Imagine this:
You log into a video call with a key client. Your colleague pulls up an interactive, visual canvas. You’re all feeling energized.
At one point, your client mentions an insight: Adoption has increased by 15% since last quarter. Their eyes light up, the conversation flows, and you can tell you’re turning data into a compelling story. The client leaves happy, excited to share with the team.
Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are important opportunities to strengthen customer relationships and drive growth. And the best QBRs are strategic conversations that lead to alignment and uncovering new opportunities.
Our team has distilled the QBR process into three role-specific guides:
- Sales leaders: Guide leaders, managers, and reps through pipeline reviews for strategic alignment and precise forecasting. The focus of this guide is on internal QBRs.
- Sales managers: Coach your team to diagnose pipeline issues and ensure accountability at every level. The focus of this guide is on external QBRs.
- Account managers: Transform customer conversations into actionable insights, driving retention and long-term growth. The focus of this guide is on external QBRs.
Account managers (AMs) and customer success managers (CSMs) can lead interactive, high-impact discussions that drive value. In this post, we’ll explore how AMs and CSMs can help their client-facing QBRs be more collaborative and interactive to energize their clients and grow their accounts.
Key highlights:
- The unique roles of AMs and CSMs in QBRs
- Tactical strategies for running a high-impact QBR
- Real-world scripting examples for critical moments
- How to tailor QBRs for different customer personas
What’s the role of AMs & CSMs in a QBR?
Account managers and customer success managers play complementary roles in client relationship management. A well-executed QBR takes advantage of both perspectives. In fact, 87% of business buyers want reps to act as trusted advisors, so your account team should approach your work with customers collaboratively.
Account manager focus:
- Focus on long-term account growth and expansion
- Handle renewals and contract discussions
- Align stakeholders and communicate the strategic value of the partnership
Customer success manager focus:
- Focus on product adoption and user engagement
- Troubleshoot and remove roadblocks to ensure a smooth customer experience
- Drive business outcomes by implementing best practices
Two of our go-to-market team members at Mural were happy to share their advice. Danielle Binder, Principal CSM at Mural, says her biggest tip is to focus on outcomes:
“A big part of success in QBRs is making sure the account team has a clear goal. It’s important to have done discovery with a strategic customer before we present. And for other customers, we use QBRs as a way to get their attention and drive action, using the meeting to collaborate on their goals and build out a strategy.”
Jacob Wassén, Enterprise AM at Mural, shares his approach:
“My CSM partner and I work very closely with our customers. We bring together a year’s worth of work to tell a story that is more impactful because we are bringing it to life visually.”
While AMs focus on the big picture, CSMs dive into day-to-day success. A strong QBR balances both views so the customer is not just retained but actively growing.
How to run a high-impact QBR
Let’s walk through six steps for a high-impact QBR for account managers and customer success managers.
Related: Running a sales QBR: Everything you need to know
1. Set up the meeting
Before the QBR, AMs and CSMs should define key discussion points, meeting logistics, and who to include. Danielle shares recommended customer success QBR best practices when scheduling meetings:
“There’s a lot of challenges to navigate when setting up a QBR, especially understanding the needs of each person internally and externally.
There’s always the classic challenge: scheduling. Can we get there in person? Do we have to do this virtually? Another challenge is getting the right people in the room, like getting our product team on the call, or having someone technical there.
I also work with the account managers to determine our strategy. Is there a renewal coming up? What are we trying to promote so it is cleanly incorporated into the QBR?”
To stay organized, some teams use a sales account planning template for strategic account planning, which later guides their preparation for the QBR.
2. Create a strong agenda
Once the client is committed and excited, it’s time to build a solid agenda. Did you know 60% of meetings don’t have an agenda? Build yours for a more productive session. (This quarterly business review template is a great starting point.)
Here’s an example of a QBR agenda for customer retention:
Welcome and meeting goals (5 min) - AM & CSM
Welcome the client to the meeting. Briefly set expectations and goals for the QBR. Confirm the agenda aligns with customer priorities.
- Mural tip: Start with a fun one-minute warm-up question to transition the customer to the meeting.
Wins and success stories (10 min) - CSM
Celebrate customer successes and business impact. Highlight positive adoption trends, and add images and charts to visualize the data.
- Mural tip: Use the Celebrate! feature to add some fun to the moment.
Challenges and roadblocks (15 min) - CSM
Identify friction points, adoption barriers, or support needs. Use open-ended questions to map out challenges.
- Mural tip: Use Private Mode if there are multiple stakeholders in the discussion to encourage self-disclosure.
Business goals and future priorities (15 min) - AM
Discuss customer’s evolving business needs. Align on upcoming initiatives and strategic goals.
Expansion and strategic opportunities (10 min) - AM & CSMIntroduce relevant new features, integrations, or growth opportunities that support the customer’s goals.
Next steps and action plan (5 min) - AM & CSMSummarize key takeaways and agree on mutual action items. Assign ownership and deadlines.
- Mural tip: Ask the customer to document tasks and deadlines to solidify their commitment.
