Asking one bold question turned a $50K client into a $10M account and reshaped how account managers think about trust, strategy and growth.

Account management leader Joanna Hagelberger joins Alex Raymond to talk about what account management looks like when it’s done right, from building the function from scratch at high-growth InsurTech companies to leading with curiosity instead of a script. What happens when you stop asking surface-level questions and start inviting your clients to think bigger? Joanna shares how one conversation sparked a 200x expansion and why most account managers don’t realize they have permission to ask the hard questions.

This episode also gets into the realities of scaling an account management team, how to avoid segmentation mistakes, and why internal alignment matters just as much as client relationships. What do you do when your executive team has no idea what’s happening with your top accounts? How do you keep account managers from working in silos? Joanna brings clear, grounded answers from the field, along with a mindset shift that every account manager needs to hear.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Intro and Meet Joanna Hagelberger

02:04 Building Account Management from Scratch

06:57 Customer Support vs. Customer Success vs. Account Management

09:27 No Surprises: The Role of Internal Account Reviews

15:52 The Five-Year Question That Led to 200x Growth

20:17 Curiosity as a Core Account Management Skill

26:28 Taking Ownership and Leading Accounts

31:12 Segmenting Accounts the Smart Way

36:28 How to Think About Portfolio Size

40:04 Becoming a Strategic Account Manager

41:35 Why Finance and Product Should Be Your Best Friends

Links

Connect with Joanna Hagelberger:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-hagelberger/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most of your revenue probably came from existing customers last year, and if your QBRs don’t include the C-suite, you’re at serious risk of churn.

Alex Raymond sits down with Guy Rubin, the founder and CEO of Ebsta, to unpack the 2025 GTM Benchmark Report and what it means for account managers right now. The data is clear: 52% of new revenue last year came from existing accounts, not new logos. That shift isn’t just interesting as it should completely change how teams think about growth, customer relationships, and where to invest their time and resources.

Guy shares practical insights on what sets top-performing account teams apart, including the impact of C-level participation in QBRs (7x more likely to upsell) and the dangers of single-threaded relationships. He also explains how Ebsta’s engagement scoring works, and why tracking relationship momentum across the customer lifecycle is one of the most valuable metrics you’re probably not using.

The conversation hits on a growing gap between top and average performers, a data-driven case for 360 selling, and a refreshingly blunt take on the real reasons sellers are missing quota. If you want to grow revenue, retain your best customers, and actually move the needle, this episode will show you where to start.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:29 Why Existing Customers Are Driving Revenue Growth

05:49 How the GTM Benchmark Report Was Built

10:04 Relationship Momentum and Multi-Threading

12:21 Engagement Scoring and What It Reveals

14:10 Why C-Suite Participation in QBRs Changes Everything

25:08 Sales Performance Gaps and the Leadership Wake-Up Call

27:37 The Return of 360 Selling

36:10 What Top Account Managers Are Doing Differently

Links

Connect with Guy Rubin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinguy/

Website: https://www.ebsta.com/

Benchmarks: https://benchmarks.ebsta.com/2025-gtm-benchmarks?utm_source=amplify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=2025+gtm+benchmarks&utm_content=gtm+benchmarks+2025+landing+page

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Spray-and-pray job applications aren’t getting anyone hired. So what actually works when the competition is this intense?

In this episode, Alex Raymond is joined by Carly Agar, the founder and CEO of Carly Agar Training, to talk about how account managers can navigate the current job market with more clarity and control. What do hiring managers really care about? How do you stand out when hundreds of people are applying for the same role? Carly shares why intention matters more than volume, and how treating your job search like a high-value client strategy changes everything.

Alex and Carly also talk about what it means to truly “own” your book of business and why that mindset separates top candidates from the rest. Carly offers advice on building internal champions, tracking the right metrics, and shaping your reputation, so that when you’re not in the room, people are still talking about you in the right way.

