Podcasts about Salesforce

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Sharon Klardie, Senior Director of AppExchange Labs & Innovation at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how Labs empowers Salesforce employees to build and share solutions on the AppExchange, and what that means for admins navigating the new world of AI. You should subscribe for […] The post How Can Admins Use Labs Apps To Get AI-Ready? appeared first on Salesforce Admins.

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

Chinese hackers infiltrate a major U.S. law firm. The EU Commission President warns Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe. Researchers say LoJax is the latest malware from Russia's Fancy Bear. Salesforce refuses ransom demands. London Police arrest two teens over an alleged ransomware attack on a preschool. Microsoft tightens Windows 11 setup restrictions. SINET and DataTribe spotlight 2025 cybersecurity innovators. On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Sean Deuby, Semperis Principal Technologist, discussing identity system security and the growth of the HIP Conference. Employees overshare with ChatGPT.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by ⁠Sean Deuby⁠, ⁠Semperis⁠ Principal Technologist, discussing identity system security and the growth of the ⁠HIP Conference⁠ while highlighting some of the keynotes and presentations. If you want to hear the full conversation, you can tune in here. Selected Reading Chinese Hackers Said to Target U.S. Law Firms (The New York Times) Russia is at ‘hybrid war' with Europe, warns EU chief, calling for members ‘to take it very seriously' (The Record) What you need to know about “LoJax”, the new, stealthy malware from Fancy Bear (ESET) Salesforce refuses to pay ransom over widespread data theft attacks (Bleeping Computer) Teens arrested in London preschool ransomware attack (The Register) Microsoft kills more Microsoft Account bypasses in Windows 11 (Bleeping Computer) SINET Announces the 2025 SINET16 Innovator Awards (BusinessWire) DataTribe Announces Finalists for Eighth Annual Cybersecurity Startup Challenge (DataTribe)  Employees regularly paste company secrets into ChatGPT (The Register) One-man spam campaign ravages EU ‘chat control' bill (POLITICO) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

SaaStr 824: VC in the AI Era - Exactly What's Getting Funded, Why & When with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin In this episode, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin delves into the current state of venture capital (VC) funding, informed by data from over a thousand reviewed pitch decks and approximately 400,000 startup valuations on SaaStr AI. Learn about the latest trends, what VCs are looking for, and what it takes to secure funding in today's market. We'll discuss the performance metrics and benchmarks necessary for SaaS and AI startups and how AI-native companies are reshaping investment dynamics. Discover SaaStr AI's new tools, including pitch deck reviews and real-time valuation benchmarks, to help you understand where your startup stands and improve your funding prospects.   00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:41 VC Funding Trends and Insights 02:11 Top Quartile SaaS Benchmarks 03:14 AI Native Companies and Hypergrowth 08:00 Public vs. Private Company Growth Expectations 10:22 VC Funding Criteria and Expectations 15:35 SaaStr AI Tools and Resources 20:15 Practical Advice for Founders 26:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts    --------------------- This episode of the SaaStr podcast is Sponsored by Salesforce: Connect data, automate busywork and empower teams like nobody's business with the one platform that grows with you, every step of the way. Learn how Salesforce works for Startups at salesforce.com/smb.  --------------------- This episode of the SaaStr podcast is Sponsored by Intercom:  Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  --------------------- If you're serious about B2B and AI, you need to be in London this December.   SaaStr AI London is bringing together more than 2,000 leaders and founders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.    We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.    Don't miss out: get your tickets with my exclusive discount by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com   ---------------------   Hey everybody, the biggest B2B + AI event of the year will be back - SaaStr AI in the SF Bay Area, aka the SaaStr Annual, will be back in May 2026.    With 68% VP-level and above, 36% CEOs and founders and a growing 25% AI-first professional, this is the very best of the best S-tier attendees and decision makers that come to SaaStr each year.     But here's the reality, folks: the longer you wait, the higher ticket prices can get. Early bird tickets are available now, but once they're gone, you'll pay hundreds more so don't wait.    Lock in your spot today by going to podcast.saastrannual.com to get my exclusive discount SaaStr AI SF 2026. We'll see you there.

Welcome to a special author's episode of The Data Chief, where we delve into the minds of three influential authors who are shaping the conversation around data and AI. First, Geoff Woods, author of The AI-Driven Leader, shares his philosophy of prioritizing strategy over technology to make faster, smarter decisions. Next, Wendy Batchelder, author of The Data Governance Handbook, discusses how to transform governance from a rigid bureaucracy into a business accelerator by focusing on business outcomes. Finally, Malcolm Hawker, author of The Data Hero Playbook, challenges data leaders to adopt a heroic mindset by becoming customer-driven and aligning their incentives with business success. Join us to learn how to lead effectively in the AI era by building a strategy-driven, governed, and customer-centric data function.The Data Chief Podcast: Author Episode Key MomentsGeoff Woods: The AI-Driven LeaderFrom "IT Problem" to Strategic Partner (06:20): Woods advocates for viewing AI as a "strategic thought partner" rather than an assistant or replacement, and emphasizes that AI strategy must align with business strategy.The CRIT Framework for Smarter Prompts (12:25): He introduces the CRIT framework for prompt engineering: Context, Role, Interview, Task. This method helps leaders get non-obvious, high-impact strategies from AI by having the AI ask the right questions.Beyond the Bottom Line: AI's Human Impact (22:17): Woods discusses the ROI of AI, including a case where AI identified savings equivalent to 2% of a company's revenue. Wendy Batchelder: The Data Governance HandbookData Governance as an Accelerator (32:33): Wendy Batchelder addresses the myth that data governance is a "dirty word" or a code for "no," arguing that its true purpose is to be an accelerator.Speaking the Language of Business (35:17): Batchelder emphasizes that data governance should be embedded from the start of a project, not as an afterthought. She provides an example of "bad" vs. "good" communication, urging data professionals to speak the language of the business.Measuring Value with Business Outcomes (40:00): She outlines how to measure the value of data governance by connecting it to business outcomes like increased revenue or improved customer service. Malcolm Hawker: The Data Hero PlaybookFrom Limiting Mindset to Growth Mindset (56:00): Hawker discusses why he wrote the book, calling the current moment a "do or die" opportunity for CDOs. He challenges the "limiting mindset" that leads to defeatism.Customer-Driven, Not Data-Driven (1:08:00): He urges data leaders to be "customer-driven, not data-driven," emphasizing the need for data teams to become more business literate.The Power of Product Management (1:14:00): Hawker advocates for bringing product management disciplines into data teams. This approach focuses on putting the customer at the center and ensures that data products are economically viable and tied to ROI.Key Quotes:"It is not technology first, strategy second. It is strategy first, technology second.” - Geoff Woods"The companies that are treating data as something that helps drive business outcomes are thinking about data at the beginning and set up at the end." - Wendy Batchelder“If you deliver value to your customers, if you are the lever of change and transformation in your organization, if you show value from data, you will get a seat at the table." - Malcolm HawkerMentionsThe AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, SmarterHow AI is transforming strategy developmentData Governance Handbook: A practical approach to building trust in data5 key reasons why data analytics is important to businessThe Data Hero Playbook: Developing Your Data Leadership SuperpowersCDOs and CDAOs: Rethink your role or fade awayGuest Bios:About Geoff Woods Geoff Woods is the #1 bestselling author of The AI-Driven Leader, host of the AI-Driven Leader podcast, and Founder of AI Leadership and The AI-Driven Leadership Collective™, a highly vetted network of executives collaborating to harness AI to build better businesses and better lives. As the former Chief Growth Officer of Jindal Steel & Power, Geoff's strategic leadership helped the company grow its market cap from $750 million to over $12 billion in just four years. Prior to that, he co-founded the training and consulting company behind The ONE Thing, advising businesses ranging from $10 million to $60 billion in annual revenue.About Wendy Batchelder Wendy Batchelder is a three-time Chief Data Officer across financial services, technology & healthcare industries, with a wide understanding of how to take highly technical aspects of data management and translate them into simple, concise business valued solutions that are practical and simple to understand. Her background has led her to lead global data & analytics organizations at four Fortune 500 companies. She approaches situations with curiosity and humility, which has led to applying innovative data solutions to challenges with increased complexity to deliver value that companies can measure.A lifelong learner, Wendy graduated from Miami University with a B.S. in Accounting and Information Systems, from Drake University with a Masters of Accountancy, from University of Iowa with an Executive MBA, and pursues ongoing education through Harvard Business School. Her work history includes EY, KPMG, Aviva, Wells Fargo, VMware and Salesforce.About Malcolm HawkerMalcolm helps senior business leaders harness the power of data to transform their businesses. As a former Gartner analyst, he has consulted with some of the world's largest and best-known brands on their enterprise information management strategies and digital transformation initiatives.He is a frequent public speaker on data and analytics best practices with a passion for Master Data Management (MDM) and Data Governance. He welcomes the opportunity to share practical and actionable insights on how companies can become truly data-driven by implementing the cultural, technical, and organizational changes needed for success in the digital age. He is also the author of The Data Hero Playbook. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike. Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data. Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster. Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control". Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store". Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's. A new release of Chrome. Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP. Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions. The UK issues another order to Apple. Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device. HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts. The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why. The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control." Discord was breached and government IDs leaked. Salesforce says it's not another new breach. Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet. Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0. Google to force Android app devs to register and pay Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Security Now joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com

