The Growth Signal

The Growth Signal

di Alyssa Nolte

Stagione 1

Field Notes: Me-X (When Your CX Is Really About You)

Your customer experience isn't about your customer. It's about you. Demo videos behind form fills. Sales stages built for your forecast calls. Onboarding is designed for your analytics. Renewals focused on proving your value instead of delivering theirs. In this mini field notes episode, I break down how the entire organization is guilty of "Me-X"...customer experience that's really just self-serving strategy in disguise. From marketing's gated content to sales processes to CS renewals, we're designing for internal metrics while missing what customers actually need to choose us. Your customer chose you. Did you deserve it? Subscribe to my Substack for more: alyssanolte.substack.com

Field Notes: Focus Over Shiny Things (Gabrielle Mills)

This Field Notes episode was inspired by my conversation with Gabrielle Mills. She shared the idea that your business can’t grow bigger than you’re willing to grow yourself — and it got me thinking about what that really means for me this year. Back in January, I set my 2025 theme as focus: choosing the things that are right, not just the things that are good. That sounds simple, but if you’re wired like me — an early adopter who loves shiny new ideas and the thrill of the solve...focus can be one of the hardest disciplines. In this short reflection, I talk about: The difference between good opportunities and the right ones How Truvue has forced me to build with a team, not just brute force it alone Why I’m looking for fellow early adopters to help us test, shape, and build what’s next If you’re the kind of person who loves to try something new before it hits the market, this one’s for you.

Field Notes: Process Over People

Sometimes real life feels a little too much like The Good Place. In this Field Note, I share how a simple product issue turned into a customer support spiral...where process mattered more than people, rules mattered more than trust, and leadership failed the very customers they were trying to retain. It’s funny on TV, but in real life it’s maddening. And it’s a reminder that the best customer experience isn’t defensive or bogged down in procedures. It’s proactive. It empowers people. It protects trust. Field Notes are my raw observations from the messy middle of building, learning, and testing what it means to create something better.

Field Notes: Burying Personas, Finding People (Andy Halko)

This reflection was inspired by my conversation with Andy Halko on The Growth Signal. Andy’s hot take (that personas are dead) pushed me to look hard at some of the assumptions I made when starting TruVue. In this Field Notes episode, I pull back the curtain on what it felt like to realize we were building for an audience that wasn’t actually ready for what we thought they needed. I talk about why solving a problem nobody is begging you to solve is a dead end, how painful it is to admit when you’ve gotten it wrong, and why narrowing your focus feels scary but creates momentum. It’s a messy, unpolished voice note about pivoting, listening harder, and remembering that sometimes the most “revolutionary” move is the simplest one: actually talking to your customers. Why listen: If you’ve ever bet on the wrong ICP, wrestled with the fear of narrowing, or wondered why customers aren’t “clamoring” for your solution, this reflection will hit home. It’s about honesty, traction, and finding the courage to choose who you’re really for... and who you’re not.

Field Notes: Start the Conversation (Drewbie Wilson)

This Field Notes reflection was inspired by my conversation with Drewbie Wilson on The Growth Signal. His hot take was simple but sharp: Sales is easy...the hard part is just calling the damn leads. That hit me harder than I expected, because I’ve been carrying that same hesitation in my own business lately, not with cold calls, but with how I talk about Truvue. For too long, we’ve been building quietly, waiting for someone else to ask before we share what we’re excited about. In this episode, I pull back the curtain on that shift from waiting to be asked, to starting the conversation. From chasing polish, to chasing momentum. If you’ve ever caught yourself overthinking, holding back, or waiting for the “perfect moment” before putting yourself out there, this one’s for you.

