
The Customer Experience Podcast
Creating and delivering better experiences for our customers is the single most important thing we can do today. Learn how Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success leaders create internal alignment, achieve desired outcomes, and exceed customer expectations in a personal and human way. The Customer Experience Podcast explores this challenge at various stages of growth as we all work together on the customer journey from acquisition to advocacy. Each episode features topics like: personal touch, human touch, customer journey, lifecycle marketing, sales process, customer service, customer success, raving fans, video email, video communication, B2B sales and marketing, personalization, automation.
Latest episodes

May 9, 2023 • 49min
251. Investing in Brand, Affinity, and Owned Media w/ Anthony Kennada
In scaled-up business, we must always find ways to create and maintain a relational experience. In a more intimate, relational business, we’re looking for ways to scale our reach and impact.Traditional outbound prospecting tends to create noise and pollution. And today, even inbound marketing’s seeing diminishing returns. Fortunately, there is a middle ground or a middle way. It is possible to build a relational, not transactional, experience to connect with, educate and engage people - and to do it in a way Hear our conversation with Anthony Kennada, Co-Founder and CEO of AudiencePlus:What are some of the main changes over the past 15 years in sales and marketing?How do you break through the increasing noise by building emotive experiences?In what ways should more companies behave like media companies?What are the differences between audiences, communities, and customers, and where do intersections exist?How do you navigate modern challenges like social media algorithms while staying aligned with business goals?More information about Anthony Kennada and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/Company Website: https://www.audienceplus.com/Other Relevant Links: Nick Mehta on LinkedIn; American Airlines; La Grande OrangeSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

May 2, 2023 • 26min
250. The Process to Drive Revenue with Video Messaging w/ Ethan Beute
Humanize your customer experience and drive revenue with The BombBomb Method.As our lives and work get more digital, we’re experiencing more disconnection from our teams, partners, prospects, and customers. Close that gap and drive real revenue by adding video messages to your outreach. But don’t do it ad hoc, at random, or one off. Learn to map the use of video to more, faster, and easier yeses from the people who matter most to your success - from someone who’s helped all kinds of professionals and companies. More information about Ethan and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanbeute/ Email: ethan@bombbomb.com The BombBomb Method one pager: https://indd.adobe.com/view/babd09d0-4e05-4306-89d5-aba1b8fc2b7aThe BombBomb Method blog post: https://bombbomb.com/blog/video-messages-drive-revenue-bombbomb-method/