Vibe coding is a developer's dream, but in the enterprise, it can be a nightmare of risk and shadow IT. So how do you saddle the 'wild horse' of modern AI development? Dan Fernandez, VP of Product Management, Developer Services at Salesforce, joins the conversation to share the answer: a new category his team is pioneering called Enterprise Vibe Coding. This discussion reveals how to move beyond flashy greenfield AI demos and build for the reality of most enterprises, where the goal is to safely reuse existing systems, not reinvent them from scratch.Dan breaks down the specific guardrails Salesforce has built, from sandboxed environments for safe testing to automated "quality gates" that act as a bouncer for both human and AI-generated code. He shares the powerful lesson that building customer trust through policies like zero data retention is more important than any single feature. He explains why the real work of enterprise AI is more like secure "plumbing"—connecting the hardened systems you already have. This is an essential guide for any leader looking to apply the speed of AI to the complex reality of enterprise software.Get the guide: AI productivity guide for engineering leadersFollow the hosts:Follow BenFollow AndrewFollow today's guest(s):Unleash Your Innovation with Agentforce Vibes: Vibe Coding for the EnterpriseLearn more about Salesforce for Developers: developer.salesforce.comSalesforce Extensions for VS Code: VS Code MarketplaceSalesforce Code Builder: Learn more about the zero-install IDEConnect with Dan Fernandez: LinkedInReferenced in today's show:Future of tech leadership survey report 2025 - Riviera PartnersStop Avoiding Politics – Terrible Software Agentic Commerce I built ChatGPT with Minecraft redstone!Support the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

Most sellers tend to get caught up in the technical side—asking the “right” questions, handling objections, and checking all the boxes. But in the process, we often overlook something just as important: the emotional side of selling. That's why I invited Alex Kremer, founder of Alluviance, to join me. He breaks down how the right mindset can help you close more deals and build lasting relationships.Meet Alex Kremer· Alex Kremer is the Founder of Alluviance, a community and organization dedicated to transforming sales and leadership through authenticity, purpose, and performance. · With over 15 years of experience, he has worked with top companies like Salesforce, AWS, and Gong, and played a key role in scaling Outreach from $25M to $250M. · He's hired, trained, and led over 100 Account Executives and Sales Managers, earning President's Club honors 7 years in a row.· Alex is known for helping leaders build high-performing teams and purpose-driven cultures that achieve lasting results.Beyond the Tactics: The Role of Mindset in Sales Success· Alex pulls back the curtain on his journey, opening up about the hidden struggles he faced even when he seemed most successful. · Despite hitting top quotas and leading major accounts at Microsoft, he battled depression, highlighting a key truth: salespeople can meet every external standard and still feel empty inside. · Alex explains how mental, emotional, and even spiritual health are often overlooked but absolutely crucial to sustainable, fulfilling sales success.Practical Strategies: Filling the Void and Mastering the Inner Game· Alex introduces the concept of “parts work,” a therapeutic approach to identifying and relating to various emotions without self-judgment. · He stresses the importance of self-awareness, inviting reps to treat their emotional states with the same curiosity as they would a sales prospect in discovery. · Simple practices like mindful breathing, walks without phones, and reflective journaling can create the internal space needed for clarity.Leadership in Action: Bringing Mindfulness Into Sales Teams· For sales leaders, Alex suggests starting meetings with grounding exercises such as box breathing or gratitude practices. · Investing a few minutes in presence and connection sets a more productive tone than jumping straight to numbers.“When you connect more deeply with yourself, it allows you to connect more deeply with other people, which is very interwoven with sales.” - Alex Kremer.ResourcesAlex's company, Alluviance, hosts regular retreats blending sales tactics with inner game work. Reach out to Alex on LinkedIn or the Alluviance website for future retreat details.Sponsorship Offers1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.2. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at

Why you should listenRob Fegan shares the exact 4-phase framework he used to transform his Microsoft partner business from zero to millions in annual revenue—and how SMB partners can replicate this success even as "small fish" in a 30,000-person sales ecosystem.Learn how to leverage Microsoft's Commerce Incentives Fund to access thousands in funded engagements per customer, essentially getting Microsoft to pay you to deploy their solutions while you focus on high-margin services.Discover why connecting with AI specialists (not just AEs) is the key to unlocking Microsoft's FY26 priorities, and how to position your messaging so Microsoft's field teams become your biggest sales asset instead of just another vendor relationship.You're running a solid Microsoft partner business, delivering real results for clients, but you feel completely invisible to Microsoft's massive sales organization. You watch bigger partners effortlessly access pipeline opportunities, co-sell motions, and vendor support while you're stuck fighting for scraps. You know the opportunity is there—Microsoft has 30,000 salespeople who could be feeding you qualified leads—but you have no idea how to cut through the noise when you're just a 1-10 person shop.In this episode, I sit down with Rob Fegan from RYZE Partners who spent 15 years building and scaling Microsoft partner businesses before a successful exit. Rob breaks down his proven 4-phase framework that turns Microsoft's field teams into your biggest sales asset, even as a small partner. We dive into the four critical areas most partners get wrong, why SMB partners are suddenly Microsoft's top priority after years of enterprise focus, and the specific funded programs that can inject thousands of dollars per engagement into your business. If you're tired of being stuck, overlooked, and sidelined while bigger partners dominate the conversation, this episode gives you the exact playbook to change that.About Rob FeganRob Fegan is the founder of Venvito and co-founder of RYZE Partners, where he helps Microsoft SMB partners go from invisible to in-demand. After 15+ years in the Microsoft ecosystem, Rob built his own Microsoft practice from zero to millions in annual revenue before a successful exit. Now he's on a mission to help 10,000 Microsoft partners escape what he calls "SOS Mode" - being Stuck, Overlooked, and Sidelined - through his proven frameworks for demystifying selling WITH Microsoft. Rob's approach has helped partners transform from vendor status to becoming Microsoft's go-to referral sources, turning field teams into their biggest sales asset.Resources and LinksRyze-partners.comVenvito.netRob's LinkedIn profilePrevious episode: 639 - How to Stop ChatGPT from Lying to You (AI PhD Reveals the Fix) with Garima AgrawalCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested...

Guest: Dia Bondi Guest Bio: Dia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst for high-impact people. In her private coaching and programs, she works with C-level leaders, VC-backed founders, and ambitious professionals, helping them find their voice and lead with it. Her workshops and talks are hosted by corporations including Quartz, Salesforce, Google's X-team, and Dropbox. In global sport, she helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares ambitious professionals, and especially women, to ask for more and leave nothing on the table, called Ask Like an Auctioneer. She's been featured on CNBC Make It, Forbes, and Fast Company. Her book, Ask Like an Auctioneer: How to Ask for More and Get It, is available now.​   Key Points: Dia's Backstory & Career Path Started her career in fitness, where she loved helping people feel powerful and embodied. Then, transitioned into training and development (professional development) after college. She discovered her passion for storytelling and communication while observing a workshop for finance leaders. Dia founded Dia Bondy Communications in 2009 to help leaders and VC-backed founders communicate effectively in high-stakes moments.   "Ask Like an Auctioneer" Concept Inspired by her side work as a fundraising auctioneer. The key principle: ask big enough to get a “no”, because a “no” signals you've reached the upper limit of what's possible. In business, people often limit their asks based on what they think they can get, leaving money and opportunity on the table. Instead of selling to the first yes, push further to uncover maximum value.   Overcoming Fear of Asking Fear of rejection keeps people from asking boldly. Many assume rejection damages relationships, but often it doesn't. Leaders should teach teams that discomfort (the Zofo—Zone of Freaking Out) is a signal of courage and potential growth. Reframe rejection: it's information about value, not a judgment of personal worth.   Lessons from Auctioneering for Business & Sales · Price = a reflection of value, not worth. The same item can sell for vastly different amounts depending on the audience. · Know your “reserve.” Like an auctioneer's minimum acceptable price, know your bottom line before asking. · People are irrational. Decisions are often emotional, even in data-driven environments—so storytelling is critical.   Four Types of Asks That Drive Growth 1.     Money – dollars, budgets, contracts. 2.     Influence – visibility, access to networks, platforming yourself. 3.     Authority – positioning yourself to make important decisions. 4.     Balance – aligning deals and clients with the kind of work you actually want.   Why People Struggle with Asking Fear of rejection. Lack of clarity on what to ask for and when to ask. Sometimes people make asks that are too small, too vague, or to the wrong audience.   Framework for a Strategic Ask (first 4 of 6 steps) Define your main concrete goal. Identify the next big move toward that goal. Determine the ask that advances that move. Ensure the ask is big enough to risk rejection. Storytelling Framework: “Blocker Buster” What your audience wants. What's blocking them from achieving it? How do you remove the blockers? Your ask (to move them forward).   Big Takeaways Asking boldly is a skill that can be learned. The most powerful ask live in the Zofo—the zone of freaking out. Rejection is not failure; it's valuable feedback about what the other side values. Asking strategically, with courage and clarity, maximizes opportunities for growth, influence, and alignment.   Guest Links: Connect on LinkedInCon Connect on Instagram https://www.diabondi.com/salesology Download The Powerful Ask Plan, a free tool to help you design a strategic ask.     About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts. Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs. If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time. Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/. 

