Hi, Markus here. Welcome to a new episode of the Customer-Value-Led-Growth Newsletter.

Most CSMs are still struggling to transform their effort into actual results because they have been taught the wrong version of the job.

That’s why I have built the CSM Operating System to help you deliver, grow, and monetize Customer Value.

A customer messages you: “Our team keeps creating projects in the wrong way. What should we do?”

You know the answer immediately. “Have them use the new project template. I'll send you the link.”

Five minutes later: “And what should we do with the projects we've already created?” You explain how to fix them.

Then: “How do we stop this happening again?” You give them a process.

3 days later, another question comes in. Different problem, same pattern. You know the answer, so you give it to them.

It feels like you're doing exactly what a good CSM should do.

You're responsive. You're knowledgeable. You're helping the customer get more out of the product. But there is a problem.

If every product problem ends with you providing the answer, you are making the customer better at asking you, not better at using the product.

And that's how you slowly become their answering machine.

And this is where the problem becomes bigger than answering a few questions.

Because if you always solve the problem for the customer, they don't get better at solving problems themselves. They get better at coming to you.

That might not be obvious at first. In fact, it can look like a sign that you're doing a great job. The customer trusts your advice. They know you'll respond quickly. They know you'll point them in the right direction.

But 6 months later, you may have created a dependency without realizing it.

The customer hasn't become more confident using the product. They haven't learned how to work through problems on their own. They have simply learned that the fastest way to get an answer is to ask you.

And now you're part of their workflow.

Every new question comes through you. Every unfamiliar situation becomes another message. Every problem you solve creates another reason for them to come back.

That's not the kind of dependency a CSM should be building. Your expertise should make the customer more capable, not more dependent on you.

That doesn't mean you should refuse to answer questions or turn every conversation into a coaching session. Sometimes the customer needs a straightforward answer. Give it to them.

But when the same kind of problem keeps coming up, don't just solve the immediate issue. Help the customer understand enough to handle the next one themselves.

Because there is a big difference between:

“Our CSM always knows what to do.” and “Because of our CSM, we know what to do.”

The first makes you useful. The second creates lasting value.

This is what many CSMs get wrong. They assume their product knowledge is what makes them valuable.

So they work hard to know every feature. Every setting. Every workaround. Every new release. Every edge case. And that knowledge does matter.

You can't help a customer effectively if you don't understand the product. But knowing the product isn't the outcome you're there to create.

The customer can already get answers. They have documentation. They have support. They have product experts. They have search. They have AI.

Your value isn't simply that you know something the customer doesn't. Your value is helping them use what they have to achieve their outcomes.

That requires a different kind of conversation. When a customer says, “How do we do this?” you don't always need to answer immediately.

Sometimes you must ask first: “What are you trying to accomplish?” Because the feature they're asking about might not even be the right solution.

Or when they say, “This isn't working,” you don’t give them the fix right away. Instead, you ask: “What were you trying to achieve when you did this?”

Now you're helping them understand the problem, not just fixing the symptom. That's a very different role. You're still using your product knowledge.

But you're using it to help the customer make better decisions, rather than simply becoming the person who has all the answers.

This is going to be uncomfortable. Especially when being the CSM who has all the answers has become part of your identity.

Customers appreciate what you do, and you feel useful. But being needed is not the same as creating value.

If the customer needs you every time they encounter a problem, you've created dependency.

If the customer becomes better at solving problems because of how you work with them, you've created capability.

And those two things can look very similar from the outside.

A customer might tell your manager: “Our CSM is amazing. Whenever we have a problem, they know exactly what to do.”

That sounds like a compliment. But what they should really say is: “Our CSM has taught us how to handle these things ourselves.”

If you solve the same kind of problem for the customer 10x, you've created 10 successful interventions.

If you help the customer understand how to solve that kind of problem themselves, you've potentially created capability that lasts long after the conversation is over.

The next time a customer asks you how to do something, pause before answering.

Ask yourself: “If I give them the answer right now, will they be able to handle the same kind of problem next time?”

If the answer is yes, great. Give it to them. If the answer is no, you have a different job to do.

Don't just solve the problem. Help them understand it. Help them find the right solution. Help them build the capability to handle it themselves.

Because eventually, you want the customer to say: “We don't need to ask our CSM about this anymore. We know how to handle it.”

That's not a sign that you've become less valuable. It's a sign that you've created value that lasts beyond the conversation. And that changes your role.

You stop being the customer's helpdesk and start becoming their advisor.

A helpdesk gives you the answer.

An advisor helps you understand the problem, choose the right approach, and make better decisions.

A helpdesk is valuable because it solves things for you.

An advisor is valuable because they make you better at solving them.

That's a much more valuable role.

Knowing what you should stop and start doing instead is one thing.

Building a different way of working is another.

That's why I built CSM Operating System.

If you want to put this into practice, follow this link.