The Power of Saying No: Apple's Lesson for Customer Success
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In customer success, your ability to focus can make or break your career.
One of the most powerful examples of strategic prioritization comes from Apple's history.
It offers great lessons for all customer success pros.
Steve Jobs and the Art of Saying No
In 1997, Apple was struggling.
Steve Jobs, newly returned as CEO, knew drastic changes were needed.
His approach? Learning to say no.
Shortly after his return, Jobs met with Jony Ive, Apple's Senior VP of industrial design.
Apple had 40 products at the time.
Steve Jobs asked Jony a simple question:
"Jony, how many things have you said no to?"
Jobs explained the essence of focus:
"What focus means is saying no to something that you—with every bone in your body—think is a phenomenal idea. And you wake up thinking about it. But you say no to it because you're focusing on something else."
To illustrate, Jobs drew a 2 x 2 grid on a whiteboard with just four product categories:
Consumer & Professional x Portable & Desktop.
And that’s it.
This radical focus transformed Apple just by saying no to everything else.
It transformed from a struggling company into one of the most valuable in the world.
The Transformation Begins
This meeting marked the beginning of a powerful collaboration between Jobs and Ive.
They focused on creating a few top-quality products and said no to everything else.
This strategy of "doing less, better" led to the creation of iconic products: iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
Applying Apple's Lesson to Customer Success
In customer success, saying no often means:
Refusing to take on a low-impact project to focus on a major account renewal
Choosing not to implement a minor customer request to focus on solving a critical issue first.
Saying no to a meeting that doesn't align with your top priorities
The Double Satisfaction of Doing Less
Philosopher Marcus Aurelius said that focusing on doing less "brings a double satisfaction."
You have fewer things to do. But then you can do those fewer things at a much higher level.
In customer success, this means for example:
Focusing on your top 20% of accounts that drive 80% of your revenue (The Pareto law)
Prioritizing high-impact initiatives that boost customer experience
Improving your processes to focus on what matters for customer satisfaction and retention.
Embracing Ideas While Learning to Say No
Steve Jobs' approach to saying no didn't mean shutting down creativity.
He loved hearing new ideas.
But he was selective about which ones to pursue.
In customer success, this translates to:
Encouraging innovative ideas from your team and customers
Being careful when you check each idea against your core objectives and resources
Willing to say no to good ideas that don't align with your current priorities
How to Say No in Customer Success
Drawing from Apple's story, here are some strategies you can use to say no in CS:
Be crystal clear about your priorities. Communicate them to your team and customers
Respond to requests fast and be direct
Offer brief explanations when declining requests
Suggest alternatives like workarounds
Stand firm in your decisions. Especially when they align with your core objectives
Note: I'm writing a mini guide on saying no and declining requests gracefully. It will help you become more confident. My Premium subscribers will get full access to examples with templates. Don't miss out, upgrade to Premium now.
The Lasting Impact
As Steve Jobs said, "I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things."
In your customer success role, consider all the things you could achieve by just saying no to these other stuff that do not move the needle.
What could you do if you focused your energy on fewer, more impactful goals?
The answer might transform your job, customer relationships, and business outcomes for the company as it did for Apple.
Saying no is not about limiting possibilities.
It's about creating space for what matters in delivering exceptional success for you, your customers, and the company.
I hope that helps,
-Hakan.
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