When Steve Sutter joined Celigo five years ago, he stepped into a company positioned not as another SaaS app but as what he calls “the infrastructure, the piping, the plumbing” of business automation. Celigo, he tells us, moves data between systems like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Snowflake so companies can “create very sophisticated business processes” without the friction of disconnected silos.For Sutter, the real work of finance begins behind that plumbing. “As CFO, you have to build a sustainable business model,” he tells us, one rooted in clear unit economics—how each dollar of new recurring revenue is earned and what it costs to deliver value. That analytical discipline, he explains, gives finance a vantage point “no one else has,” allowing it to balance engineering ambition with go-to-market execution.Working inside a privately held, fast-growth environment, Sutter views resource allocation as both art and accountability. Sometimes, he says, companies must “invest in sales and marketing at an excessive rate” to gain traction—but the test is whether the model still makes mathematical sense. He partners closely with the CRO and CMO to watch metrics like the quota-to-OTE ratio and pipeline efficiency, adjusting as conditions change.Even at scale, Sutter keeps a simple mantra: acknowledge failure quickly. “As soon as you've acknowledged failure,” he tells us, “you can move on to something that will likely be successful.” It's a principle that keeps Celigo's growth disciplined—and its automation ambitions grounded in financial logic.

Ever wondered what an auctioneering school could teach you about leadership communication? In this conversation with Dia Bondi, communications catalyst and author of "Ask Like an Auctioneer," Cam and Otis explore the fascinating connection between the rapid-fire world of auctions and the strategic art of asking for what you want."You're basically learning to sell something in a minute and a half," Dia explains about her auctioneering training, revealing how this condensed transaction moment contains powerful lessons for business leaders. From the illusion of fast-talking (it's actually about breath manipulation) to the courage required to "show up big in big moments," Dia breaks down what makes truly clutch communicators effective.What makes this episode especially compelling is Dia's formula for making strategic asks. She outlines a four-part approach that moves beyond simply stating what you want to creating a compelling case that removes blockers and drives results. As she puts it, the best communicators "know who to ask, when to ask it, and what to ask for. And they're not low-balling themselves ever."Whether you're looking to improve your leadership communication, make more effective requests, or simply understand the psychology behind powerful asking, this conversation offers practical wisdom that might just have you stepping into your own "zone of freaking out" (ZOFO) – where the real growth happens.Dia's exclusive link for 10x Your Team listeners:  https://www.diabondi.com/coMore About Dia:Dia Bondi is an expert in Leadership Communications, with two decades of experience coaching top CEOs, VC-backed founders, and innovators to speak powerfully and amplify their impact. Trained as an auctioneer, Dia transformed the techniques of fundraising auctioneering into a groundbreaking program designed to help women—and all ambitious professionals—ask for more and get it in their careers, businesses, and lives. Her book, Ask Like an Auctioneer: How To Ask For More and Get It, serves as a practical guide to navigating the discomfort of asking boldly, encouraging readers to step into their “zone of freaking out” (ZOFO). As a Communications Catalyst, Dia collaborates with high-impact individuals, guiding them to develop their voice and lead with it. Her engaging workshops and talks have been hosted by major corporations such as Quartz, Salesforce, Google's X.team, and Dropbox. Notably, Dia played a pivotal role in helping Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. Featured in CNBC Make It, Forbes, and Fast Company, Dia's insights are transforming the way professionals approach strategic asking and leadership.#10xyourteam #LeadershipCommunication #AskLikeAnAuctioneer #StrategicAsking #LeadershipGrowth #ExecutivePresence #ZoneOfFreakingOut #BusinessCommunication #ProfessionalDevelopment #TribeAndPurpose #10xYourTeamChapter Times and Titles:The Auctioneer's Secret [00:00 - 05:00]Introduction to Dia BondiThe illusion of fast talkingHow auctioneers manipulate breath and use fillersFrom Auction Block to Boardroom [05:01 - 15:00]Translating auctioneering skills to business"Learning to sell something in a minute and a half"The condensed relationship of an auctionShowing Up Big in Big Moments [15:01 - 30:00]What makes clutch communicators effectiveThe courage to make the less obvious statementWhy big moments require a bigger presenceThe Strategic Ask Formula [30:01 - 45:00]Knowing who to ask, when, and what forUnderstanding your authentic voiceDesigning asks that get resultsCommunication as Leadership [45:01 - End]The four components of effective askingBalancing empathy with accountabilityFinal thoughts and how to connect with DiaDia Bondihttps://www.instagram.com/diabondia/#https://www.linkedin.c

SaaStr 823: Is GTM Really Dead?! with SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin In this episode, Jason Lemkin, SaaStr CEO and Founder, addresses common misconceptions about traditional go-to-market strategies in the age of AI. Despite claims that outbound marketing, SEO, and old-school tactics are dead, the speaker highlights how leading AI companies are successfully employing these methods with minor tweaks. Drawing from the success stories of OpenAI, Notion, Dialpad, and others, the presenter emphasizes the importance of high-quality content, dynamic sales tactics, and the unmatched potential of AI-driven tools like AI SDRs. He also discusses the necessity of providing substantial ROI from day one and urges marketers to reassess and improve their strategies rather than dismiss them as obsolete. Finally, practical advice is given on optimizing sales and marketing efforts to tap into the booming AI budget effectively.   This episode is sponsored by:   Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  This episode is sponsored by: You didn't create a startup to run a small business. Let Salesforce help you connect data, automate busywork and empower employees on the only platform you'll ever need, no matter how big you get. With smarter AI and built-in collaboration tools like Slack, the sky's the limit. Learn how Salesforce works for startups at salesforce.com/smb.   Hey everybody, SaaStr AI in London is this December and we're on track to completely sell out.    Join 2,000 B2B + AI leaders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.  We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.  Don't miss out: get your tickets while you still can by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com

⬥GUEST⬥Pieter VanIperen, CISO and CIO of AlphaSense | On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietervaniperen/⬥HOST⬥Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥Real-World Principles for Real-World Security: A Conversation with Pieter VanIperenPieter VanIperen, the Chief Information Security and Technology Officer at AlphaSense, joins Sean Martin for a no-nonsense conversation that strips away the noise around cybersecurity leadership. With experience spanning media, fintech, healthcare, and SaaS—including roles at Salesforce, Disney, Fox, and Clear—Pieter brings a rare clarity to what actually works in building and running a security program that serves the business.He shares why being “comfortable being uncomfortable” is an essential trait for today's security leaders—not just reacting to incidents, but thriving in ambiguity. That distinction matters, especially when every new technology trend, vendor pitch, or policy update introduces more complexity than clarity. Pieter encourages CISOs to lead by knowing when to go deep and when to zoom out, especially in areas like compliance, AI, and IT operations where leadership must translate risks into outcomes the business cares about.One of the strongest points he makes is around threat intelligence: it must be contextual. “Generic threat intel is an oxymoron,” he argues, pointing out how the volume of tools and alerts often distracts from actual risks. Instead, Pieter advocates for simplifying based on principles like ownership, real impact, and operational context. If a tool hasn't been turned on for two months and no one noticed, he says, “do you even need it?”The episode also offers frank insight into vendor relationships. Pieter calls out the harm in trying to “tell a CISO what problems they have” rather than listening. He explains why true partnerships are based on trust, humility, and a long-term commitment—not transactional sales quotas. “If you disappear when I need you most, you're not part of the solution,” he says.For CISOs and vendors alike, this episode is packed with perspective you can't Google. Tune in to challenge your assumptions—and maybe your entire security stack.⬥SPONSORS⬥ThreatLocker: https://itspm.ag/threatlocker-r974⬥RESOURCES⬥⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