Apr 25, 2023 • 46min
249. Generating Leads (and $25M) from Customer Success w/ Trina Dunham
Generating two million dollars in net new revenue - in the first year of a new lead gen program. In year two? 10 million.In year three? 25 million!Is it a new sales and marketing initiative? Nope. This came from the customer success organization. Today’s guest … will share that story - as well as other insights for CS teams and revenue leaders.In this episode, Ethan sits down with Trina Dunham, Senior Leader of Customer Success - North America for Red Hat. They discuss: How emotions play a key role in buying decisionsHow the program she implemented gained momentum to identify post-sale opportunitiesWhen did this new initiative begin to gain momentumWhat are “hot leads” and why they may be more valuable than referralsWhy the culture around new initiatives can make or break them and how champions and key practitioners can keep them moving forwardMore information about Trina and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinadunhamCompany Website: https://www.redhat.com/enSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Apr 18, 2023 • 39min
248. Shifting a Culture to Customer-Centricity w/ George Essama
Imagine trying to create meaningful change in a complex environment AND against a prevailing culture. More specifically, try convincing an entire company to become more customer-centric by starting within your own team. Today you’ll get that story and it’s an award-winning effort.In this episode, Ethan speaks with Georges Essama, Head of Customer Relations for Cameroon Telecommunications or CAMTEL. He is also a highly-engaged and celebrated member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association or CXPA Tune in as Georges and Ethan talk about: How to create meaningful change in a complex environment against prevailing cultureWhere did Georges’ idea of a podcast featuring customer voices come from?Why the voices of the employees are critical as these cultural shifts take placeHow Georges learned about the CXPA and where you can learn moreWhy customer relationships must be seen as a collaborative process that are dependent on shared responsibilityMore information about Georges and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgesessama/Company Website: https://camtel.cm/Other Relevant Links: https://www.cxpa.org/homeSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Apr 11, 2023 • 53min
247. Building Trust in High-Stakes Environments w/ Scott Mann
If you want people to follow you, buy from you and believe in you, especially in competitive high stakes environments you need to lead from the rooftop. In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome retired US Army Green Beret and Lieutenant Colonel, Scott Mann.Scott is a leadership coach, keynote speaker, author, and founder of several organizations, including the 501 C three nonprofit, the hero's journey, which helps veterans transition to civilian life, and Task Force Pineapple, which helped move over 1,000 Afghan allies from harm's way. He's also the founder of Rooftop Leadership, where he shares the rapport-building skills he learned in Special Forces to help today's leaders make better human connections in high-stakes, low-trust engagements. Tune in as he speaks to Ethan about - What does “Leading from the Rooftop” mean? How trust can be built from genuine conversations thatWhat lessons he learned as a Green Beret apply to his professional life Why authentic connections can remediate low-trust environments What factors contribute to disconnection and distrust More information about Scott and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidscottmann/ Company Website: https://melissagratias.com/Other Relevant Links: 4 Ways to Estimate How Long a Task Will Take; JenDangelo.comSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Apr 4, 2023 • 56min
246. The Power of Personalization in B2B Sales w/ Samantha Stone
Have you ever noticed that many B2B websites are good at educating but bad at transacting? Do you recognize that even buyers of complex solutions across longer sales cycles still expect a B2C-type customer experience? Today's guest, Samantha Stone, the author of Unleash Possible: A Marketing Playbook That Drives Sales, has built her career at the intersection of sales and marketing. In this episode she speaks to Ethan about: What is the difference between B2C and B2B customer experience and why does it matter?What are some of the key trends in buyer expectations that are shaping the future of B2B customer experience?How can salespeople offer personalized experiences to buyers at different stages of the buying process?What are some of the structural challenges that hinder B2B organizations from delivering a seamless customer experience?How are automation and AI impacting the customer experience in B2B, and what are some of the benefits and drawbacks of these technologies?More information about Samantha and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthastonemarketing/ Company Website: https://www.unleashpossible.com/ Other Relevant Links: https://www.amazon.com/Unleash-Possible-Marketing-Playbook-Drives/dp/1937985881 Subscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Mar 30, 2023 • 50min
245. Winning Through Relationships in the Digital Era w/ Rivers Pearce
Businesses that have historically been built face to face. Personally. Even working by referral only. That’s what we’re exploring today with our guest - a sales and marketing leader who’s done e-commerce and digital marketing work for Fortune 500 level brands and who’s developed a deep expertise in the real estate and prop-tech industries.Ethan speaks with Rivers Pearce, Chief Marketing Officer at Milestones. Rivers has deep expertise in the real estate and prop-tech industries and shares his insights on the past, present, and future of customer experience and technology in relationship-based businesses.Tune in as they discuss: How the language of customer experience has evolved over time Why it is important to move beyond the “transactional mindset” How referral based businesses have been disrupted by technologyWhere you can adapt to physical and digital distance using humans in the era of smart technology What it means to be a trusted advisor of your customers More information about Rivers and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riverspearce/ Company Website: https://milestones.ai/ Other Relevant Links: 4 Ways to Estimate How Long a Task Will Take; JenDangelo.comSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Mar 21, 2023 • 1h 5min
244. Selling From the Heart w/ Larry Levine
Trust is the currency of sales.Where there’s more trust there are more sales. And trust is the result of selling from the heart. In a world of empty suits, today’s guest is leading a movement of authenticity, integrity, and trust inside the sales profession.Larry Levine is the bestselling author of Selling from the Heart, co-host of the Selling from the Heart Podcast and a speaker, coach, and trainer of the Selling from the Heart philosophy.Tune in as we discuss: How to uncomplicate the sales processWhy the tiniest things can affect the client relationships and processes What sales people can do to emphasize soft-skills How to create “right-fit” conditions with your ideal buyerWhy we must focus and even bring up post-sale processes to our clients More information about Larry and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/ Company Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/book Podcast: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/podcast-homeSubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Feb 28, 2023 • 1h 3min
243. Community: The Last Great Marketing Strategy w/ Mark Shaefer
When it comes to building communities, many marketers are stricken with questions and fear — What if you lose control of the community? What happens when you no longer control the narrative? What will become of the unknown?On this episode, we’re joined by Mark Schaefer, Marketing Strategist, Author, Professor and Keynote Speaker. In his recent book, Belonging to the Brand, Mark breaks past these unfounded fears to explain why community is the last great marketing strategy. Hear our conversation with Mark Schaefer, Marketing Strategist, Author, Professor and Keynote Speaker:Why community is the last great marketing strategyWhy so many people struggle with building communitiesHow to establish resonance and connection with an audienceWhy purpose matters in an organizationWhere to build a meaningful communityMore information about Melissa Gratias and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwschaefer/Company Website: BusinessesGrow.comOther Relevant Links: Belonging to the Brand (New Book)Subscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.

Feb 21, 2023 • 49min
242. The Heartbeat Behind The Spreadsheet w/ Amer Syed
What’s the key to success in building a relationship- and referral-based business? Getting to the heartbeat behind the spreadsheet. Connecting with the people behind the numbers.That’s fundamental to the approach of today’s guest, who’s been a sales leader for home builders for years.Amer Syed has served at Century Communities, Toll Brothers, Shea Homes, and Meritage, before recently joining Beazer Homes as Vice President of Sales.He joins The Customer Experience Podcast to discuss:What three-tiered approach you should take to joining your next teamWhy you should be doubling-down on emotional connectivityHow to make better tech and automation choicesHow to get past the numbers and connect with the people behind them.More information about Amer Syed and today’s topics:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-syed-2107414/Company Website: https://www.beazer.com/Other Relevant Links: How to Win Friends and Influence People; Chick-fil-ASubscribe, listen, and rate/review the Customer Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or Google Podcasts, and find more episodes on our blog.