The CFO is not who you think they are, and that misunderstanding is costing account managers deals.

On Account Management Secrets, host Alex Raymond sits down with Jacques Sciammas, a former CFO at Charles Schwab, McGraw-Hill, and Standard & Poor's, to break down how to sell to a CFO and what it takes to build a lasting executive relationship. Jacques is now the President at Selling to Executives, where he coaches B2B sales teams on C-suite engagement, and he brings a perspective most account managers never get access to.

The CFO is not the budget gatekeeper. They are the CEO's strategic partner, accountable for outcomes across the entire organization. Every vendor interaction gets evaluated through that lens. If your B2B account management strategy treats the CFO as a financial approver rather than a business leader, you are already starting from the wrong place.

Jacques is clear that demonstrating value to executives is not a pre-sale activity. It is the entire job. From the CFO's point of view, the deal is not done when the contract is signed. It is done when the results show up. Account managers who shift into product mode after the close and stop speaking in business outcomes are the ones who lose renewals. A strong renewal and expansion strategy means staying outcome-focused well past the signature.

Vendor trust and transparency are not nice-to-haves in this framework. They are survival requirements. Jacques is direct about what ends a relationship fast, hiding bad data, downplaying a problem, or showing up without anything of value to say. When things go sideways, the account managers who come in with a clear picture of where things stand and a plan to fix it are the ones who keep the business.

Engaging C-suite executives well also means knowing when not to reach out. The CFO does not want a check-in. They want information that helps them do their job. Showing up without purpose signals that you do not understand the room.

For account managers who feel outranked in these conversations, Jacques has a counterintuitive take. You know more than they do about what works. Use it.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 How to Sell to a CFO: What Account Managers Get Wrong

02:59 The Real Role of the CFO in Your Client's Organization

07:27 Why the Deal Is Not Done at the Signature

10:13 What It Actually Means to Be a Strategic Partner

14:56 How Often to Engage C-Suite Executives (and When Not To)

24:17 A Real-World Story of a Vendor Who Almost Lost the Deal

29:08 Building Trust With the Finance Team After the Sale

33:34 Why Discounting Signals You Have Not Proven Your Value

37:35 How to Make a Business Case When There Is No Budget

Connect with Jacques Sciammas:

Connect with Jacques on LinkedIn

Visit the Selling to Executives website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Customer churn usually starts long before renewal, and strong account managers know how to spot the risk before the customer walks.

On this episode of Account Management Secrets, customer churn prevention takes center stage with Alex Raymond and Chris Rauch, an experienced Chief Customer Officer who has led post-sales teams at Salesforce, Sage, and Supermetrics. Chris calls out a common problem in post-sales work. Too many teams rely on simple CRM churn reasons that make the board deck look clean, but fail to explain why the customer really left.

Real churn rarely comes from one event. It builds through missed support signals, unclear value, product gaps, weak follow-up, and customer concerns that never get enough attention. By the time a competitor appears, the account may already be gone.

Chris makes the case for customer churn prevention as a daily operating practice. Stronger churn forecasting and renewal forecasting help teams see which accounts carry revenue risk and where action is needed. For account managers and customer success leaders, this is where real account management retention begins.

Alex and Chris also discuss why quarterly business reviews often miss the mark. A strong QBR should not be a vendor report. It should be a focused customer conversation about business goals, value, friction, and trust.

The episode also looks at chief customer officer growth and the growing expectation that post-sales leaders own more than retention. Customer success growth now requires commercial awareness, better incentives, and a clear link between customer value and expansion.

For account managers, CSMs, and post-sales leaders, this episode is a reminder that renewal is not the starting line. Better questions, earlier action, and deeper customer context are what keep accounts from slipping away.

Episode Breakdown:

00:03 Account Management Strategies for Client Retention and Growth

02:20 Why CRM Churn Picklists Miss the Real Reason Customers Leave

06:12 The Give a Damn Line and How Contract Value Changes Churn Risk

09:02 Churn Forecasting and Revenue Risk Before Renewal

10:56 T-Minus Renewal Forecasting for Customer Churn Prevention

15:04 Why Quarterly Business Reviews Fail Customers

19:43 Chief Customer Officer Growth and the Shift Beyond Retention

36:54 How AI Can Improve Customer Success and Account Growth

Connect with Chris Rauch:

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Revenue stalls when companies treat growth like a handoff instead of a system, and this conversation shows why expansion revenue strategy lives or dies in the customer journey.

On Account Management Secrets, Alex Raymond talks with Nate Skinner, Chief Revenue Officer at 8am about what separates random wins from repeatable growth. The heart of the discussion is expansion revenue strategy and the idea that post sale revenue gets stronger when marketing and sales and customer experience all move in the same direction. Nate brings an unusual lens to the CRO role because his path ran through marketing, and that perspective shapes how he thinks about alignment, brand consistency, and the work required to make growth stick.

This conversation is for account managers and revenue leaders who are tired of hearing vague advice about retention and upsell. Nate explains why a dedicated customer sales team can unlock real opportunity when it focuses on accounts that have already seen value. He also shares why net revenue retention improves when sales stays accountable after the contract is signed and when customer success protects trust instead of trying to sell during support moments.

Scale changes the rules. Automated customer onboarding, early warning signals, and a next best offer model help teams spot risk sooner and surface the right offer at the right time. That creates a better customer experience and a stronger business case for growth. Nate also makes a clear argument for renewal automation. If a product is doing its job and customers are getting the outcomes they expected, renewal should feel like a continuation of value rather than a forced event.

If you want a clearer view of account growth, this Account Management Secrets conversation offers a useful model for building a business that expands with more focus, more trust, and far less waste.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Account Management Secrets Intro and Expansion Revenue Preview

02:27 Why a Marketing-Led CRO Brings a Different Go-To-Market Strategy

07:00 Expansion Revenue Strategy and the Modern Customer Journey

10:21 Durable Revenue Systems That Reduce Churn and Drive Growth

14:44 Automated Customer Onboarding and Early Warning Systems at Scale

17:15 Next Best Offer Model and How to Earn the Right to Expand

22:08 Customer Sales Team Structure and Customer Success Alignment

26:51 Net New Sales vs Customer Sales Skills and Role Differences

30:59 Renewal Automation and Why Renewals Should Not Feel Like an Event

33:53 The Economics of Expansion Revenue and Net Revenue Retention

40:25 How to Build Scalable Revenue Systems Starting With the Problem Statement

Connect with Nate Skinner:

Connect with Nate on LinkedIn

Visit the 8am website

Connect with Alex Raymond:

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

Visit the AMplify website

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm