Customer Success Manager

Overview

You own relationships with digital publishers and retail media networks using Burt's analytics and forecasting platform. You run regular check-ins, troubleshoot data issues, train their teams on the software, and push for renewals and expansions. You report directly to the VP of CS in a 39-person company.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Early-stage (likely Seed/Series A based on 39 employees)

Size: 39 employees

Growth: Hiring for CS suggests they have enough customers to need dedicated account management

Market Position: Niche player in publisher analytics - competing against custom-built solutions and legacy BI tools adapted for publishing

GTM Reality

Customer Base:

• Digital publishers (news sites, content platforms, media companies)
• Retail media networks (e-commerce companies running their own ad platforms)
• Both are sophisticated buyers who already have analytics infrastructure

Your Scope: You'll likely own 15-25 accounts depending on their size. Some will be low-touch, others will need weekly attention.

AE Relationship: You probably take over after initial sale closes. There may be overlap on expansions - you identify the opportunity, AE helps close larger deals.

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Client Calls (35%) | Data/Product Issues (25%) | Internal Coordination (20%) | Expansion Planning (20%)

Key Activities

• Quarterly Business Reviews: You run QBRs showing how their data accuracy has improved, what insights they're getting from the platform, and where they could use more Burt features. You're trying to justify the renewal and plant seeds for expansion.
• Technical Troubleshooting: Clients flag data discrepancies ("our revenue numbers don't match your dashboard"). You dig into the data, coordinate with the product/engineering team, and explain what's happening. This happens weekly.
• User Training: New people join your client's team, or they're not using features they're paying for. You run screen-shares walking them through forecasting models, custom reports, or dashboard setup.
• Renewal Management: 60-90 days before renewal, you're documenting usage, gathering testimonials, addressing concerns, and making sure the contract gets signed. Expect some back-and-forth on pricing.
• Expansion Conversations: When an account is healthy, you pitch additional modules, more seats, or integration add-ons. You're identifying the use case, getting budget confirmation, and looping in an AE or the VP if it's a bigger deal.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Data accuracy is everything: Publishers obsess over revenue numbers. If Burt's data is off by even 2%, you'll hear about it. You spend a lot of time reconciling discrepancies and managing expectations.
• Client sophistication varies wildly: Some clients have data teams who get it immediately. Others struggle with basic filters and need hand-holding on every report.
• You're the only CS buffer: At 39 people, there's no massive CS team. When clients are unhappy, you're the one managing it. There's no escalation path beyond the VP.
• Expansion quota pressure: You're not just babysitting accounts - you're expected to grow them. Some clients have zero budget for add-ons and you're still measured on expansion revenue.
• Product gaps: At this stage, the product won't do everything clients want. You spend time managing "we'll add that to the roadmap" conversations.

What Success Looks Like

• You hit 95%+ net retention (most clients renew)
• You generate $X in expansion revenue per quarter from upsells
• Client NPS/health scores stay in the green
• You prevent escalations from turning into churn

Who You're Selling To

Primary Stakeholders:

• Ad Ops / Revenue Ops Leaders: Day-to-day users who live in the platform, need reports for their exec team
• CFO / Finance Teams: Care about forecast accuracy and revenue reconciliation
• Data/Analytics Teams: Want API access, custom integrations, data export flexibility

What They Care About:

• Accuracy: Their revenue numbers must match reality. Any discrepancy kills trust.
• Speed: They need reports generated quickly for internal meetings or client pitches.
• Actionability: They want insights that drive decisions (which inventory to prioritize, where to adjust pricing).
• Integration: Does Burt play nice with their ad server, CRM, and billing systems?

Requirements

• AdTech / Digital Advertising Experience: You need to understand programmatic advertising, ad servers, SSPs, yield optimization. Publishers won't respect you if you don't speak the language.
• Data Fluency: You're constantly in dashboards, explaining metrics, troubleshooting data pipelines. You should be comfortable in Excel/SQL and able to spot data issues.
• Customer Relationship Skills: You're managing 15-25 accounts with varying needs. You need to prioritize, manage expectations, and build trust even when things break.
• Self-Sufficiency: Small team means limited support. You need to figure things out, coordinate cross-functionally, and own outcomes without much hand-holding.
• Expansion Mindset: This isn't just support - you're expected to identify and close upsell opportunities.