Welcome to the Force & Friction Podcast, where we break down what really moves the needle in GTM, RevOps, partnerships, SaaS companies, and customer success.
In this episode, we're joined by Andrea Bumstead from CS Impact , an entrepreneurial leader who made the remarkable transition from job seeker to business owner with a $50K first month.
After being declined by companies four times, including twice where she was the only candidate, Andrea pivoted from seeking a VP of Customer Success role to creating her own fractional consulting business.
After being declined by companies four times, including twice where she was the only candidate, Andrea pivoted from seeking a VP of Customer Success role to creating her own fractional consulting business.
Andrea guides us through her viral LinkedIn framework that's revolutionizing how customer success teams approach quarterly business reviews. Her 15-minute QBR method has generated over 4,000 comments and 200,000 impressions, proving that executives will show up when you respect their time and deliver genuine value.
We explore why traditional QBRs are broken, how emotional connections drive renewals more than data presentations, and the often-overlooked importance of how customer success teams show up on camera to build trust and drive revenue outcomes.
Andrea Bumstead
Rutger is a Lean GTM Operations Consultant and the founder of NEON Triforce. His career spans enterprise consulting, social analytics, and customer tech, culminating in a mission to remove inefficiencies in how GTM teams work.
Watch the Episode:
Here are the core areas we discuss in today's episode:
1: The Rock Bottom Revelation: From Rejection to Revenue
Andrea opens with the powerful story of how repeated rejections led to her breakthrough business model. After being declined by four companies—including two where she was the only candidate—she discovered a fundamental market truth.
"I realized 2 things. One, I realize that companies don't want to commit, especially not to a senior leader right now... unless a company can be 100% sure that they have their right candidate, this is the right leader that will take them to the next level they don't want to commit. They would rather not hire."
This insight led to her innovative approach: offering fractional services that de-risk the engagement for both parties. By proposing "There's no commitment on your part, but you can end the engagement at any time... and I have zero expectation that you will hire me full time," she created a win-win solution that landed her first clients within 24 hours.
2: The 15-Minute QBR Revolution: Solving Executive Attendance
Andrea's breakthrough came from a simple question during a customer success training: "How do I get executives to attend my QBRs?" Her response sparked a viral movement that's changing how CS teams approach customer engagement.
"Why don't you just do it in 15 min? Every executive leader has 15 min. You can get an executive to agree to a 15 min meeting... but when you get that 15 min you better have something of value to deliver right? And when an executive is talking with a vendor, the only question they truly want to answer in that conversation is, Am I getting value or impact from your solution, and should I keep spending money on it?"
The framework is elegantly simple: tell them the value they're currently getting, show them how they could get more value, and provide three specific recommendations. This approach respects executive time while delivering the insights they actually need to make renewal decisions.
3. Emotion Over Data: The Psychology of Customer Retention
One of Andrea's most powerful insights challenges the data-first mentality that dominates customer success. She emphasizes that emotional connections often matter more than spreadsheets when it comes to renewals.
"The emotional reasons behind why people buy are actually stronger than the rational reasons. Right? We buy for emotional reasons. And we back it up with data. But it's emotion first... if a customer purchased your product for an emotional reason, but we're only tracking data, and then we go into the conversation right at renewal and we're putting data out there again. But they purchase for an emotional reason. Where's that reason?"
This insight explains why some customers say "Yeah, but I like it. I like working with you. I like my experience" even when data suggests they should churn. The emotional connection often trumps rational analysis in renewal decisions.
4. The Camera Presence Revolution: How You Show Up Matters
Andrea has pioneered an often-overlooked aspect of customer success: training teams on their virtual presence. In a post-COVID world where most interactions happen via video, how CS teams show up on camera directly impacts renewal outcomes.
"Lately I have spent more time than ever training CS leaders and CSMs... how to show up on cam... we experiment with lighting, we experiment with camera positioning, we experiment with using gestures and our hands. We experiment with smiling more and having more expressions... if they show up to a conversation with poor lighting, where you can only see half their face... I don't care how good they are, they are not connecting."
Her approach includes practical elements like proper lighting, professional backgrounds, and even wearing business attire from head to toe, including shoes, because "it influences how I feel, and it influences how I show up."
5. Customer Success as Revenue Engine: Sitting on All the Money
Andrea reframes customer success from a cost center to the revenue engine that "sits on all the money." Her approach to establishing CS value involves both mindset shifts and concrete financial modeling.
"Customer success sits on all the money. We sit on all the money. So you know we're what keeps the lights on. We're what keeps everything going... We pay people's salaries. Everything like we sit on all the money... and the company is relying on us to renew all that money and grow it right."
She demonstrates this value through financial modeling, showing one client that a modest 8% price increase would generate $1.4 million in additional revenue. This data-driven approach to proving CS value helps establish the function as a strategic revenue driver rather than just a support function.
Final Thoughts:
Andrea leaves us with a nuanced perspective on the ongoing debate about churn responsibility, acknowledging both the critical role of product quality and the irreplaceable value of customer success."I do think that there's some truth... would I say 100%? No, I wouldn't... The product is part of it, and it's a part that we can't discount. It's an important part, but it's not the whole piece. It's a part."Her final insight emphasizes the interconnected nature of customer success, where product quality, emotional connections, professional presentation, and strategic value demonstration all work together to drive renewals and expansion.The key takeaway is that customer success transformation requires both tactical changes (like 15-minute QBRs) and fundamental shifts in how teams present themselves and articulate their value. As Andrea demonstrates, when you combine respect for executive time, emotional intelligence, professional presence, and financial acumen, customer success becomes the revenue engine that truly "sits on all the money."
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A little about me, the host the show. Please connect with me on LinkedIn I'd love to have you as part of our professional network
Mike Midgley runs a portfolio career, a dynamic hands on digital entrepreneur, founder of the Scrubbing Squad, NXD, strategist, public speaker, Winning by Design certified Revenue Architect and Host at The Force & Friction Podcast.
Mike has achieved multiple exits over a 30+ year career, raised Venture Capital and franchised his businesses 68 times.
