CSM · AE
For anyone who's going to have to answer for why an account didn't renew
As the SaaS industry becomes more competitive, the lines between CSM and AE continue to blur. More CSMs are being assigned revenue quotas and more AEs are expected to be pseudo sales engineers and remain involved in the relationship. Both now need an understanding of change management and how to set the foundation of a good rollout at the onset of a sale.
Posts for deals, rollouts and renewals
Every post answers one question you'd type into a search bar.
The kit, and the five moments it's built for
Every tool is a form, a scorer, a checklist, or a reference you use with your own account's names in it.
Unstick the Account
Twelve tools to work out who a stalled account is waiting on, what's holding them back, and what they need to move forward.
- 01When an account has gone flat and it's on you to move it
- 02After a churn surprised you and you want to make sure there aren't any more coming your way
- 03When you have multiple accounts flagged and there isn't enough time to give them all the same attention
- 04When an account just got handed off to you or a kickoff is starting
- 05When you have to report it up
If you run the whole rollout
Unstick the Account is built on it
The DANCE System™
A communication system for creating stability while a change is under way.
Individual license · $197
See licensingConsulting
If you're a founder handling customer success yourself, or the sales lead who inherited it, I take on async consulting engagements. The details are on the consulting page.
In the book
Parts 2 and 3: Closing the Deal, Onboarding and Adoption
The chapters follow one account. Parts 2 and 3 are the AE's and the CSM's stages of it.
- 6Getting End Users into the Deal
- 7Losing Deals to No Decision
- 8How to Help Your Champion Sell Internally
- 9The Sales to Customer Success Handoff
- 10How to Plan a Customer Kickoff
- 11When an Implementation Stalls or the Product Changes
- 12Why Customer Usage Drops after Onboarding
- 13When Is the Renewal Decided?
Founder
Whitney Stout, JD
Founder of Think Shift Lead™ and creator of the DANCE System™. She holds a J.D. and worked as a trial attorney before moving into change management and technology rollouts for legal teams in large multinational firms. Her work has also included strategic operations in higher education.
THINK · SHIFT · LEAD
Part of the DANCE System™ ecosystem by Think Shift Lead™. © 2026 Whitney BA Stout, LLC. All rights reserved.