Should CSMs Carry a Quota? A No-Holds-Barred Roundtable Debate

This special live roundtable replay takes on one of the most debated questions in Customer Success: Should CSMs carry a quota? Host Alyssa Nolte is joined by three powerhouse guests – Rob Durant, Rob Zambito, and Brooke Foley – for a candid, unscripted conversation that brings together perspectives from sales, CS leadership, and marketing strategy. No brands. No sponsors. Just honest talk about what works, what doesn’t, and what the future of CS could look like. Why listen? Because whether you lead a CS team, work directly with customers, or partner with CS from another department, this conversation will help you think differently about how commercial responsibility is defined, measured, and rewarded. You’ll hear real examples, conflicting viewpoints, and practical advice you can take back to your own organization. 3 Key Takeaways: Why “carrying a quota” means different things in different companies – and why that definition matters. How to balance customer relationships with measurable commercial outcomes without killing trust. When tying CS compensation to revenue can help – and when it can backfire. Wherever you stand on the quota question, you’ll walk away with new ways to think about aligning your CS strategy with the business’s bottom line.

Clarity Is Not More Information (and Leaders Get This Wrong) with Charlie Sells

More data does not fix confusion. Clear thinking does. Alyssa Nolte and Charlie Sells break down why leaders who move fast often create misalignment, burnout, and stalled growth… and how rethinking clarity can change how customers and teams experience your business. Most leaders believe clarity comes from giving more answers. Charlie argues the opposite. When teams ask the same questions over and over, it is not because they need more information. It is because the direction is not clear. This conversation rethinks how leadership clarity shapes customer trust, brand growth, and long term momentum. If you lead a team, sell services, or care about customer experience, this episode will challenge how you think about speed, simplicity, and alignment. Why you should listen You feel like your team keeps missing the point, even after you explain it. Your brand message feels muddy or stretched too thin. You want to rethink how leadership decisions impact customers, not just internal ops. 3 key takeaways More information often signals confusion, not clarity. Clear leadership creates better customer experiences and faster growth. What is already working matters more than chasing the next shiny idea. People and resources mentioned Randy Gravitt Mark Miller Lead Every Day Dr. Matt Payton Brian Lawrence WinSite clarityovereverything.com

Alyssa Likes to Talk (and That’s the Whole Point)

When your high school coach tries to sum you up in a few words, "Alyssa likes to talk," it can feel like a punchline. But what if that label was actually the throughline? In this Field Note, Alyssa shares the story behind her umbrella brand, Alyssa Likes to Talk - a home for every conversation, project, and lesson that’s shaped how she builds, leads, and learns. She reflects on: The moment “Alyssa likes to talk” stopped being embarrassing and started making sense Why she’s never fit neatly into one lane (and why that’s the point) How all her worlds (podcasts, consulting, software, and story-gathering) connect through curiosity and conversation This isn’t another podcast. It’s the superfeed where it all comes together. Subscribe on Substack to listen, read, and join the conversation: alyssanolte.substack.com

Is It Time to Kill the Health Score? - Roundtable Replay

This roundtable originally aired live on Thursday, June 12th. Let’s be honest—most customer health scores are useless. They’re lagging, biased, and based on signals that don’t actually predict renewals. In this roundtable, we ask the question out loud: should we kill the health score altogether? Guests LeeRon Yahalomi, Alyssa Opella, and Brian Hansen don’t hold back. They challenge the industry’s obsession with login data, expose how internal politics distort scoring models, and offer a smarter alternative—measuring outcomes, not check-ins. 🔥 You’ll hear: Why “logins” are the weakest signal in your stack The one question every CSM should be asking How to arm your champion to win the budget fight If your health score can’t predict revenue, it’s not a score—it’s a security blanket.

Who Owns Revenue After the Deal? - Roundtable Replay

This roundtable originally aired live on Thursday, May 8th. Customer Success. Sales. RevOps. Everyone’s in the revenue pool, but no one agrees who’s swimming where. Join us for a real conversation (no slides, no fluff) about the messy overlap of post-sale ownership. What’s working? What’s broken? And where do we go from here? Connect with Alyssa on LinkedIn Connect with Amber on LinkedIn Apply to be a Guest at TheGrowthSignal.com

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