In the world of Customer Success, relationships and decision-making authority within customer organizations are always evolving. One of the most impactful changes that can occur is a power shift at the CXO level, particularly when it affects the person responsible for financing the subscription costs of your product or service.

Be dramatically willing to focus on the customer at all costs, even at the cost of obsoleting your own stuff.

Scott D. Cook, Founder of Intuit

Cook stresses the importance of prioritizing customer needs, even if it means reevaluating existing products or services, reflecting a significant shift in traditional business paradigms.

A new executive sponsor or financial decision-maker can bring fresh perspectives, priorities, and sometimes skepticism about existing vendor relationships. As a Customer Success Manager (CSM), your role is to navigate these shifts proactively, ensuring continued adoption, value realization, and ultimately, renewal and expansion.

Strategies to successfully manage such power shifts:

Here are five key strategies to successfully manage such power shifts:

1. Rebuild Stakeholder Mapping and Influence

When a new decision-maker takes charge, they bring unique priorities and perspectives, potentially impacting your product’s adoption. The first step is to rebuild your stakeholder map by identifying who controls the budget, understanding their concerns, and recognizing key internal influencers shaping their decisions.

CSM Action:

• Initiate a re-introduction meeting where you can position yourself as a strategic partner.
• Use this opportunity to understand their vision and align your value proposition accordingly.

2. Reaffirm Business Value and ROI

A new CXO-level stakeholder may not be familiar with the historical impact of your solution on their organization. They might question the investment and seek justification for continuing with your product.

CSM Action:

• Prepare a custom impact report detailing the key wins, efficiency gains, and cost savings your solution has driven.
• Showcase benchmarking data to compare their performance with industry peers using your solution.
• Quantify the opportunity cost of not using your solution—highlight risks of churn, inefficiencies, or lost competitive advantages.

3. Leverage Internal Champions and Advocates

Your existing champions—power users, operational leads, and cross-functional supporters—can be your strongest allies in maintaining continuity during leadership changes.

CSM Action:

• Organize a roundtable discussion with key internal champions who can validate your product’s value in front of the new stakeholder.
• Equip them with data and narratives that reinforce your solution’s role in achieving company goals.
• If necessary, re-engage executive sponsors from your own organization to reinforce strategic alignment.

4. Align with the New Leader’s Strategic Goals

Every new leader has an agenda. Their key concern is often delivering quick wins and aligning investments with their broader strategy. Your job is to demonstrate how your product fits into their vision.

CSM Action:

• Schedule a strategy alignment session to discuss their goals and explore how your solution can contribute.
• Identify any new initiatives they’re prioritizing and position your product as an enabler of these objectives.
• Be flexible and proactive—if they have concerns about cost, offer usage optimization strategies or tiered engagement models.

5. Proactively Address Renewal and Budget Concerns

A power shift often brings scrutiny to existing vendor contracts, and renewal discussions can become more challenging. Get ahead of any potential pushback on pricing or contract terms.

CSM Action:

• Engage early in renewal discussions—don’t wait until the last minute.
• If cost-cutting is a concern, provide customized engagement models that offer flexibility while maintaining value.
• Offer executive-level QBRs where they can directly see the impact of your solution on business performance.

Conclusion: Think Strategically and Stay Proactive

Power shifts at the CXO level can be disruptive, but they also present opportunities to reinforce your product’s value, build fresh relationships, and deepen your strategic role. The key is to act early, realign with the new leader’s vision, and continuously prove your solution’s impact on their business.

By proactively rebuilding relationships, demonstrating ROI, leveraging internal champions, aligning with new goals, and addressing budget concerns, you position yourself as a trusted partner, not just another vendor—ensuring long-term success for both your customer and your business.