What happens when a Microsoft marketer takes TikTok-style humor to LinkedIn?  Viral growth, 35K+ followers, and a whole new playbook for B2B content. Daniel sits down with Heike Young, content leader at Microsoft, former Salesforce veteran, and one of LinkedIn's most recognizable creators. Heike has built an engaged audience by proving that professional content doesn't have to be boring. Heike opens up about her journey: from editing For Dummies books and running social at Salesforce, to reinventing herself as a LinkedIn video creator who blends humor, relatability, and practical insights. You'll hear: > Why low-fidelity, authentic content often outperforms polished, high-budget productions. > How to bring humor and personality into B2B without losing credibility. > The step-by-step playbook for individuals who want to build their personal brand on LinkedIn. If you're planning on scaling your B2B brand through social content, this is the episode for you.  Acquired by Atlassian in 2023, Loom is an AI-powered video communication tool for work that lets users record and share videos quickly and easily. Trusted by millions of users across 400,000 companies, Loom is improving how teams communicate. Visit Loom.com and get started.  Follow Heike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heikeyoung/ Follow Daniel: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Dr. Tasha Eurich⁠ is an organizational psychologist and one of the world's leading experts on self-awareness and business savvy. She's worked directly with 40,000 leaders and spoken to hundreds of thousands more, helping them achieve dramatic and measurable change. Her clients have included the NBA, Walmart, Salesforce, and more, and her TEDx talks have been viewed more than 10 million times. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books, including ⁠Insight ⁠and her latest, ⁠Shatterproof⁠, which publishes this week. On this classic episode, Tasha joined host Robert Glazer on ⁠the Elevate Podcast⁠ to talk about Shatterproof, the role of resilience in life and leadership, and antifragility. Thank you to the sponsors of The Elevate Podcast Mizzen & Main: mizzenandmain.com (Promo Code: elevate20) Shopify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indeed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠indeed.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Masterclass: masterclass.com/elevate Found: found.com/elevate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are significantly increasing their technology budgets, focusing on strategic investments that support long-term growth. According to a study by Forrester Consulting, 88% of SMBs plan to enhance their cloud strategies and cybersecurity through increased spending on third-party services. The study also highlights a growing emphasis on improving customer experience and reducing enterprise risk, with cloud-based disaster recovery solutions and hybrid cloud strategies becoming essential. However, the integration of AI services into the economy is expected to take years, as businesses need time to learn about new AI products and train their employees.The UK government has issued a second Technical Capability Notice requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted data and messages of British users stored on its iCloud service. This directive follows a previous request that raised diplomatic tensions with the US and has led Apple to withdraw its Advanced Data Protection Service in the UK, weakening user privacy. The implications of this move are significant for SMBs that rely on iCloud, as it introduces potential security risks and highlights the need for additional encryption measures.Microsoft is facing pushback as it prepares to end free security updates for Windows 10, which is set to occur on October 14, 2025. A coalition of organizations, including repair shops and advocacy groups, is urging Microsoft to extend these updates, citing concerns that many PCs will be left insecure or unusable. With a significant portion of Windows 10 machines unable to upgrade to Windows 11, businesses are left with difficult choices regarding their operating systems, potentially leading to increased e-waste.In the realm of AI, major companies like Microsoft, Salesforce, and Stripe are launching new tools that integrate AI capabilities into their existing platforms. Microsoft has introduced Microsoft 365 Premium, which combines Office applications with AI features, while Salesforce has launched AgentForce Fibes, a tool that streamlines coding through natural language. Stripe's new instant checkout feature within ChatGPT allows users to purchase products directly from chat interfaces. These developments indicate that AI is becoming an integral part of business infrastructure, and MSPs must focus on helping clients leverage these tools effectively to drive business outcomes.Four things to know today00:00 SMBs Are Increasing Tech Budgets for Cloud, Cybersecurity, and AI, But Forrester Warns True AI Value Will Take Years to Realize04:07 UK Pressures Apple on iCloud Again, Forcing Encryption Rollback That Puts Privacy, Business Security, and Global Precedent at Risk05:39 Windows 10 Sunset Becomes a Flashpoint: Market Share, Hardware Incompatibility, and Sustainability Collide in Microsoft's 2025 Deadline08:23 From Office to Checkout: Microsoft, Salesforce, Stripe, OpenAI, and Google Push AI Into Everyday Work and Consumer Life This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://scalepad.com/dave/https://mailprotector.com/ Webinar:  https://bit.ly/msprmail All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1016: The AI workforce won't replace humans—but it will reshape how work gets done. On this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Salesforce EVP & CDO Joe Inzerillo joins to explore the rise of agentic AI and how it's transforming work, from org structure to customer engagement. Joe draws on lessons from Disney, SiriusXM, and now Salesforce to unpack the “Customer Zero” model, how digital labor changes work design, and why empathy is the superpower for AI leadership.

In this episode of the Salesforce Commerce Innovators podcast, host Caleb Bryant speaks with Jeff Cannon, CEO of Yoga Democracy, and Aaron Hutten, co-founder of Ember Agency. They discuss the journey of Yoga Democracy, from its origins to its recent transition from Shopify to Salesforce Commerce Cloud in just six weeks, emphasizing the significance of accelerating time to value in a unified commerce platform. Show Highlights: Evolution of Yoga Democracy from niche hot yoga apparel to significant athleisure market player Challenges and solutions in hiring seamstresses in the U.S. and the establishment of a factory in Kenya Importance of strategic partnerships Leveraging technology like AgentForce and Einstein for better consumer insights and personalized experiences Creative strategies for customer engagement Advice for entrepreneurs on aligning business decisions with long-term goals and selecting adaptable technology solutions Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review,” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second, and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Guests: Jeff Cannon, CEO, Yoga Democracy: https://www.yogademocracy.com/  Aaron Hutten, Founder, Ember Agency: https://discoverember.com/  Supporting Resources: Learn more about Agentforce for Commerce: https://www.salesforce.com/commerce/ai/  Join the Commerce Cloud Community Unofficial Slack: https://sforce.co/commercecrew  *** Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know I sent you.  

Hey CX Nation,Here's the first CXWeekly Update from CXC in a long time!This week's episode I walk through some ideas, goals & CTAs that I've learned from the 5 years of building CXC.Don't worry we have a ton of amazing guest interviews coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks.Part of our goal at CXC is to create more customer focused business leader content, including short episodes like these ones that are digestible, actionable & most importantly entertaining & valuable for all of you.Full candor, we also wanted to celebrate our 5 year anniversary of building CXChronicles. We are approaching 300+ episodes of customer focused business content, we've worked with almost 150+ companies across the world helping them make customer & employee happiness a habit & we are now partnered with some of biggest players in software & technology including Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks to name a few. If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player and leave us a review today.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, CX/CS/RevOps services, our customer & employee focused community & invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused video content & short-reel CTAs to improve your CX/CS/RevOps performance today (politely go smash that subscribe button).Contact us anytime to learn more about CXC at INFO@cxchronicles.com and ask us about how we can help your business & team make customer happiness a habit now!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

News and Updates: Pope Leo XIV rejected a proposal to create an AI-powered “virtual pope,” calling the idea of a digital clone horrifying. He warned that deepfakes, automation, and artificial substitutes erode trust, strip dignity from work, and risk turning life into “an empty, cold shell.” His stance echoes concerns as layoffs at Microsoft and Salesforce mount amid AI adoption. OpenAI released its first major study on ChatGPT usage, showing that over 70% of queries are non-work-related, with people mainly seeking tutoring, how-to guidance, brainstorming, and writing help. Only 4% of consumer queries involve coding, with writing far more dominant. Work-related use centers on information gathering and decision-making. Adoption is now global, especially in low- and middle-income countries, with 10% of adults worldwide estimated to use ChatGPT. A preliminary deal to keep TikTok in the U.S. has been reached: existing investors and new U.S. backers, including Oracle and Silver Lake, will control about 80%. ByteDance's stake drops below 20% to comply with U.S. law. Oracle will safeguard U.S. user data, while the recommendation algorithm will be licensed, retrained under U.S. oversight, and cut off from Beijing's influence. The U.S. government is also set to receive a multibillion-dollar facilitation fee. The European Commission is considering scrapping the cookie consent banner requirement, part of the 2009 e-Privacy Directive. Alternatives include setting preferences once at the browser level or exempting “technically necessary” cookies. Any change would fold into GDPR, but privacy advocates are likely to resist. Samsung has begun testing ads on its Family Hub smart refrigerators in the U.S. Despite previously denying plans, a software update now pushes “promotions and curated ads” to fridge screens when idle. Samsung calls it a pilot to “strengthen value,” but users blasted the move as another step in the company's “screens everywhere” strategy.

