Why CSMs who ignore exec relationships are flying blind, and how to fix it
“If you don’t know your customer’s top executive priorities…
you don’t really know your customer.”
In today’s world of efficient growth, Customer Success Managers aren’t just adoption guides or support liaisons. They’re strategic partners expected to drive revenue, retention, and expansion.
But there’s one underrated lever that’s often missing from a CSM’s toolkit:
executive alignment.
Without it, your efforts are likely to stall in the “nice-to-have” category, no matter how great your onboarding or usage metrics look.
Let’s break down why executive alignment is a hidden superpower for CS teams, and how you can build it into your playbook.
The Risk of Operating Blind: No Execs, No Influence
If you’re only talking to your day-to-day champions or system admins, you’re missing the full picture.
Here’s what happens when executive alignment is missing:
You get surprised by renewal risk you didn’t see coming.
(“We’re shifting budgets.” → You weren’t in the loop.)Expansion conversations fall flat.
(“Sounds great, but I’ll need to take this to leadership.”)Your product feedback goes nowhere.
(“We’d love that feature too… but no one on our side can escalate it.”)You’re treated like a vendor, not a partner.
(Because you haven’t earned a seat at the strategic table.)
Without executive context, you’re flying blind in critical areas like budget cycles, strategic pivots, M&A activity, or org reshuffles, all of which directly impact renewals and growth.
The Upside: Executive Alignment Is a Revenue Multiplier
When you have consistent access to customer executives, here’s what becomes possible:
1. Better Retention
Executives who see clear value are more likely to renew. Simple. When they understand how your solution maps to their business priorities, they protect the investment.
Example: One CSM started quarterly exec syncs and surfaced how their platform was reducing cost per hire by 18%. The renewal went from at-risk to multi-year locked.
2. Expansion Becomes Easier
Execs can greenlight new use cases, push adoption across teams, and unblock additional budget. They can connect you to other P&L owners. That’s how expansion happens.
Tip: Don’t pitch features, pitch initiatives they care about. Example: “You mentioned a focus on improving onboarding time. Here’s how we can help your L&D team solve that…”
3. Roadmap Influence
Want that killer feature to get prioritized? Executive relationships help you elevate the ask. It’s not just a “ticket” anymore, it’s tied to a business case with high visibility.
What Executive Alignment Actually Looks Like
Let’s be clear, executive alignment isn’t a one-off intro at kickoff or a QBR drive-by.
It’s an ongoing rhythm.
Here’s what elite CS teams do:
Practice | Description |
Stakeholder Mapping | Identify and track key execs (e.g., VPs, budget owners, strategic sponsors) in a shared doc or CRM |
Quarterly Exec Syncs | Schedule 30-minute strategic check-ins that focus on business goals, not product updates |
Business Outcome Scorecards | Track and report ROI in executive language: cost savings, revenue gains, time-to-value |
Pre-QBR Intel | Use news alerts, 10-Ks, or LinkedIn posts to understand what’s top-of-mind before meetings |
Executive Briefing Emails | Monthly or quarterly emails summarizing impact and next steps, tailored for exec consumption |
How to Build Exec Alignment into Your CS Motion
Even if you don’t have exec access now, you can earn it. Start here:
Ask your champion who owns the outcome you’re solving for. (Then request an intro.)
Use your QBR or renewal cycle as a moment to bring in execs with value-focused content.
Create an “Executive Briefing Template” that gives your champion an easy way to forward value summaries.
Align with your AE or account team to co-host strategic syncs, they likely want this too.
And if you’re a CS leader:
Make exec alignment a tracked metric.
It’s that important.
Final Thought: Exec Alignment = Revenue Insurance
Your platform may be sticky, your champion may love you, and your usage may be high, but if the decision-maker doesn’t know your value, you’re one procurement review away from churn.
Executive alignment isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s revenue insurance.
And when done right, it becomes a force multiplier for your entire CS strategy.
It reduces surprises.
It increases expansion.
It deepens your strategic influence.
And most of all…
It cements your position as a trusted partner.
Want to get started?
Next week I’ll be sharing a free Executive Alignment Tracker + Briefing Template you can plug into your CS workflow.
Subscribe to The Profit Loop or follow me on LinkedIn so you don’t miss it.
Onwards,
Mark Stagi