And yes, AI comes up. Carly explains why account managers who lean into it, learn from it, and help their teams use it well are positioning themselves for long-term success. If you’ve been wondering how to level up or move forward with more purpose, this episode is your playbook.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 What the Job Market Looks Like in 2025

05:35 Why Spray-and-Pray Applications Fail

07:13 Smarter Strategies for Job Searching

08:05 How to Uncover Your Dream Role

10:13 Making an Impact Without Switching Jobs

13:33 Building Internal Champions and Mentors

15:41 How to Get Promoted Without Just Hitting KPIs

16:24 Thinking Like a CEO of Your Book of Business

17:29 Career Paths: Leadership vs. Strategic Accounts

19:30 The Skills That Actually Set You Apart

21:09 How Account Managers Can Leverage AI

22:15 Advice for Owning Your Career Growth

Links

Connect with Carly Agar:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/

Website: https://www.carlyagar.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

AI isn’t just changing the tools we use, it’s reshaping the entire conversation around business value, accountability, and risk.

In this episode, Alex Raymond sits down with Mark Stouse, the CEO of ProofAnalytics.ai, to talk about how AI is driving a seismic shift in how companies operate. The core message: transparency and accountability are no longer optional, and gut instinct won’t cut it.

Mark explains how AI is collapsing the “gray zone” of ambiguity in business, forcing teams to prove value with hard data. He also shares a critical legal shift from early 2023: a Delaware court ruling that expanded fiduciary duty to all company officers, not just CEOs and CFOs, making risk management everyone’s responsibility.

You’ll hear how customer success is more than a renewal engine. It’s a strategic early warning system that should be treated as both a value creator and a multiplier. And you’ll learn why the old accounting mindset, focused only on past performance, can’t keep up.

If you're leading customer accounts, managing renewals, or influencing post-sales strategy, this conversation will reframe how you think about risk, impact, and your role in the AI-powered business landscape.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

03:25 AI as a Super Technology & What It Changes

04:44 How Fiduciary Duty Now Includes Functional Leaders

06:12 Case Study: CRM Data Fraud and Legal Risk

09:54 AI, Legal Accountability & Market Volatility Collide

12:54 Why Traditional Accounting Thinking Falls Short

14:31 Causal Analytics vs. Predictive Tools: What Leaders Need

17:34 The Long Game: Proving Impact in Customer Success

19:28 Customer Success as an Early Warning System

22:28 The Problem with BI Dashboards and Misread Data

25:46 How to Start Risk Conversations at Your Company

27:21 Forecast Risk vs. Enterprise Risk

28:00 Why T-Shaped Skills Matter in the Age of AI

29:24 What the Future of AI Looks Like for Teams

Links

Connect with Mark Stouse:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse/

Website: https://www.proofanalytics.ai/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Customer success was supposed to be the future. So why are so many CS teams under-resourced, misunderstood, and fighting to stay relevant?

Alex Raymond sits down with Parker Chase-Corwin, the CEO and principal consultant of Xperience Alchemy who’s helped dozens of B2B companies rethink how they approach retention, risk, and long-term value. They unpack why CS never quite delivered on its promise, why the function has become a catch-all for upstream problems, and what needs to change if companies want better outcomes and fewer surprises.

Is customer success really one team’s job? Or does it require every part of the company to take ownership? Is your CS team driving strategy or just cleaning up after everyone else? This episode is a must-listen for account managers, CS leaders, and anyone who believes customer outcomes should be more than just a quarterly talking point.

Learn more about AMplify at www.amplifyam.com

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:20 Why Customer Success Is Struggling

03:05 The Branding Problem in CS

05:28 From Customer Success to Customer Experience

07:03 Does CS Have a Future?

14:07 Solving Problems Upstream

17:20 Proactive Account Management

31:21 Risk Management That Works

39:53 Rethinking Customer Experience Teams

43:18 Where to Start and What to Prioritize

Links

Connect with Parker Chase-Corwin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkercorwin/

Website: https://www.xperiencealchemy.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most account plans feel like busywork. Why? Because they’re built in a broken system that rewards documentation over results.

In this episode, Alex Raymond explains why so many account plans fail to drive real impact and what to do instead. He introduces a framework: three customer goals, three key contacts, and three specific actions for the next 90 days. No fluff. No filler. Just a clear plan you can actually use.