Are marketers ready to relinquish some control and embrace a future where autonomous agents handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators? Agility requires adapting to change while also anticipating it, and being ready to adapt when new ways of doing things mean better outcomes for customers and the brand. Today, we're going to talk about how marketers can bring agentic marketing to life with actionable data, cross-departmental workflows, and autonomous AI agents that handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Devin Kunysz, Senior Director, Industry GTM, Consumer Goods & Retail at Salesforce. Devin, welcome to the show! About Devin Kunysz Devin Kunysz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinkunysz/ Resources Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

"How Agentic AI Is Replacing Subscription Revenue"Chuck Ganapathi, the CEO of Gainsight & Brett Queener, Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures, who previously ran product at Salesforce and helped destroy Siebel, the company where he and Chuck first met. Together, they've witnessed every major shift in enterprise software over three decades, and they believe the biggest one is happening right now.In this conversation, Brett unveils his forthcoming thesis on "the end of ARR," arguing that agentic AI will fundamentally break subscription business models. When products finally achieve what he calls "product purity", actually doing the job they promise without requiring armies of CSMs, endless onboarding, and quarterly business reviews, the entire economic foundation of SaaS collapses. Chuck and Brett discuss whether this is an existential threat or the evolution the industry has been waiting for.What you'll learn:- Why the "friction gap" between product and value created the entire CS industry- What "product purity" means and why it threatens traditional SaaS economics- How agentic AI fundamentally changes the unit economics of software- Why usage-based pricing is inevitable once products actually work- The product marketing playbook that still matters in an AI-first worldCheck out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/Where to Find the GuestBrett's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/Chuck's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckganapathi/Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/In this episode, we cover:0:00 - Preview & Introduction1:18 - Meet Chuck & Brett3:30 - How Brett and Chuck met at Siebel 9:28 - Transition to Salesforce: destruction of Siebel as a goal14:11 - Changing Nature of Product Marketing in the AI Era18:00 - Systems of Record vs. Systems of Action21:13 - Databases as “lossy” representations of reality29:00 - Brett's thesis: "The End of ARR (And I Feel Fine)"34:28 - How should agentic applications be priced?43:43 - Future Outlook: Market paying premium for top agents47:17 - 10x CSMs enabled by AI agentsReferences:- Brett Queener's blog: https://queener.substack.com/

This week, Cathy McKnight, Chief Problem Solver at Seventh Bear, makes her monthly visit to the studio, and she and our host Ian Truscott discuss 5 skills marketers need for working with agentic AI, based on an article she wrote for Salesforce.com. They discuss: Strategic thinking Creative direction AI literacy Ethical judgment Orchestration and collaboration If you have any comments or thoughts on this topic, we would love to hear them, we welcome your feedback.  Enjoy! — The Links The people: Ian Truscott on LinkedIn  Cathy McKnight on LinkedIn Mentioned this week: Cathy's article on Salesforce.com: 5 Agentic AI Marketing Skills You Need Right Now Cathy's firm - Seventh Bear Rockstar CMO: The Beat Newsletter that we send every Monday Rockstar CMO on the web and LinkedIn Previous episodes and all the show notes: Rockstar CMO FM. Track List: We'll be right back by Stienski & Mass Media on YouTube You can listen to this on all good podcast platforms, like Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The D2D Podcast, Sam Taggart sits down with Vess Pearson, CEO and Co-Founder of Aptive Environmental, one of the fastest-growing pest control companies in North America. From knocking doors as a young rep to building a company that generates more than $500 million in annual revenue, Vess has spent the last 20 years mastering the art of sales, leadership, and business growth. His story is not just about scaling numbers—it's about creating systems, solving problems with endurance, and building a culture where sales reps feel part of a bigger mission rather than just chasing a paycheck.Vess dives into the principles that helped Aptive rise to the top of the industry, including differentiated training methods, talent retention strategies, and the importance of aligning personal and company goals. He shares how culture has evolved beyond perks to focus on career paths, ownership, and long-term value for both employees and customers. Listeners will hear why professionalism, ethics, and integrity are more important than ever in door-to-door sales, and how these values open doors to greater opportunities. Whether you are just starting in sales or already leading a team, the insights from this conversation provide a roadmap for thinking bigger, training smarter, and creating sustainable success in the D2D world.You'll find answers to key questions such as:What habits separate long-term D2D winners from reps who burn out?How can training and culture directly impact sales performance?Why is retention of top talent more valuable than chasing high commissions?How can reps balance personal income goals with company vision?What role does integrity play in sustaining a career in door-to-door sales?Get in touch with Vess Pearson: Instagram: @vess4 Website: https://aptivepestcontrol.com/Ready to train like the pros? Join D2DU 2.0 and get access to free resources, next-level training, AI tools, certifications, and a real community built for serious growth. 

Identity theft affects millions of people every year — but do you really know how it works, or how to protect yourself? This week, we're joined by Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, who shares the latest trends in identity crime and what steps you can take if it ever happens to you.

Not every launch succeeds on day one, but the brands that endure find ways to win over time.That's why we're turning to Clue, the 1985 murder mystery comedy with three different endings. Despite bombing at the box office, it grew into a beloved cult classic. In this episode, we break down its lessons with the help of special guest Christine Royston, Chief Marketing Officer at Wrike.Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from building strategy before execution, balancing brand and demand, and embracing word-of-mouth to turn audiences into passionate advocates.About our guest, Christine RoystonChristine Royston is a visionary global marketing executive with a proven track record of scaling iconic technology brands, architecting go-to-market transformation, and driving category leadership in the enterprise SaaS space. As Chief Marketing Officer at Wrike, Christine leads the company's worldwide marketing strategy, fueling enterprise growth, brand acceleration, and customer-centric innovation at scale.With more than 20 years of experience across global B2B markets, Christine has built and led high-performing teams at some of the world's most recognized technology companies—including Salesforce, Dropbox, and Imperva—where she helped pioneer marketing strategies during moments of hypergrowth and IPO. She most recently served as Global Head of B2B Marketing at Udemy and as Vice President of Marketing at Bitly, where she was instrumental in repositioning both brands for business adoption and long-term growth.Christine's executive leadership spans Sales-Led and Product-Led Growth (PLG) models, across direct sales, freemium, and self-service go-to-market motions. Her ability to unify global teams, expand into new international markets, and launch cross-functional marketing engines has positioned her as a sought-after leader in growth-stage transformation and scaled enterprise performance.An expert in enterprise marketing strategy, customer lifecycle innovation, and multi-channel demand generation, Christine has driven business results across cloud computing, cybersecurity, financial services, and manufacturing verticals. She is also known for her passion for mentoring future marketing leaders and building diverse, inclusive, and impact-driven teams.Christine holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an International MBA in Global Marketing from the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business. She brings a global lens to every challenge, with leadership experience spanning the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America.What B2B Companies Can Learn From Clue:Strategy matters more than star power. Even the best team can't save a weak story. Clue had an all-star cast, but without a clear throughline, it flopped at the box office. Christine draws a parallel to marketing: “Even if you have the best team in the world, without a great strategy, you're not gonna win. You've got to have a really fantastic strategy and a really great team to back it up, so that you can kind of play on everybody's strengths, but you're all pointed in the right direction.” Don't confuse talent or resources with strategy. Success comes from aligning everyone around a clear, shared story.Balance is everything. Clue was billed as both a mystery and a comedy, but leaned heavily into the silliness, confusing audiences who expected a tighter whodunit. Christine sees the same trap in B2B: “The movie was… touted as a mystery and a comedy, but it was definitely way more on the comedy side. And so thinking about that balance… and making sure that you're really being clear with your intent of messaging, your intent of the brand.” Great marketing requires a balance between brand, demand, clarity, and creativity. Overweighting one side leaves your audience uncertain about what you really stand for.Word of mouth is your secret weapon. Despite its failure in theaters, Clue became a cult classic through community and conversation. For Christine, that's a marketing playbook: “The fact that it did become this cult classic highlights the importance of word of mouth. How do you make sure you're getting in front of people who will be interested in your product, or interested in your movie, and making sure that you're leveraging communities [and] social as a way to get in front of people who maybe aren't going to go to the box office.” Buzz builds longevity. Beyond paid campaigns, you need advocates, communities, and conversations that keep your brand alive long after launch.Quote“ How do you differentiate yourself and do something a little different. Bring some humor into what is normally a pretty straight-laced B2B technology type of industry. I think people like a little fun in their day-to-day.”Time Stamps[00:55] Meet Christine Royston, Chief Marketing Officer at Wrike[01:01] Why Clue?[01:24] The Role of CMO at Wrike[03:05] The Origins of Clue, The Movie[14:04] B2B Marketing Lessons from Clue[28:10] Balancing Brand vs. Demand[29:50] Wrike's Brand and Content Strategy[33:21] AI's Role in Modern Marketing[35:11] Wrike's Survey on AI's Impact[40:20] Final Thoughts and TakeawaysLinksConnect with Christine on LinkedInLearn more about WrikeAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Get your tickets to Sardine[Con] and end the scamedmicIn this episode of Fraudology host Karisse Hendrick kicks off this episode with updates on recent fraud news, including new sanctions against Southeast Asian cyber scam networks and the ongoing Shiny Hunters attacks targeting Salesforce plugins. But the meat of the episode focuses on a blockbuster CNBC investigation into fraud on Walmart's third-party marketplace. Karisse meticulously breaks down the investigation's findings, from Walmart's rapid marketplace growth and loosened seller vetting to the proliferation of counterfeit goods and seller identity theft. She explains how Walmart's efforts to woo sellers from Amazon backfired, allowing bad actors to exploit the platform. The episode offers an in depth look at the challenges of marketplace fraud, contrasting approaches by Walmart, Amazon, and Target. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in e-commerce, offering valuable lessons on balancing growth with trust and safety in online marketplaces.Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line. Connect with her on LinkedIn She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.Mentioned in this episode:2023-q4-postroll sardine 1

