Customer Success Manager with Dan Sheets - a podcast by Ryan Sweeney

Dan Shares his military background and transition: Serving with the USAF as an Intel officer and working with Defense Innovation Unit opened up his interest in technology and working with elite teams.
The Transition:
- There is no silver bullet
- Need have desire and the willingness to research and learn more.  From there, you can build your business acumen and connect with the skills you gained in the military
- Do intelligence prep of the battlefield if you will: Assess what organizations are looking for by applying research and strategic thought
- Figure out what value you bring to the employer
- Networking is vital, have a networking strategy, whether that is by industry, location, etc.  Have a plan and clearly articulate your message (your personal brand)
- Translate your skills, it is on you!

Customer Success Manager Role:
- Not support, not service: about educating and growing the customers to keep them.  
- 3 Major skills: 
1- Data Analysis (or information analysis)- So you can put together a story
2- Consulting/advisor:  Guide them on potential strategies and how to best use the service
3- Selling: Keep them coming back, so there is sales aspect to the role, but is more natural and embedded and doesn't define the role by metrics (not an account manager)
- Not the "bartender" but more of the "personal trainer"
- Manager of Self and client, not a team.  Heavy cross-functional leadership through collaboration with peers and partners

How to bridge shortcomings:
- Research on industry, speak the language (through books, podcasts, networking, formal education, etc)

References:
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exec-ed/programs/stanford-ignite
https://www.shift.org/
https://breakline.org/
https://vetsintech.co/
https://bunkerlabs.org/
Books: "Zero to One" and "The Startup Game"

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Further episodes of View from the Skies: Military Transition

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