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Using AI to build a Strategic �Success Plan

How I use AI to research, discover, and build strategic success plans that resonate with executives��Erika Villarreal

Strategic Customer Success Manager at Eptura

Matik AI + Post Sales Summit | June 2026

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Traditional Success Planning	What AI changes
Hours of research	Research in minutes
Manual notes	Faster insight extraction
Disconnected data	Stronger executive preparation
Hard to scale	Structured discovery
Reactive/manual planning	Repeatable Success Plans

AI does not replace strategic thinking.

It removes manual work so CSMs can focus on strategy.

AI in Success Planning

When I think about success planning, there are really two parts to this.

The first part is gathering information on the customer, and the second part is turning that information into strategy.

Historically, gathering information was the bottleneck. Research would take me hours, reading through 10K reports.

Understanding an executive stakeholder often meant jumping between LinkedIn, company websites, earnings calls, and Google searches.

Instead of spending hours gathering information, I can gather insights in minutes.
Instead of manually taking notes from documents, AI can extract key themes.
Instead of starting every Success Plan from scratch, I can create repeatable framework that streamline this process across my business portfolio.

But there is one thing that AI can’t replace, and that is strategy, and that is where CSMs come in.

Value comes from knowing which insights to use and how to connect them to customer outcomes.

So, today I am going to show you the framework I use for this.

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The AI Powered Research Framework

You've inherited a new enterprise account with limited context on business goals, executive priorities, and customer challenges.

ACME Corporation, public company
Stakeholder: VP, Global Real Estate
Product: Space management, space planning, reservations

ICE Research Framework -

Success Plan Playbook

But first, let me set the stage.

I am sure I’m not the only CSM who has ever inherited an account with limited information on the customer.

You might know who the executive stakeholder is, and what products they are using.

You might even have a few notes from the previous CSM.

But there is often a gap.

Maybe there are no documented business goals from the sales process, or you don’t know how they are going to measure success.

So, you have to start from scratch.

Over the last few years, I’ve been using the ICE Research Framework to gather insights and build a solid hypothesis before I engage with my customers.

Because let's be honest, one of the worst ways to start a conversation with an executive is by asking, "So... what are your goals?”

I'm pretty sure they've shared those goals multiple times throughout their journey with us, and I don’t want to be that person once again.

My goal is to show up prepared, understand their business, understand their priorities, and have a more strategic conversation from day one.

And today I’m going to show you how I use AI to do exactly that.

Now that we've covered the framework, let's move into the fun part!

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DEMO

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Prompts - Company research

Summarize the 10-K report attached for [COMPANY NAME].

Provide insights that are related to any of the following:

Real estate portfolio: size, owned vs. leased properties, regional footprints, office consolidation, expansion, or closures.
Lease obligations and operating lease costs: trends compared to previous years, planned changes to leases or occupancy costs.
Cost reduction efforts that involve real estate or workplace operations (e.g., footprint reduction, subleasing, energy efficiency).
Strategic priorities, risks, or opportunities that connect to real estate or workplace investments.
Any mention of hybrid work, return-to-office, flexible working models, or space utilization strategies.
Metrics or financial line items that show how real estate costs impact the business (Occupancy Costs, SG&A, Operating Expenses, etc.).
Executive commentary (in the CEO letter or MD&A) that connects workplace or facilities strategy with broader business goals.

Extract the insights and give me the exact pages where you took the insights from. Do not use any other sources other than the report attached.

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Prompts – Executive stakeholder research

Your executive stakeholder is the VP, Global Real Estate.

Please research and summarize the following:

1. Role and responsibilities: Their current title, responsibilities, and any available job description details (public or typical for this role).

2. Strategic initiatives: Major programs, transformations, or initiatives they could be leading or influencing.

3. Common challenges: Typical obstacles faced in this position.

4. Success metrics: The KPIs or metrics most often used to evaluate performance of someone in this role.

The executive uses [Your Product], which solves [Value Prop]. Suggest ways to add value and start a strategic conversation.

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Thank you!

LinkedIn: /erivillarreal

Newsletter: https://thisiserika.com/