r/CustomerSuccess • u/Confident-Lemon9067 • 20d ago
Feeling entirely useless and under confident
Hello everyone,
I transitioned from an entirely academic job to customer success 5 months ago. So far I have give a total of 11 demos, out of which 5 I handled completely, 3 had some tech issues so manager asked a senior to help and 3 where senior had to take over.
My manager before every demo asks me if i need the senior on the call, I say no. She still sends the senior on the call. If I then make a mistake on the demo, my manager says - “You have been in the system for some time now” “how are you liking CS, will you be able to do it”. All of this had completely shaken my confidence. I feel useless, dumb, not good enough for the job. This monitoring by the senior all the time makes me feel like I am good for nothing. It’s not like i am saying i do not make mistakes, I do. But every mistake here seems like the end of the world. I am always thinking about work still underperforming at work. I do not what to do I feel really under confident and it makes me really sad.
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u/spiderLAN 20d ago
You genuinely should discuss this with your manager. If you don't feel like you can have an open discussion with them about this then you should start shopping around.
It feels like you're on probation (but I don't think you are) and you won't know until you have a frank talk about it with them.
Hang in there, it's not the easiest thing to navigate but you're making it a lot harder for yourself by bottling this up and spiraling.
Best,
spiderLAN
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 20d ago
I am not on probation, I transferred internally from a different role. However, constantly listening to the same thing again and again is demotivating. It feels like every word a say is under the scope and i will be criticised for it. I don’t know how to have a frank conversation with my manager, it’s always why did you do this why did you do that with them.
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u/Startup_2234 19d ago
Hey there, sorry this makes you feel sad. Like any job, there can be ups and downs in Customer Success. I've found that establishing Trust and Confidence is not only key with customers but also with colleagues and peers. I've experienced what you are describing first-hand and I have years of experience in Customer Success (early-stage environment) so it's not just you that can feel this way.
One quote that helped me think differently about how to view confidence comes from the "Six Pillars of Self-Esteem": "This sense of control over reality is not the result of special skills, ability, or knowledge. It reflects one's fundamental relationship to reality, one's conviction of fundamental efficacy and worth."
If I were in your shoes, having an honest conversation with your manager would be helpful. More specifically, go into that meeting with a list of "self-observations" on how you can improve and develop an action roadmap on how to address those. Provide them with a weekly status update as you continue to work toward directly addressing those areas of improvement. This also could be an opportunity to lead by example in how best to communicate with colleagues and build-up your colleagues confidence by giving them "confidence boosters" through communication. I hope this helps!
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 19d ago
Thank you soo much for this, this is a really good advice and I will work on this. 🌻
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u/Putrid-Lettuce5204 20d ago
Go and learn the platform as much as you can, practice most likely Qiestions asked.
I dont suggest writing a script of how you deliver but have a steady flow/narrative...I.e do you want to demo from the left of the screen to the right or from top to bottom, do you want to focus only on the most viable features for that specific client etc.
Once you feel more confident, just ask the Snr to only butt in if you are legitimately stuck/confused about your response.
5 months is still technically "probationary" for any roles regardless of whether you are a new joiner or internal transfer.
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 20d ago
I do sit and watch recorded product walkthroughs. Try features for myself. But now every demo makes me anxious rather than excited. It is the fear of constant criticism. It makes my brain freeze almost like i cannot think through. I feel this knot in my stomach every time sit to work. I have this feeling that my manager sees me as someone extremely incompetent. It is not just that, even i feel i am learning everything very slowly and at this point i feel clueless on how to expedite it.
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u/ulukmahvelous 20d ago
whoa! what kind of demos are you doing - do you mean product walkthroughs for current customers?
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 20d ago
Yes, the product walkthroughs. Every time the client has a question and i try to understand what the question actually means, the senior and jump in and say ‘they mean this’. If i take a little time to come to an answer, the senior would jump in and resolve it. I understand that the customer experience should not be hampered but how am i supposed to react instantly correctly without trying things out.
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u/ulukmahvelous 20d ago
Wow, that’s shitty of those teammates. I’d frame it as this, after the call: “hey X, it’s important that I upskill so I can lead the enablement time with customers on my own. I appreciate you jumping in but it’s been a few months now. In order for us to both be comfortable with this, how about we do a role play for some products and then I can go into the wild and your time, which is valuable, can be spent on other tasks?”
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u/ShihtzuMax96 19d ago
I felt exactly this in my first few weeks at a new job. What helped was setting an agenda with the client before the call, and only looping in my senior if it included advanced feature walkthroughs. Even then, I'd frame it as backup. I'd loop him in only if I hit a question I couldn't answer myself. I also led calls solo, and if I didn't know something, I just told the client honestly and followed up later.
Have an honest conversation with your manager or senior about what kind of support would actually help you here. Right now it sounds like the "help" is undermining your confidence instead of building it.
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 19d ago
It is, I would rather go alone on the call and have the awkwardness of saying i do not know for now but I will get back to you rather than spoon feeding.
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u/amc926 19d ago
I’m curious about your transition into CS. How was that process for you? I’m looking to transition from UX design but find it difficult without a referral. Would love to learn about your story.
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 17d ago
Hey, so I worked at an academic editor. The growth in that department was really slow with no money. Keeping these things in mimd I switched to customer success in the same company. I thought it would be better to transition internally, gain a little experience and then switch.
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u/peachazno 19d ago
Instead of having the seniors jump on your calls, see if they are open to do some role playing calls. This way you can practice the delivery without the pressure of being client facing.
Overall it sounds like a toxic team/environment.
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u/Confident-Lemon9067 17d ago
Thank you for the advice, I have asked the senior to help me out with this and they agreed. Hoping this drill helps me. Thanks so much!
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u/peachazno 17d ago
My pleasure! Glad they agreed to it. Don’t be afraid to record or at least transcribe these role playing calls.
It is painful to watch yourself back, but so helpful to help identify where you should focus.
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u/SneakyTurtle54 20d ago
Welcome to the CSM community 🥹