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122. 5 Ways Top Performing CSMs Use Champions to Drive Adoption, Expansion & Renewals in Their Accounts
Episode 12227th May 2026 • Customer Success Career Coach, Career Tips and Proven Job Interview Strategies For Every Customer Success Manager • Carly Agar | Customer Success Career Coach
00:00:00 00:31:00

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What if the biggest opportunities in your accounts are being left on the table because you are treating champions like power users instead of strategic partners?

In this episode, I’m breaking down the five specific ways top performing CSMs use champions to drive adoption, expansion, and renewals without carrying the entire account on their back.

I’m sharing the exact plays I used throughout my CS career, why most CSMs are thinking about champions the wrong way, and how to turn your internal advocates into the people opening doors, influencing teams, and helping you protect revenue.

You’ll walk away knowing how to sound more strategic, create more momentum in your accounts, and stop feeling like you have to do everything yourself. If you’re ready to become the kind of CSM that companies cannot afford to lose, hit play, and let’s dive in.

1:10 – Why most CSMs aren’t set up to leverage champions (and it’s not your fault)

3:22 – The three must-haves that make someone a true champion, not just a coach

6:47 – Turning your champion into a community builder with a simple Slack channel

10:55 – Upleveling adoption by helping champions create a resource hub or wiki

14:38 – Making your product stickier by baking it into new hire onboarding

16:30 – Driving expansion with champion-led value stories that actually land

21:44 – Teaching champions to talk ROI to crush renewal conversations

FREEBIES & RESOURCES:

🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE

🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume

🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself

🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral

CONNECT WITH ME:

❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/

💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at support@carlyagar.com

HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: [insert trackable link here]

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Mentioned in this episode:

If you’re job searching and not getting traction, join our live panel to learn exactly what helped 5 professionals land customer success jobs fast: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/panel

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