Sr. Merchant Success Manager Adam J. Lank brings big energy and best-in-class merchant experience to the Bear team. With enthusiasm and compassion on his side, Adam will provide our merchants with a one-of-a-kind experience. We had some time with Adam to get to know him better!
Welcome to the team! What are you most excited about as you start at Bear?
I’m both humbled and excited to be joining an incredibly intelligent group of humans at CommerceBear, who are collectively solving complex and challenging problems, and in turn, building the future of furniture!
Joining the team as a Merchant Success Manager, I look forward to building meaningful relationships with Bear's merchants and driving measurable value at every stage of their journey!
Why is merchant success an important role in SaaS companies?
A merchant's decision to introduce ecommerce into their strategy is a massive step in the right direction, but it is truly just the beginning of their journey.
The role of the Merchant Success Manager is to not only paint the picture of what success looks like, but also show how we will get there together.
Building that collaboration and taking the journey together, rather than in silo, can help the merchant beyond comprehension. Adopting new technology and a new strategy isn't always easy, and that is why merchant success plays an essential part in any SaaS company!
"The role of the Merchant Success Manager is to not only paint the picture of what success looks like, but also show how we will get there together."
What is your most memorable experience with a previous merchant or customer? What made the relationship so significant?
During my time as a Customer Success Manager in the FinTech industry, I had an incredibly memorable experience with a Florida-based partner. She had recently shifted her online accounting firm into the Cloud - a daunting task for any accounting practice, let alone someone who had been doing things the same way for 4 decades! Using a crawl, walk, run approach, we successfully rolled out the cloud solution across her firm, and as a result, hugely improved the way that she was able to serve her clients.
She was so thrilled with the improvements that she drove over 3 hours to meet me in person at a conference just to tell me how impactful the journey had been! These are the special moments that constantly remind me just how much of a positive effect we can have on the lives of the business owners that we work with.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Bet on yourself. This was a meaningful piece of advice that I received from my father when I was just a kid, and it has followed me throughout my professional career. If you put in the work, bring your best effort, and bet on yourself you will find success in any given situation!
What’s your ecommerce marketplace of choice?
After buying our first house in the Maritimes back in May, it did not take long for us to start “making it our own”, and most of our decor & furniture additions came through Wayfair! That said, we spread out the love by adding pieces from Amazon & Overstock as well, and did our best to shop local for specific East Coast designs too!
What’s your favourite piece of furniture?
During a road trip to the South Shore of Nova Scotia back in September, my partner Riannon and I stumbled across a store called Reviving Design that specializes in custom reclaimed wood furniture. We bought a custom counter-height table with designer upholstered full-back matching stools that feature peek-a-boo designs (matching colours in the fabric, but a totally different design). We absolutely love it and it will forever remind us of that magical trip to Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.
What’s your go-to downtime activity?
Our downtime is nearly 100% dedicated to spending time with our own little Bear named Henderson! Hendy is a 7-month-old Leonberger puppy that came into our world the same week we moved into our house, and he is an absolute joy to have in our lives.
He’s basically our little furry accountability coach that ensures that we get tons of exercise, that we have strong routines, and that we pause to reflect on the important things in life. It also helps that his absolute favourite place in the world is a local Dog-Friendly Brewery, so as a result, we get to spend lots of time there. (Mainly just to socialize him, of course...). We already call him “Little Bear” as a nickname, so it's only fitting that his Dog-Dad has just joined a “Bear” of his own!
Another furry addition to the Bear pack!
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