He has founded and launched several successful companies, consulted or advised startups in numerous industries, and has managed hundreds of millions of dollars in digital campaigns for Fortune level companies. Jordan was featured as an Executive Coach on Seasons 4 and 11 of "The Blox" (a Reality Competition for Entrepreneurs). Jordan is an expert on advertising, digital agencies, automation, and entrepreneurship. He is a proud husband, father, and an avid musician.

Lily Benitez
Lily Benitez
Owner & Founder of Blade Craft Barber Academy

Lilly Benitez, the owner and founder of Blade Craft Barber Academy has mastered her craft of barbering and customer service over the last 10 years in the salon industry. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she is committed to establishing BCBA as a staple in the industry. She has been searching the last few years for the right opportunity to target male-specific barbering education. After years of research and investigation across the country, Lilly has decided to build it herself. While the future could bring various locations nationally for Lilly's concept, she focused the start of her business in Dallas, Texas with the dream to create an elite level of barber training, and hopes to expand to provide many opportunities outside of Dallas. She wants to help share her wealth of knowledge with other like-minded entrepreneurs by offering coaching and consulting around business, barbershop and salon businesses, and shop education. Barbering and education are Lilly's passions, and she is committed to providing the best of both to her clients, students, and community.

Nemanja "Neman" Golubovic
Nemanja "Neman" Golubovic
Founder, CEO of Kale My Name

Nemanja Golubovic, an entrepreneur from Montenegro, is the CEO and Founder of Kale My Name, one of America’s most successful vegan restaurants. Upon its launch, his mission has been to transform how people eat by providing plant-based meals that contribute to human health and look after our planet. With few resources and opportunities available to him when he first arrived in the United States from Montenegro, Golubovic has worked hard to become a successful business owner and provide healthy options for those who want them.

Rich McCoy
Rich McCoy
Founder & CEO at Rivus Energy Consulting

Rich McCoy is the Founder and CEO of Rivus Energy Consulting, a leading authority in solar sales and renewable energy solutions. With a focus on empowering professionals in the field, Rich provides expert training in solar appointment setting, objection handling, and sales strategy development. Through Rivus Energy, he drives business growth with sales training, lead generation, and strategic partnerships, contributing to a more sustainable future.

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