Encourage participation from your customer by sending a mural in advance so stakeholders can review or add comments before the QBR.
3. Start with customer wins (not just your own)
Lead with customer successes, especially those tied to business impact. Danielle shares her approach to highlighting customer wins:
“The most successful stories in a QBR are when the customer is able to highlight their own work as a true sponsor and champion. We did this with a Fortune 100 tech client. It was really cool to see the impact from their broader team highlighting some of the great work the admins have done and supported over the length of our partnership.”
If there’s time in advance, have stakeholders contribute to a collaborative mutual success plan or a celebratory virtual card.
4. Turn metrics into meaningful next steps
Rather than showing reports, connect data to business objectives. During a QBR, a CSM might help translate raw data into outcomes and next steps by asking the following:
- “We’ve seen a 30% increase in usage, especially in [team/department]. This tells us adoption is growing. Are there any success stories you’d like to share?”
- “With this increase in adoption, we’re seeing new ways you could expand usage across teams. Have you thought about bringing [department X] into the workflow?”
If the client isn’t able to share stories on the spot, you can always follow up with their team to learn more. Make sure to note any introductions your customer is willing to make so you can schedule future meetings easily.
5. Surface challenges with open-ended questions
Customers might not always volunteer their struggles. CSMs should proactively uncover any blockers to their future success. Here’s a few questions CSMs might ask to make QBRs strategic and action-oriented:
- “What’s been the biggest challenge in achieving your team goals this quarter?”
- “Are there any internal roadblocks slowing down adoption?”
- “If you could wave a magic wand and solve your problems, which problem would you solve first?”
At Mural, one of our favorite methods we use with clients is a Problem Tree Analysis. It’s easy to include this template in a meeting agenda, and the visual offers a clear structure to identify challenges together and explore root causes. Got extra time? Go deeper with the 5 whys template.
6. Co-create a future roadmap
Instead of specifying next steps, AMs and CSMs should guide your customer to define a mutual success roadmap. If you have a lot of tactical steps to complete right away, you can use the now, next later template to include tasks, owners, and deadlines.
Jacob shares his approach to better alignment:
“When running QBRs in Mural, everyone gets on the same page to decide on action items and next steps. Collaborating in a virtual canvas aligns both sides without having to worry about miscommunication.”
If most of your work involves long-term strategy like scaling your product company-wide, your client might benefit from seeing the plan laid out in a one-year roadmap. Keep customers on track using icons like checks to track progress, and use the comment feature to send reminders.
Tailor your QBR for different stakeholders
Your quarterly business review strategy might involve a mix of stakeholders, each with different priorities. Here’s how you can tailor your approach according to who’s in the meeting.
Related: How to create a stakeholder map
Decision-makers (VPs, C-level, directors)
Executive decision-makers are focused on business impact, ROI, and strategic vision. But 72% say the sheer volume of data (and their lack of trust in data) has stopped them from making any decisions. Translating raw numbers into insights is critical.
The account manager may lead the discussion with a decision-maker. Start by highlighting how your solution ties directly to revenue, efficiency, or key business goals. Keep the discussion high-level and outcome-driven, and avoid diving into granular details unless specifically asked. Try engaging decision-makers by asking:
- “Last quarter, your team reduced time spent on [process] by 25%, translating to [business impact]. How does this align with your priorities for the next quarter?”
- “What upcoming company initiatives might we align with?”
Procurement and finance teams
Procurement and finance teams are primarily concerned with cost, renewals, and vendor consolidation. The account manager often leads these discussions, working toward clear alignment on value and renewal terms. Frame the conversation around efficiency and total cost of ownership to emphasize value. Don’t forget to time discussions around renewal cycles to avoid any last-minute surprises. Ask these teams the following:
- “What’s your process for evaluating success before renewal?”
- “As we approach renewal, let’s ensure we’re aligned on the ROI and value drivers that matter most to your team."
End users and champions
If your QBR includes end-users and champions, get a bit more tactical. Focus on their daily workflows and best practices. The customer success manager primarily leads this discussion. Emphasize how your product or service enhances efficiency, and share success stories from industry or company peers. Both can inspire confidence and drive adoption. Ask:
- “What’s been most helpful this past quarter? What could be improved?”
- “I saw your team has been using [feature] more often. What’s working well? Are there any gaps we should address?”
Tailor your QBRs to the specific interests and priorities of each stakeholder group for more effective meetings that address the unique needs of each participant.
Use Mural for your next client QBR
Danielle reminds us that QBRs are critical for bringing a human touch to data:
“QBRs are super powerful to show customers value and insights. It helps give them the bigger picture to see all of the data and user stories come to life beyond a dashboard.”
Effective QBRs should be strategic conversations, not one-way presentations. Use Mural to make your meetings interactive, visual, and engaging to address the priorities of your different stakeholders and co-create next steps. When AMs and CSMs collaborate effectively, QBRs become valuable for retention and growth (and not just another meeting.)
Ready to transform your QBRs into engaging, high-impact sessions? Chat with our team to learn more.
