Brittany Burnett, Customer Success Manager at Zappi

Meet Brittany, a Customer Success Manager at Zappi who’s all about turning pivots into progress. She’s gone from marketing to tech sales to customer success, learning how to master each role, build genuine connections, and find her voice in male-dominated spaces. She also talks about her future goals and why staying curious has been the key to every step. Brittany’s story is a reminder that growth comes from leaning into your strengths and being open to what’s next.

What do you do as a Customer Success Manager at Zappi for those who are unfamiliar?

My job entails being a consultant to clients through in person and virtual where I work with a lot c suite executives in the market research space. I help them achieve better ROI in their brand and ad space to fuel business needs and innovation. 

With so many professionals entering sales and customer success roles, what do you think is the key to truly standing out in such a competitive field?

I think what helps candidates stick out initially is when they have stuck with a niche experience path or role. Either market research, cybersecurity, or fin serv, and have also shown variety in roles within that it shows dedication to not necessarily the years committed but the desire to stay and learn an industry and get good at it. Another stand out would be sharing with interviewers what you did in a role that you wanted to be in but weren’t already in. How did you show your efforts or desire to level up to where you want to be and not where you are now. That could be taking on projects for a marketing team you’re interested in, or problem solving for a customer. 

We’re always fascinated by the twists and turns in people’s career journeys. Could you share the key moments that led you to start in marketing and eventually transition into customer success?

My career started early on while in college I was an intern for a beauty e-commerce company which turned into a marketing and business development role. That role opened the doors and interest for understanding consumers and shifts in the market and when I got the opportunity to work in tech it segwayed perfectly into a saas consumer feedback company. From there I learned a lot as I entered tech sales from engaging new personas, cross collaboration and tech stacks. My career continued to grow through promotions where I got to a point of being a team lead in tech sales. Bringing in 96% net new business I knew I wanted to continue relationship building and not just single sales touch points. Already being in a field of market research and enjoying it I had my first opportunity to be a long term partner to those new clients at Momentive. After a while I eventually explored new opportunities still in market research and went to the sample side of research, realized I liked more project based engagements and made my way to Zappi! My role allows me to travel and build and grow accounts to not only collab on projects but to help them bring value to their business. 

Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly shaped your professional journey?

I think a pivotal moment that shaped my career was being open to letting my skills take me to my career. There are naturally so many lanes you see yourself in and It’s always great to have a goal and plan but I think when you lean into what you’re good at and follow that instead of what you think you want, you’d be surprised how far it takes you. 

During your 3.5 years at Momentive.ai (formerly SurveyMonkey), you held four roles, including a promotion to manager and lateral moves. Can you describe the strategies and approaches you used to navigate these transitions and advance within the company?

I think to my point above when you are open and lean into what you know you are good at, the doors will open. In all my transitions the end goal for me was never “let me focus on what’s next.” It was always about getting good at where I’m at. Mastering what I’m doing now and doing more to then show others I can take on something new. In terms of strategies to navigate I knew once I mastered my current role it was important for me to get in front and connect with the teams I wanted to be on. For the CS transition for example I had constant coffee chats for 8 months with the director just to stay top of mind and share my interests. I look at it as any relationship. It requires effort and attention to develop. 

How do you make the most of your 1:1 meetings with your manager, and how has this approach benefited your career development? Can you share any strategies or practices that might be helpful to optimize these sessions?

Coming to 1:1’s with your OWN agenda! I think a lot of times people look at 1:1’s to be task allocation from your manager or purely feedback sessions but the reality is, is that coming to your 1:1’s with not only questions but alignment and showing curiosity will get you so much farther than you know. 

We’re a non-profit focused on empowering women. Could you share which significant female figures (role models, mentors, etc.) have impacted your career and how they’ve shaped who you are today?

I think one major female role model that has made in impact in the way I work and carry myself in the workplace today was a colleague of mine at Momentive who started as a account executive with me and we worked as partners to close net new business. She set a space for me to find my voice as a women in tech and in a male dominated field. She highlighted the importance of finding the beauty in standing out in business and in 6 months we contributed to highest revenue and got promoted to higher level roles. What I’ve learned from her is that you “get” to accomplish and choose your path, it’s not just something you “have” to do. That mindset has shifted my work ethic in a lot ways. 

Where do you see yourself headed in the next 1-3 years? Any career aspirations or goals? 

In the next 1-3 years I actually hope to pave my way for a founder role at a company. I’ve been in many positions where there is a gap or need for solving and hope to lead a strategy and operations role within the market research industry. 

What is the best career advice you've received/heard/read?

Don't look at things in life as if you “have to do it” look at it as “you get to do it” and see how your perspective changes. 

What is the last thing you were curious about? 

The views and opinions others around us inhibit from their cultural backgrounds, where they grew up and the major impact it has on how they view things and communicate with others.