Episode Description
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle unpack one of the most confusing functions in SaaS: customer success. Based on a survey of 132 GTM leaders, they break down how CS teams are staffed, compensated, and structured — and why 93% of companies still aren’t confident they’ve gotten the model right. From P&L placement to comp plans to expansion ownership, they explore whether customer success is actually driving revenue or just absorbing budget.
—
SPONSORS:
HockeyStack is an AI platform for modern go-to-market teams that unifies sales, marketing, and customer data into a single system of action. With AI agents that prospect accounts, support reps, improve forecasting, and automate what’s already working, HockeyStack helps teams move faster without guessing. Trusted by companies like RingCentral, Outreach, ActiveCampaign, and Fortune 100 teams—learn more at https://www.hockeystack.com
RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.com
Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities to automating painful procurement workflows and giving you the best market data to turn vendor negotiations in your favor, Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit https://www.tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn how.
—
LINKS:
Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/
Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/
Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro banter
3:24 CS team size benchmarks
5:13 93% lack confidence in their CS model
6:36 Renewal rates are solid
8:10 CS identity crisis
9:12 Where CS reports
11:44 CS on the P&L
10:02 Sponsors — Hockey Stack | RightRev | Tropic
13:41 P&L placement results
15:51 Staffing by count vs. revenue
17:44 CS as a coverage problem
18:28 CS is not paid like sales
20:14 MBO vs. commission vs. hybrid
22:01 Why commission is hard
23:13 Hybrid comp gets diluted
24:30 What CS is actually paid on
25:19 Pay on adoption, not NPS
27:26 NPS is not predictive
29:26 Who owns expansion revenue?
32:12 Should you charge for CS?
34:09 Takeaways
36:48 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #RevOps #ProductMonetization