Workday's Kathy Pham and Salesforce's Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer and EVP of Product, Paula Goldman, discuss moving from theoretical discussions to practical frameworks for ethical technology and a human-centered future of work. They explore Paula's unique journey and how ethical leadership can build a movement for responsible AI.

As the federal government races to adopt AI, many agencies are looking to buy and build the same exact solutions. Recognizing this, the General Services Administration earlier this year launched USAi, a platform that offers agencies access to leading commercial AI models that they can deploy in a streamlined manner, eliminating redundancy across government and leading to greater efficiencies at scale. Zach Whitman, chief data scientist and chief AI officer for the GSA, recently joined me for a discussion at the Agentic AI Government Summit and Jamfest in Washington, D.C., to highlight the USAi effort, how it's progressing, the challenges GSA faces and what's next. The Department of Health and Human Services has tapped DOGE affiliate Zachary Terrell to be its chief technology officer, sources told FedScoop. Terrell's CTO title was confirmed by three officials, who were granted anonymity to be more candid. Taking on the role of CTO comes after his involvement in Department of Government Efficiency work at both HHS and the National Science Foundation, including the cancellation of grants at the science agency. One of those sources told FedScoop that Terrell has been in the technology chief role since the beginning of this month and is still at the NSF as well. While his leadership role is new, Terrell has previously been involved in work at HHS, including as a member of the department's DOGE team, according to a recent legal filing by the government. Per that document, Terrell was listed as one of the 10 team members given access to at least one sensitive system as part of the DOGE work. Specifically, Terrell was one of five team members who weren't directly employed by the U.S. DOGE Service — the White House home for the group. Congress is poised to make yet another run at legislation to reform agency software purchasing practices, with the reintroduction in the House last week of the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act. The SAMOSA Act, which passed the House last December, would require federal agencies to comprehensively assess their software licensing practices, a move aimed at curbing duplicative tech, streamlining future purchases and reducing IT costs. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, said in a press release: “The GAO has found the federal government spends more than $100 billion annually on information technology and cybersecurity, including software licenses. Far too often, taxpayer dollars are wasted on these systems and licenses agencies fail to use.” The SAMOSA Act, Mace goes on to say, “requires agencies to account for existing software assets and consolidate purchases: reducing redundancy, increasing accountability, and saving potentially billions for American taxpayers.” Also in this episode: Salesforce Global Digital Transformation Executive Nadia Hansen joins SNG host Wyatt Kash in a sponsored podcast discussion on how Agentic AI is reshaping the way government teams work and why agencies need top-level sponsorship, transparent governance and workforce training to realize its potential. This segment was by sponsored by Salesforce. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

In this episode, Avanish and Umesh discuss:Uniphore's founding story in 2008 and evolution from conversational AI applications to an end-to-end Business AI Cloud platform serving 2,000+ customers including Fortune 500 enterprisesThe pivotal moment when two of Uniphore's largest customers (10% of revenue) warned their contracts might expire unless Uniphore opened up their platform for customer-built AI agentsHow platform necessity emerged from scale—running out of data scientists to manually fine-tune models for each customer led to building automated platform toolingThe "open-heart surgery" transformation: shifting from selling business outcomes to line-of-business buyers to serving CIOs and developers, requiring wholesale DNA changes across engineering, product, sales, and marketingWhy platform and ecosystem strategies are inseparable: "A platform is really not a platform until other people are building things on it"The M&A strategy for platform companies: narrower aperture requiring 100% architectural alignment, but instant unlocks when acquisitions fit the single-codebase platform architectureThree frameworks for platform success: maintain paranoia about whether you're a feature/product/company, surround yourself with "system thinkers," and stay intensely close to customersThe "five-by-five" metric for measuring platform adoption: five large enterprises and five GSIs using the platform as their weekly "factory" for fine-tuning models and building agents, requiring simplified user experience for non-technical business users Host: Avanish SahaiAvanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley. About UmeshUmesh Sachdev is the CEO and Co-founder of Uniphore, one of the largest AI-native, multimodal enterprise-class SaaS companies in the world.  Sparked by his vision and focus to use AI technology to bridge the gap between humans and machines, today Umesh is recognized as an enterprise AI pioneer, bringing knowledge AI, generative AI and emotion AI into a single platform, allowing customers to harness AI's powerful capabilities across voice, video and text-based applications.  Known for his grit as a leader, his passion for customers and his deep understanding of technology, he is called upon to guide some of the world's largest brands through their digital transformation. Umesh's strong portfolio of patents serves as a testament to his innovative thinking and commitment to advancing AI technology.As an international business leader, Umesh has been recognized with many awards including ‘40 under 40' Bright Young Business Leaders in the Economic Times, ‘Next Generation Leader' by Time Magazine, and previously, as an ‘Innovator Under 35' by MIT Tech Review.  Umesh is an alumnus of Jaypee Institute of Information Technology and an accomplished speaker and highly sought-after presenter. About TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.Follow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark

Help us improve the show by filling out our audience survey: bit.ly/4j01Gq0  In this episode of Get Hired, LinkedIn Editor Andrew Seaman sits down with Meredith Brown, senior vice president of Trailhead and Community at Salesforce. Trailhead is Salesforce's free online learning platform that recently launched an AI training series that's open for anyone.  In their conversation, Andrew and Meredith talk about the steps to successfully learning a new skill or tool, what to look for in an online learning platform, and how to take initiative on learning to work with AI even if your company is not providing practical training.  Key Topics: What Salesforce and Trailhead do Trailhead's free Agentblazer Champion training series The three stages of learning Why leaders should aim to have humans and agents working together How to take initiative to upskill and reskill without company guidance Links & Resources: Follow Meredith Brown on LinkedIn here Join the Get Hired community on LinkedIn here Listen to more episodes of Get Hired with Andrew Seaman here

I am joined by Melanie Kruger, one of the best people leaders that I ever had the chance to work with. She has deep understanding of helping to scale Salesforce ISVs of all sizes. She actually found her way into the Salesforce ecosystem via networking between her husband and J Manning, bringing her to the Head of People at Conga.I got to work with Melanie twice at Conga and TaskRay and was so impressed with how she helped set culture and nurture culture so the companies could grow. Melanie shares that when she joined Conga, lots of people were generalists - Conga had a number of Business Analysts that did everything customer facing - Sales, CS, and Support. This can be a really good model of ISVs early on, but eventually specialization is required. Something similar happened at TaskRay and one of their BAs was Jon Barlow who is now a top tier enterprise AE in the ecosystem.We talk about culture and how it shifts over time, sharing her experience with Red Canary. We explore hiring pitfalls for early-stage ISVs and the importance of job descriptions. We go deep on this topic because it is so, so important to align expectations and help secure top talent as well as touching on some creative perk ideas for employees, like “two weeks to infinity”.It was a lovely conversation that blended business lessons and life lessons. This episode is brought to you by Tequity Advisors . Tequity Advisors is a global sell-side M&A advisory firm with core expertise in SaaS and ISVs, Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, Microsoft, all things Data and AI, and the hyper scaler MSP cloud ecosystems with a focus on the Salesforce ecosystem and beyond! 

