Why did I write The Strategic Customer Success Manager?
- Chad Horenfeldt
- Jul 26
- 2 min read
“The playbook the CS industry has been waiting for”. This is one of the more than 100 global reviews that were written about my book, The Strategic Customer Success Manager: A Blueprint for Elevating Your Impact and Advancing Your Career. From these reviews and the countless messages, likes, posts, and other feedback, it seems that the book couldn’t have come at a better time.
Why did I write The Strategic Customer Success Manager and why now?
I could simply write blog posts or create an ebook and distribute it for free, but I decided to publish a formal book and go through a torturous process of writing, rewriting, editing, and more editing. The reason is fairly simple as it’s core to my purpose of wanting to help others. This book is my way of sharing some of my life lessons with others, aiming to elevate the customer success industry.
I’ve gained so much from other books I’ve read over the years, and I attribute a lot of my own success to those wonderful people who put pen to paper. The best books distill years of someone’s experience into a readable format that anyone can absorb. I’ve learned a great deal over my 20+ years in customer success, and I wanted to organize my insights into a book format. I also share many stories I’ve accumulated over the years, having had the pleasure of working with such amazing leaders, colleagues, and customers.
I also recognized that most CS books available were geared towards the customer success leader. Customer success needed a more practical guide for CSMs to help transform their roles in the post-COVID world, where their roles are threatened by AI, higher interest rates, smaller budgets, and an anti-CS backlash.
The goal of this book is to uplift the CSM role and to provide another voice that others can build upon.
Why did I choose the red cover for The Strategic Customer Success Manager?
When I started writing The Strategic Customer Success Manager, I knew the cover couldn’t just look good — it needed to say something. The color choice wasn’t just any color; it was a signal. A signal that customer success, as we know it, is in trouble — and it’s time for a strategic shift.
Red signals urgency and transformation in the customer success industry. It symbolizes the passion that I have for it and the desire to help improve it.
The reaction from the customer success community to the book has been electric. I couldn’t be happier with the positive response it’s received.
If you are in a customer-facing role, I would encourage you to grab a copy or at least have a look at the sample provided on Amazon to get a feel for the book. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
Here are a few of the more than 100 global Amazon reviews:
