Here's the thing –– collectively, we spend a lot of time talking about the glitz and glam of Customer Success.
I usually recap podcast episodes over on Keep The Customer, but this one podcast is perfect for you all.
I sat down with Ben from NPS I Love You to talk about the reality of building a presence online and how it all started, work/life sustainability, and my struggles in Customer Success.
Let's dive into the top 3 takeaway!
The obstacles you'll face when you start creating your online presence
There's a massive list of reasons you shouldn't start building your presence online, and I was very attached to one of them... "I don't have the title; who cares what I have to say?"
This is the biggest piece of shit excuse I know.
When I started, I posted very odd things that didn't have a common thread. I didn't have a clear voice because I didn't want to "pretend" to be something that I wasn't. "How was I going to share anything if I didn't have the qualifications?"
At that time, I was also in a tough place. I wanted to move on from my current job onto something new, but I didn't have the experience being asked of me on interviews. So building an online presence became the only way to make that connection.
Ben, the host, put it nicely "It's not that you didn't have the time, it's that you didn't MAKE the time." I made the time by sacrificing something that I really liked... Instagram. I traded endless scrolling for content creation.
And after 5 to 6 months of writing in my blog and posting on LinkedIn, building an online presence helped me score the job!
Aiming for consistency as a parent and CSM
The idea that we CAN have it all is also 💩
On the podcast, I talk about all the expectations that we set out for ourselves like:
Having a spotless house
Dinner on the table at 6 every night
Perfect relationship with our partners
Reading to kids EVERY single night
Maintaining a 17 step skincare routine
Working out 1 hour per day
Reading a chapter per night
Meditation 1 hour per day
Having kids in 3 activities
Talking to family and friends all of the time
Side projects/hustle 😬
Kicking ass and taking names at work
Posting every day on LinkedIn
Y'all, that's A LOT! And I'm not gonna pretend that I'm doing it all. When we're all struggling to maintain balance, the best we can do for ourselves is to be consistent with what we can.
My motto as a parent is "I have to put my mask on first so that I can help you with yours." It really shows when I don't put myself first, and my family doesn't deserve that. Like making the time for building an online presence, I find the time to do things consistently at home, and apparently, my kids love me, lol.
My struggles in Customer Success
It's easy to forget that we're all still learning. It's easy to forget the process of developing skills, and it's easy to expect perfection.
During the interview, I opened up to something that I didn't plan on speaking to. Is this Diana writing this post? Yes. But is it Diana speaking to customers? Not all of the time.
Sydney, my boss, was on a customer call with me one day, and afterward, we had our 1:1. She said, "you're so fun on internal calls; why are you not bringing that to customer calls?"
She got me!
This was my moment to be real with her, so I opened up. It's my "white girl voice," I said. It's the voice I put on as a wall because I don't know if I'll be judged for being/sounding Latina. This is a crappy realization. And one I hold onto due to past experiences.
No one needs permission from anyone else to be themselves but what she gave me was a platform to address this, to recognize that IT IS a thing, and, that itself, is the key to permitting myself.
Ben shared a similar experience. Does he refer to his husband as "husband," or does he go with "partner" because "you never know" 😔
If you identify with any of these things or something similar, just know, you are not alone 🖤
To wrap up, this all sounds super serious, but I promise you there were plenty of laughs throughout the entire episode. I highly recommend listening to it, and I appreciate your support.