CommanderAI launched in early 2024 as a customer relationship manager and sales prospecting platform built for waste management — and other industrial services like dumpster rentals and industrial recyclers – to fill that gap.   Also, Silicon Valley-based Cerebras announced it raised a $1.1 billion Series G round on Tuesday that valued the AI hardware company at $8.1 billion. The round was co-led by Fidelity and Atreides Management with participation from Tiger Global, Valor Equity Partners, and 1789 Capital, among others.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emerging Cybersecurity Threats: Lockbit 5.0, Salesforce AI Vulnerabilities, and China's Cyber Intelligence Advancements In this episode of 'Cybersecurity Today,' host Jim Love discusses the latest cybersecurity threats, including the emergence of Lockbit 5.0 ransomware which can attack multiple platforms simultaneously, and a critical vulnerability in Salesforce's AI agents known as forced leak prompt injection. Additionally, the episode delves into the growing capabilities of China's Ministry of State Security, which has become a significant cyber intelligence force under Xi Jinping, raising serious concerns for Western security agencies. 00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity Threats 00:18 Lockbit 5.0: A New Ransomware Threat 03:01 Salesforce AI Agents Vulnerability 05:50 China's Cyber Intelligence Operations 08:55 Conclusion and Call to Action

Nesrine Changuel helped build Spotify, Google Chrome, and Google Meet. Her work has helped her discover the importance of emotional connection in building successful products. At Google, she served as a dedicated “delight PM,” a role specifically focused on making products more delightful. She recently published Product Delight, a book that provides a practical framework for creating products that serve both functional and emotional needs. Based in Paris, she now coaches founders and CPOs on implementing delight strategies in their organizations.What you'll learn:1. Why delight is a business strategy, not just “sprinkling confetti” on top of functionality2. How to identify emotional motivators that drive product retention3. The 50-40-10 rule for balancing delight in your roadmap4. The 4-step delight model5. The origin story of Spotify's Discover Weekly6. Why B2B products need delight just as much as B2C products7. How to get buy-in from skeptical leaders who think delight is a luxury—Brought to you by:DX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: https://getdx.com/lennyJira Product Discovery—Confidence to build the right thing: https://atlassian.com/lennyLucidLink—Real-time cloud storage for teams: https://www.lucidlink.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-4-step-framework-for-building-delightful-products—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/174199489/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Nesrine Changuel:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nesrinechanguel/• Newsletter: https://nesrinechanguel.substack.com/• Website: https://nesrine-changuel.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Nesrine and product delight(04:56) Why delight matters(09:17) What makes a feature “delightful”(12:29) The three pillars of delight(13:03) Pillar 1: Removing friction (Uber refund example)(15:07) Pillar 2: Anticipating needs (Revolut eSIM example)(17:21) Pillar 3: Exceeding expectations (Edge coupon example)(18:35) The “confetti effect” and when it actually works(22:02) B2B vs. B2C: Why all products need emotional connection(29:52) The Delight Model: A 4-step framework(30:57) Step 1: Identifying user motivators (functional and emotional)(33:55) Step 2: Converting motivators into product opportunities(34:46) Step 3: Identifying solutions with the delight grid(36:46) Step 4: Validating ideas with the delight checklist(40:22) The Delight Model summarized(42:18) The importance of familiarity (Spotify Discover Weekly story)(45:21) Real examples: Chrome's tab management solution(51:32) Google Meet's solution for “Zoom fatigue”(55:02) Getting buy-in from skeptical leaders(59:39) Prioritizing delight: The 50-40-10 rule(1:02:41) Creating a culture of delight in your organization(1:06:45) The habituation effect(1:08:15) When delight goes wrong: Apple reactions example(1:10:21) How delight motivates product teams(1:12:24) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/• Linear: https://linear.app/• How Linear builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linear-builds-product• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira• Asana: https://asana.com/• Monday: https://monday.com/• The Product Delight Model: https://nesrinechanguel.substack.com/p/the-product-delight-model• Revolut: https://www.revolut.com/• How Revolut trains world-class product managers: The “local CEO” model, raw intellect over experience, and a cultural obsession with building wow products | Dmitry Zlokazov (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-revolut-trains-world-class-product-managers• Microsoft Cashback: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/features/shopping-cashback• Superhuman's secret to success: Ignoring most customer feedback, manually onboarding every new user, obsessing over every detail, and positioning around a single attribute: speed | Rahul Vohra (CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/superhumans-secret-to-success-rahul-vohra• Brian Chesky's secret mentor who died 9 times, started the Burning Man board, and built the world's first midlife wisdom school | Chip Conley (founder of MEA): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/chip-conley• Workday: https://www.workday.com/• SAP: https://www.sap.com/• ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/• GitHub: https://github.com/• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/• Data Superheroes: https://www.snowflake.com/en/data-superheroes/• Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/• Andy Nesling on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andynesling/• Matic: https://maticrobots.com/• Diego Sanchez's (Senior Product Manager at Buffer) post on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7365014292091346945/• Miro: https://miro.com/• Arc browser: https://arc.net/• Competing with giants: An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product | Josh Miller (CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look• Migros Supermarket: https://www.migros.ch/• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-lovable-anton-osika• Linear's secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu• Suno: https://suno.com• Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/• Use Reactions, Presenter Overlay, and other effects when videoconferencing on Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105117• Dr. Lipp: https://drlipp.com/• How to be the best coach to product people | Petra Wille (Strong Product People): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-be-the-best-coach-to-product• The Great American Baking Show: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21822674/• Le Meilleur Pâtissier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Meilleur_P%C3%A2tissier• The Upside on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.3cb8500f-31af-9f4f-5dec-701e086d58e8• The Intouchables: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/• Yoyo stroller: https://www.stokke.com/USA/en-us/category/strollers/yoyo-strollers• UppaBaby strollers: https://uppababy.com/strollers/—Recommended books:• Product Delight: How to Make Your Product Stand Out with Emotional Connection: https://www.amazon.com/Product-Delight-Stand-Emotional-Connection-ebook/dp/B0FGZ93D9Y/• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814• STRONG Product Communities: The Essential Guide to Product Communities of Practice: https://www.amazon.com/STRONG-Product-Communities-Essential-Practice/dp/3982235189/r—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

In this CPQ Podcast episode, host Frank Sohn speaks with Tarak Patel, Sr. Vice President of Product and Technology at Aleran Software, about how Aleran is bringing sustainable innovation to Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and digital commerce. Aleran's Connected Commerce platform is designed for mid-size manufacturers ($20M–$1B) and their channel partners. Built on headless, API-first, cloud-native architecture, the platform integrates with leading ERP systems(SAP, Epicor, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, Acumatica and more) and CRM solutions (Salesforce, SugarCRM). It also offers native eCommerce, pre-built connectors, Avalara tax, payment gateways, and shipping integrations—helping companies move beyond spreadsheets and home-grown tools. Tarak explains how Aleran supports CTO and ETO products, with a feature- and rules-based configuration engine, plus AI-driven guided selling and automated product content generation. With low-code/no-code flexibility and an average 2-month implementation, manufacturers can achieve fast ROI. Beyond technology, Tarak shares insights on trust-based leadership, Aleran's rapid growth, and how his philosophy of “sustainable innovation” drives both the company and his personal life—including golfing with his two teenage sons.

In this episode I talk to Sharissa Sebastian Deppen about the power within introverted leaders.  Introduction Sharissa Sebastian Deppen is the CEO of Leadership Mastery Alliance; a company specializing in supporting introverted servant leaders who are women in corporate leadership. She's a leadership and executive coach with an MBA, MSc in Technology Leadership and her PCC Certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), as well as a Myers Briggs Certified Practitioner. She has 15+ years of corporate leadership experience in addition to coaching several Fortune 100 leaders and executives. She's also a TEDx speaker and TEDx speaker coach, an award winning international keynote speaker, a writer for Forbes and the Huffington Post, a member of Forbes Coaches Council, a Professor at Southeastern University and an advisory board member at the University of South Florida. Her many years of experience include helping leaders draw on their God-given strengths and abilities, see their value and be able to bring out the best in themselves and others all while having fun, being fulfilled and not burning out! She's able to masterfully help them navigate their blind spots while thriving in their zone of genius to take their career and leadership to a level that has a significant impact on themselves, their teams and their organization.  Her clients include leaders and executives at companies such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, Microsoft, Harpo Studios, Bank of America, CNN, The United Nations, Intuit, SalesForce, BP, Fedex, Comcast, Deloitte, Accenture, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Victoria's Secret, Warner Brothers Studios, US Bank, Coinbase, Ameriprise Financial, Nestle, Virgin, Mars, Slack, Space Force, among others.   Resources mentioned in this episode Follow Sharissa: Website: HERE LinkedIn: HERE Instagram: HERE TikTok: HERE FREE Resource-Leadership Mastery Alliance: HERE   Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving a review. Leave comment on what you enjoyed from the episode and if you have any suggestions for future episodes, I'd love to hear from you. Even better, share it with a friend or colleague and turn on the notifications so that you never miss an episode. It really helps the podcast gain more listeners so that we can grow our Lead From Within community. Thanks everyone! Keep reaching for your highest branch! Let's Connect Follow me on LinkedIn Here Visit my website Here Email: mthomson@curisconsulting.ca  Self-Care Guide on Amazon: Canada: HERE USA: HERE Leave me a voice note HERE and have it included on a future podcast! Just click on the "message" tab.  It is greatly appreciated!  