Are you building your plan to impress your boss, or to deliver value your client will notice? Are you tracking assumptions, or asking the right questions?

If you’ve ever felt like your account plan was more theater than strategy, this episode will help you shift into something far more effective. Alex also shares details on the upcoming Account Planning Bootcamp inside the AMplify community, where you can dig deeper and start building plans that actually grow your accounts and your career. Learn more here: www.amplifyam.com/account-planning-bootcamp

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:40 Why Most Account Plans Fail

10:41 What Is Dynamic Account Planning?

13:10 The Rule of Three Framework

30:35 Should You Share Your Plan with the Customer?

34:05 Making Your Plan a Living Document

Links

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most account managers are chasing career growth, but few stop to ask whether their next opportunity might already be within reach.

Alex Raymond talks with Swati Garg, the founder and CEO of Melo Associates, about what hiring managers are prioritizing right now, and what many candidates are getting wrong. What skills actually stand out in a crowded field? How do you show you’re ready for more responsibility? And why are so many companies missing the mark by defaulting to external hires?

Swati shares what’s shifting in the job market, including the rising demand for strategic thinking, stronger negotiation chops, and real fluency with tools powered by AI. She also breaks down why internal promotions aren’t just cost-effective, they’re often the best way to keep top performers engaged and growing.

If you’ve been stuck thinking the only next step is people management, this episode offers a broader view. Swati talks through alternative paths like CS operations, enablement, and even product or marketing roles, reminding us that knowing your customer deeply is a competitive edge across teams. She also gives practical advice for anyone on the job hunt: be intentional, do your prep, and stop treating the interview like a one-way evaluation.

Whether you’re hiring or exploring your next move, this is a smart, honest look at how to grow your career without losing momentum.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Career Growth in Account Management

02:53 Current Job Market for Customer Success and Account Managers

05:10 Hiring Internally vs. Externally

07:39 The Importance of Internal Talent Retention

08:59 Evolving Roles in Customer Success

12:29 Must-Have Skills for Account Managers

16:05 The Importance of Business Acumen

17:42 Navigating Job Searches and Maintaining Morale

24:10 Career Progression Paths for Account Managers

28:00 Exploring Non-Linear Career Paths

30:30 The Role of Chief Customer Officer

33:09 Assessing Company Fit During Interviews

39:45 Words of Wisdom for Job Seekers

Links

Connect with Swati Garg:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swatigargmhrir/

Website: https://meloassociates.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Securing Megadeals requires more than just a strong pitch. It demands a deep understanding of deal orchestration and stakeholder management.

In this episode, Bora Brännström, the co-founder of Megadeals Advisory, joins Alex Raymond to share insights on navigating the complexities of large, multi-million dollar contracts. Bora breaks down what makes a deal truly complex, from influencing decision-makers at every level to managing a web of cross-functional relationships. He points out a common challenge many companies face—rainmaker dependency—and how relying too heavily on a few key individuals can hinder growth, especially for scale-ups.

So how can account managers scale success in such a high-stakes environment? Bora points out the importance of proactively engaging with multiple stakeholders, leveraging internal references, and using targeted media to build trust across the organization. Can a systematic approach to deal orchestration be the key to driving consistent growth? Bora and Alex’s discussion offers strategies for anyone looking to step up their game in managing complex deals and building stronger relationships with key stakeholders.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

02:19 Defining Megadeals

04:44 Four Criteria of Complex Deals

07:03 Challenges in Scaling Sales Teams

10:13 Finite vs. Infinite Markets

14:45 Expanding Within Existing Accounts

17:31 Stakeholder Mapping

20:52 Ideal Stakeholder Map (ISM)

25:35 Accessing Key Decision Makers

30:40 Proactive Account Management

34:54 Actionable Steps for Account Managers

40:58 Building a System to Eliminate Rainmaker Dependency

43:40 Specialization and Support for Rainmakers

Links

Connect with Bora Brännström:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bora-br%C3%A4nnstr%C3%B6m-a193a9a/

Website: https://www.megadeals.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm