By Andreas Breimyr
Ever wondered what happens to athletes after their final match?
Picture this: you’re a top athlete, cheers from the crowd, the thrill of competition and sweet taste of victory. But what happens when the final whistle blows, and it’s time to leave the game behind and take your final bow. Transitioning from high level sports to a new career can feel like starting all over again, full of new challenges, uncertainty and worries.
Surprisingly, this journey isn’t all so different from what customers experience when adopting new products or services in the business world. Just like athletes, customers need to navigate change, redefine their roles and find new ways to succeed. In this post, we will explore the parallels between athletic transitions and customer success, offering valuable insights for guiding customers through their own changes. So, whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or a savvy business leader, stick around – there’s something in here for you – Let’s get into it.
Preparation
When athletes retire, the journey doesn’t end – it’s just the beginning. Transitioning from the sporting world takes serious mental, emotional and practical preparation. It’s about adapting to a whole new game, one with different rules and challenges. A smooth transition requires more than just stepping away from the field, it’s about gearing up for the next big play in a huge new arena.
In customer success, the real work starts after the sales team have closed the deal. Just as athletes prepare for life after sports, success teams need to guide customers through transition from newbies, to power players. It’s about more than just onboarding; it’s about ensuring customers are ready to knock it out the park with the tools and systems provided. In both cases, preparation is key, and with the right guidance, customers and athletes can score big in their new arenas.
Adaptation
One of the toughest challenges athletes face when leaving sports? The identity shift. After years of being that person known as “the athlete”, they suddenly must redefine who they are in a brand-new world. Believe me, it can be difficult going from sporting star to Microsoft Team’s titan. I’m not saying one must change completely, but a slight identity makeover is crucial for succeeding in whatever they take on next.
When companies start to adopt a new product or service, employees who used the old ways of doing things must also apply some makeup and adapt. It can be tough, as change is almost always a rough obstacle to hurdle, but that’s where the customer success team enters the room. They help employees redefine their roles, showing how their newly acquired tools can elevate their game from average joes to elite competitors. Customer success teams provide their clients with the help to ensure smooth and successful transition from old tools to new. Lucky for us in the corporate world, we have teams to help us adapt, whereas athletes walk a lonely path.
The Coach
Athletes bring some serious skills to their new careers – like resilience, teamwork and leadership. These talents, honed on the field and in the gym can be game changers in any job. But first, athletes need to recognize these skills and learn to use them beyond sports, usually requiring a coach to shine a light on how their skillset is transferrable from sports to corporate life. It’s much easier to understand and believe in what we are good at when someone else points it out.
Customers, like athletes, have a toolkit of skills honed over time. A team great at project management, for example, will shine using new software. However, it’s up to the customer success teams to be the coaches, helping customers spot and use these skills to ace a new arena. Allowing for transition to be smooth and confident.
Whether you’re navigating a locker room or a boardroom, transitions are all about adapting, leveraging your strengths, and getting the right support. Athletes might trade in their jerseys for Gmail gladiators, but the playbook stays the same—preparation, identity shifts, and making the most of those transferrable skills. So next time you’re guiding a customer through change, think like a coach and help them hit a homerun.
Andreas is a versatile guy working as a customer success manager at Foodback. He has a background in sports, with over ten years of experience as a professional footballer. His career as an athlete at a high level has allowed him to foster a truly unique skillset not many people have. His insights are highly applicable in his work for us at Foodback.
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