Artificial intelligence is helping to drive up electricity demand in America. Energy costs are rising, and utilities are struggling to adjust. How should policymakers — and companies — respond to this moment? On this special episode of Shift Key, recorded live at Heatmap House during New York Climate Week, Rob leads a conversation about some potential paths forward. He's joined first by Representative Sean Casten, the coauthor of a new Democratic bill seeking to lower electricity costs for consumers. How should the grid change for this new moment, and what can Democrats do to become the party of cheap energy? Then he's joined by Arushi Sharma Frank, an adviser to Emerald AI, an Nvidia-seeded startup that helps data centers flexibly adjust their power consumption to better serve the grid. Sharma Frank has worked for utilities and tech companies — she helped stand up Tesla's energy business in Texas — and she discusses what utilities, tech companies, and startups can learn from each other?Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University. Jesse is off this week.Mentioned: Democrats Bid to Become the Party of Cheap EnergyThe Cheap Energy Act proposalHeatmap's Katie Brigham on Emerald AI, a.k.a. The Software That Could Save the Grid--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by ...Salesforce, presenting sponsor of Heatmap House at New York Climate Week 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Salesforce build a $200B company by declaring war on "software"? Branding expert Laura Ries (author of "Strategic Enemy") reveals why the world's best brands choose strategic enemies to dominate their markets.Laura explains the counterintuitive positioning strategy behind iconic brands like Tesla, Chick-fil-A, and White Claw. Learn why opposition creates clarity, how visual hammers make brands unforgettable, and why line extensions destroy established brands.KEY TOPICS:The strategic enemy frameworkVisual hammers that build brand memoryWhy line extensions fail (Bud Light case study)How to respond to market disruptorsPersonal branding for executives

In this episode of Quietly Visible, Carol Stewart is joined by Melissa DinWiddie—Juilliard-trained dancer, jazz singer, improviser, author of The Creative Sandbox Way, and creativity consultant for global brands like Google, Meta, and Salesforce.Melissa shares her powerful journey from believing she “wasn't creative” to embracing her artistry and building a career helping leaders and teams unlock their boldest ideas. She opens up about the perfectionism that held her back for years, how self-compassion became her game-changer, and why she now proudly calls herself an “intentional imperfectionist.”

Send us a textWhat happens when a rebellious teenager receives a life-altering cancer diagnosis at 18? In this powerful conversation, Steve Garraty shares his extraordinary journey from self-destructive partying to profound purpose after doctors discovered a grapefruit-sized tumor in his neck on July 4th, 1986.Steve candidly reveals his spiral into reckless behavior after moving to Atlanta as a teen – drinking before school, wrecking five cars while intoxicated, and causing tremendous stress for his family. Just after high school graduation, everything changed with three devastating words: "you have cancer." Through nine grueling months of chemotherapy, Steve kept a journal that would eventually become his book "Greatfruit: How Cancer Led to Living a More Fruitful Life."The heart of this episode explores how facing mortality at such a young age transformed Steve's approach to fatherhood. With doctors warning he might never have children due to his treatments, each moment with his two children became a profound gift. Now a grandfather and successful sales leader at companies like Salesforce, Oracle, and Workday, Steve reflects on how his cancer journey cultivated deep empathy, gratitude, and perspective – qualities that shaped both his parenting and professional leadership.Most compelling is Steve's insight about extracting meaning from life's hardest moments. "We all go through stuff," he shares. "It may have a different face for you than for me, but we all go through moments or events that change us." His message to parents: be resilient through challenges, lean on your support network, and look for opportunities to grow through adversity.Whether you're facing your own struggles or simply seeking perspective on what truly matters in parenting, Steve's story will inspire you to embrace each day with intention and appreciation. Listen now to discover how life's greatest challenges can become the foundation for our greatest strengths.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!

On this episode of The YM Show, I sit down with my good buddy Michael Kleinfeld, a top performer in B2B sales. We get super practical about how he actually wins contracts—from the first cold call, to follow-ups, to proposals—and how you can apply the same frameworks in any industry.If you're in sales (or you're a founder doing sales yourself), this episode is a cheat-sheet: the ins & outs, do's & don'ts, misconceptions, and yes—the occasional “scheme” to watch for—so you can close more cleanly and build long-term relationships.

Dime qué piensas del episodio.Mi invitada de hoy es María Pérezcalva @mariaperezcalva fundadora de Creando Talento, una firma que transforma la cultura organizacional de empresas líderes en Latinoamérica. María creció en un entorno donde la expectativa para una mujer no era trabajar, sino quedarse en su lugar. Hoy hablamos de su historia: cómo pasó de ser becaria en Unilever a emprendedora serial, mamá de tres hijos y referente en temas de compensación, estructura y cultura empresarial. Pero también exploramos sus luchas internas: la culpa materna, el divorcio, los sacrificios familiares, y la redefinición de éxito como mujer. Sigue Cracks Podcast en YouTube aquí."No tienes que hacerlo todo tú para demostrar tu valor."- María PerezcalvaComparte esta frase en TwitterEste episodio es presentado por Salesforce, el CRM de IA número uno en el mundo y su nueva solución, Agentforce y por Eight Sleep, la empresa lider en tecnología de sueño.. Qué puedes aprender hoyEl poder de soltar el controlCómo usar tu vulnerabilidad estratégicamenteEl valo de una pausa*Este episodio es presentado por Salesforce, el CRM de IA número uno en el mundo.Su nueva solución, Agentforce, no es simplemente un asistente digital. Es una suite de agentes autónomos diseñada para trabajar codo a codo con los equipos humanos, combinando datos unificados y capacidades avanzadas de IA para llevar a cabo tareas de forma autónoma o colaborar con los empleados en tiempo real. Salesforce integra todos tus datos en un solo ecosistema de IA. Los agentes de Agentforce pueden analizar y actuar sobre la información de cada cliente de manera segura y confiable, transformando cada rol y flujo de trabajo para alcanzar una escala operativa sin precedentes.Revoluciona tu negocio con Salesforce en cracks.la/agentforce*Si escuchas este podcast desde hace tiempo, ya sabes que yo uso el Pod de Eight Sleep… pero lo que quizá no sabes es que hoy no podría dormir sin él. De verdad. Mi esposa y yo lo amamos.El Pod 5 es la última generación de su funda de colchón inteligente, y junto con su nueva Blanket —que también regula la temperatura—, ha cambiado por completo nuestras noches. Ella duerme calientita, yo duermo fresco, y cada quien a su temperatura perfecta toda la noche.El Pod aprende de tus patrones de sueño y ajusta automáticamente la temperatura mientras duermes para que descanses más profundo y despiertes con más energía. Puede enfriar hasta 13 °C o calentar hasta 43 °C, y cada lado de la cama se controla por separado.Además, eleva la cama para reducir o eliminar los ronquidos cuando los detecta.Puedes tener $7,000 pesos de descuento en tu propio Pod 5 Ultra  visitando www.eightsleep.com.mx/osotrava y usa el código OSOTRAVA. Ve el episodio en Youtube

Key Highlights from the Episode:2:55 – Why advisors avoid executing on tech integrations and what stops them from leveraging the tools available4:45 – How JEDI offers a cost-effective alternative to hiring full-time tech staff for CRM and custodial support6:10 – Data hygiene explained: why it matters for compliance, efficiency, and business valuation7:45 – Succession planning and clean data: how preparation today drives higher multiples tomorrow10:50 – Custodian and CRM integrations (Salesforce, Redtail, Wealthbox) that streamline advisor workflows13:00 – Why scalable, repeatable processes matter for growth and long-term success14:20 – The rise of AI tools in wealth management and how advisors can take advantage16:05 – JEDI's new partnerships: approved with Schwab, plus collaborations with Salesforce, Wealthbox, and Redtail18:10 – Freeing up staff through workflows and automation so advisors can focus on growth and client relationshipsResources:Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitions: https://eliteconsultingpartners.comElite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisors: https://elitemarketingconcepts.comElite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.comJEDI Database Solutions | Technology Solutions for Advisors: https://jedidatabasesolutions.comListen to more Advisor Talk episodes: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/eliteconsultingpartners