Valon James
Summary
Results-driven Customer Success Manager with 6+ years in SaaS, marketplace, and financial services. Specializes in customer retention, onboarding, and proactive outreach, effectively partnering with sales and operations teams to enhance retention strategies. Experienced with Salesforce, HubSpot, billing platforms, and AI tools, delivering value by improving customer health and long-term engagement through analytical insights.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Customer Success Manager /Customer Retention Specialist
FMG Suite
Remote
02.2026 - Current
- Own cancellation-risk intervention, retention, renewals, upsells, re-engagement, and customer solutions, helping protect recurring revenue and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
- Partner closely with Enterprise, Sales, and Revenue Operations teams to resolve customer issues, support retention and expansion opportunities, and improve the
- Identified upsell opportunities through frequent account reviews, contributing to increased 10% revenue
- Quickly adapt to new products, processes, and workflows while collaborating effectively across teams and using Salesforce, HubSpot, Zuora/Chargebee, and AI-enabled tools including Claude.
- Manage 50–100+ daily customer interactions and 15–20+ new support tickets across financial advisors, broker-dealers, insurance agents, and other financial-services professionals.
Customer Success Manager
Angi
Remote
07.2024 - 01.2026
- Managed a portfolio of 400+ SMB customers, owning the full post-sale lifecycle across onboarding, adoption, retention, and expansion.
- Led onboarding and implementation efforts to accelerate time-to-value and drive early product adoption.
- Proactively identified churn-risk signals and executed targeted retention strategies, reducing churn risk by 15% within three months.
- Coordinated with Support, Billing, Product, and Sales as primary contact for customer escalations, resolving issues to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Executed upsell and cross-sell strategies that contributed to 20% increase in renewal rates and 15% growth in account revenue.
- Developed and implemented customer success strategies to enhance client satisfaction and retention.
Business Development Representative
TriNet
Remote
07.2023 - 07.2024
- Generated and qualified inbound and outbound opportunities for SMB accounts through targeted, consultative prospecting strategies, enhancing lead quality and conversion potential.
- Conducted discovery conversations to identify client needs and align solutions with business priorities, facilitating tailored proposals that drive engagement.
- Expanded assigned territories by 15% through market research, account targeting, and focused prospecting.
- Supported pipeline management and forecasting through accurate CRM documentation and disciplined Salesforce hygiene.
- Identified new market opportunities through research and analysis of industry trends.
- Developed and maintained relationships with key clients to drive revenue growth.
Sales Development Representative
Sealed
Remote
02.2022 - 06.2023
- Achieved quarterly performance targets, showcasing expertise in qualification, discovery, and value alignment.
- Increased outbound engagement by 43% through optimized messaging and cadence strategies.
- Leveraged Salesforce, ZoomInfo, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator for effective prospecting, account research, and strategic territory planning.
- Partnered closely with Account Executives to ensure smooth handoff of qualified opportunities.
- Collaborated with Account Executives to facilitate seamless transition of qualified opportunities.
- Developed targeted outreach strategies to engage potential clients and enhance lead generation.
Customer Success Manager
Better Mortgage
Remote
06.2021 - 12.2021
- Owned post-sale customer lifecycle management for mortgage clients, including onboarding, education, and ongoing support.
- Reduced client onboarding time by 25% by streamlining workflows and improving cross-functional coordination.
- Guided customers through complex processes as a trusted advisor, enhancing satisfaction and retention.
- Analyzed customer data and engagement trends to identify friction points, leading to improved customer experience.
- Collaborated with sales team to ensure seamless handoffs, resulting in smoother customer transitions.
Area Sales Manager
Metro by T-Mobile
Greenwood, SC
05.2016 - 06.2021
- Led multi-territory sales and customer operations, driving a 32% increase in revenue.
- Managed and mentored sales leaders while maintaining strong customer satisfaction and retention.
- Improved customer loyalty and lifetime value by optimizing sales processes and service standards, increasing client base by 75%.
- Analyzed market conditions and customer feedback to guide pricing and promotional strategies.
- Built a high-performance sales team through diligent recruitment of top talent, strategic allocation of resources, and effective performance management.
Education
Master of Arts - Management & Leadership
Webster University
St. Louis, MO12.2019
Skills
- SaaS Product Management
- Enterprise & Mid-Market Accounts
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Outbound Prospecting
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: Salesforce, Zoomnfo
- Operational Efficiency & Process Optimization
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Consultative Selling & Strategic Account Development
- CRM & Pipeline Management
Timeline
Customer Success Manager /Customer Retention Specialist
FMG Suite
02.2026 - Current
Customer Success Manager
Angi
07.2024 - 01.2026
Business Development Representative
TriNet
07.2023 - 07.2024
Sales Development Representative
Sealed
02.2022 - 06.2023
Customer Success Manager
Better Mortgage
06.2021 - 12.2021
Area Sales Manager
Metro by T-Mobile
05.2016 - 06.2021
Master of Arts - Management & Leadership
Webster University