Most account managers are stuck chasing satisfaction when they should be driving change.

Alex Raymond is joined by Brent Adamson, the co-founder of A to B Insight and Qoos and the author of “The Challenger Sale,” for a discussion that challenges the way most teams think about account growth. If happy customers aren’t growing their accounts, what’s missing? And what does it actually take to move from retention to expansion?

Brent shares research that calls out a common trap: overdelivering on service without helping clients rethink their business. He introduces the idea of customer improvement: the account manager’s job isn’t to keep things running smoothly, but to show customers what’s possible when they shift their approach.

Alex and Brent also get into the confusion between customer success and account management, the pressure to grow accounts without losing them, and why confidence, specifically the client’s confidence in their own decisions, matters more than loyalty or trust.

If you’re leading key accounts or coaching teams who do, Alex and Brent’s discussion will change the way you think about long-term growth.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Evolution of Account Management and Customer Success

02:52 Understanding the Roles: Retention vs. Expansion

11:11 The Importance of Customer Improvement

21:48 Driving Growth Through Insights

23:19 Navigating Account Management Challenges

26:36 Understanding Customer Improvement

29:27 Identifying Unique Strengths

32:16 The Importance of Customer Confidence

35:54 Introducing the Frame-Making Sale

46:30 Empowering Customers for Growth

Links

Connect with Brent Adamson:

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

Website: https://www.brentadamson.net/

Website: https://qoos.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

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