10 - From Red to Green: Telling the Turnaround Story

You rescued the account. You turned red to green. You did the hard work - the internal alignment, the customer conversations, the late nights building the get-well plan. But if nobody knows about it, did it really happen?

In this episode, we're closing out the Path to Green mini-series by tackling something most CSMs overlook: how to tell the turnaround story.

This isn't about bragging. It's not about taking credit that belongs to your team. It's about strategic storytelling that protects your credibility, reinforces customer confidence, and documents impact in a way that actually matters.

We're covering two critical audiences: your internal stakeholders and your customer. Each needs to hear the story differently, and each conversation serves a different purpose.

For your internal team - your CS leadership, your AE, Support, Product - they need to see that this wasn't luck. They need to understand the methodology you used, the challenges you overcame, and why this outcome is repeatable. That's how you earn credibility, autonomy, and resources for the next fire you need to fight.

For your customer, the turnaround story isn't about reminding them how bad things were. It's about showing them the journey, acknowledging their role in the recovery, and building confidence in the partnership going forward. When done right, this becomes the foundation for expansion, advocacy, and long-term retention.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Specific milestone triggers for when to tell the story (because timing matters - tell it too early and you risk undermining credibility if momentum stalls; wait too long and the moment passes)
• The three-part framework for internal storytelling: Problem (specific), Approach (strategic), Outcome (business impact)
• How to structure the turnaround narrative in your next Executive Business Review, including the exact slide framework and language to use
• The three most common mistakes CSMs make when telling turnaround stories - and how to avoid them
• How to leverage the turnaround story beyond the initial telling: case studies, onboarding materials, performance reviews, and career development

This episode is for CSMs who've done the hard work and need a clear framework for communicating that impact. Whether you're preparing for your next EBR, documenting a win for your leadership team, or building institutional knowledge for your CS organization, this episode gives you the structure you need.

The companion resource - The Turnaround Story Framework - includes milestone trigger tables, the internal storytelling structure, customer-facing EBR templates, and a complete documentation checklist. Grab it at ClearPathCX.com.

This is the final episode in the Path to Green mini-series. If you missed the previous episodes, go back and listen - they build on each other. Next episode, we're starting a new mini-series on Executive Business Reviews, beginning with how to prepare for your first EBR without burning out.