Why Customer Success Managers Are the Most Effective Sellers, According to John Barrows

In a recent LinkedIn post, John Barrows explores the often-overlooked sales capabilities of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) and argues that trust, not product features, is the key differentiator in today’s market. Barrows posits that the traditional perception of sales roles creates an inherent barrier to trust, which CSMs, by their very nature, already possess.

Barrows begins by highlighting a common observation from his negotiation training sessions, noting the different receptions to the same material when presented to Account Executives (AEs) versus Customer Success teams. He recounts:

“I run the same negotiation training for AEs and for Customer Success teams, and the only thing I change is one word. Add a few CS people to a room built for AEs and they walk out saying ‘good, but I wish it was more CS focused.’ Run the identical session for a CS-only room with the word ‘Sales’ removed and they tell me it’s the best training they’ve ever had.”

This disparity, Barrows suggests, is not merely a branding issue but a fundamental problem of trust.

The Trust Deficit in Sales

According to John Barrows, the perception of the sales role itself creates an immediate hurdle. He explains that buyers approach conversations with sales representatives with a degree of skepticism, even before any dialogue begins. This requires sales professionals to dedicate significant effort to building rapport and credibility throughout the entire sales cycle.

As John Barrows puts it:

“When I walk into a room as a sales rep, the buyer believes maybe half of what comes out of my mouth, and that’s before I’ve said anything. That’s the perception of the job and I have to spend the whole cycle earning my way past it.”

In contrast, Barrows argues, a CSM enters the same customer interaction with a pre-existing foundation of trust. Their role is inherently understood as being focused on ensuring the customer’s success with the product, which bypasses the initial trust-building phase that sales representatives must navigate.

Customer Success as the New Frontier of Selling

Barrows contends that in a market where product differentiation is fleeting, the customer relationship becomes paramount. He observes that product features, while important initially, quickly become commoditized.

“Every product in every category is being built at the same speed, so features stop separating you from the competition about six months after you ship them,” Barrows writes.

This reality elevates the importance of the customer experience and the relationship built by the CSM. John Barrows posits that the roles of Sales and Customer Success are fundamentally similar, both centered on helping clients achieve their objectives. The critical difference, he emphasizes, lies in the timing and the existing trust.

CSMs: The Untapped Sales Force

Barrows concludes by posing a thought-provoking question to the Customer Success community. Given their inherent advantage in customer trust, he questions what aspects of “selling” they might be avoiding. His analysis suggests that CSMs are uniquely positioned to be the most effective sellers within an organization, precisely because they operate from a position of established credibility and a focus on customer outcomes.

John Barrows’s insights challenge traditional thinking by reframing Customer Success not just as a retention function, but as a powerful, trust-driven sales engine that can significantly impact a company’s growth and competitive standing.