Blazing Trails

Latest Episodes:

Holiday Shopping Predictions With Rob Garf, VP and GM of Retail: Everything You Need to Know Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Tighter margins mean retailers need to innovate to stay competitive during the 2022 holiday shopping season. From dialing up the volume on digital to transforming the role of the physical store, future-looking retailers are putting customers at the heart of every decision they make.

Today, we are joined by Rob Garf, VP and GM of Retail at Salesforce who shares his thoughts on what you can do now to optimize your holiday retail strategy and start building lifelong customer relationships.

Take this trip to ancient Iraq and discover how their methods have shaped our customer relations today Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

The Kanesh Archive, a 4,000 year old collection of tablets discovered in Northern Iraq, reveals that customer service is nothing new. Over 4 millenniums ago, textile merchants would keep records of their sales transactions and customer details! In this eye-opening conversation, we welcome Harvard professor, Gojko Barjamovic, and his partner, Agnete, who reveal that these ancient clay records include orders, detailed feedback and requests, and even expense reports for the traveling salesmen! Who knew Quickbooks (or other software) had a great-great-great grandparent?

How do you figure out if there even is a customer? Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

We went into today’s episode with a big question: when a truly novel product comes to mind for an existing company or just some individual who might end up on Shark Tank, how difficult is it to find out if anyone wants to buy it? So, our correspondent Jane Marie came up with a new product and spoke to the founders of Kirrin Finch, a women’s clothing line that is designed to look like menswear. With their guidance, we take our new idea and go on the hunt for our customer, if there even is one.

Innovation isn’t just about technology - sometimes it’s about pizza! Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

How do you create novelty around one of the oldest businesses on the planet? Well, King Arthur Flour is focusing on customers and their wants and needs. Whether it's with recipes or the kind of flour home chefs want, their north star is always, “how do we best serve the baker?” With the help of King Arthur and home pizza oven designers from Breville and Ooni, we talk about how technology in baking is changing the game for pizza lovers.

How the Automotive Industry is Changing Gears: A Conversation with Harald Krüger, Former CEO and Chairman of BMW Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

The automotive industry is in the midst of a historical digital transformation. Today's vehicles are computers on wheels and customers who used to shop exclusively in the showroom can complete transactions online. Tune in to hear Harald Krüger, the former chairman and CEO of BMW and Jessica Geutner, Vice President of Strategic Customers at Salesforce discuss what companies need to do to navigate this uncertain terrain while balancing profitability with research and development as well as environmental initiatives.

Dreamforce: Bono and Marc Benioff on Art, Activism & ‘Surrender’ Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

We're concluding our Dreamforce 2022 coverage with Bono, an original Trailblazer. The lead singer of U2, cofounder of (RED) and ONE talks about his upcoming new memoir ‘Surrender,’ what fuels his passion for music, art, justice and life.

Dreamforce: Pivot Podcast Live with Kara Swisher and Stewart Butterfield Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Our Dreamforce coverage continues. Today we’ll hear Pivot, the award-winning podcast by Vox Media come to life with co-host Kara Swisher and Stewart Butterfield, President & CEO of Slack. Stewart shares his thoughts on the future of work, the metaverse and what’s next for Slack.

Dreamforce: Lawrence H. Summers and the Future of the U.S. Economy Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

We're kicking off our special coverage of Dreamforce 2022 with a great conversation between former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers and Salesforce Co-Ceo Bret Taylor. Inflation and economic pressures are hitting every industry. Summers shares his perspectives on how the economy got here and what to expect moving forward.

The Art of Brevity with Jim VandeHei Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. That is the manifesto of Smart Brevity, the latest book co-authored by Jim VandeHei, founder of Axios and Politico. It aims to teach everyone how to communicate effectively and be heard. Whether you work at a Fortune 500, a small business or an organization, you'll want to tune in this week to hear VandeHei share his tips on how to say more with less.

How the Largest Black-Owned Bank is Using Technology to Close the Racial Wealth Gap: A Conversation with OneUnited Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

Can the largest Black-owned bank in America undo years of economic inequality? Tune in this week to hear CEO Kevin Cohee and President Teri Williams of OneUnited Bank discuss how they are using data and technology to help close the racial wealth gap.

And you can learn more about their journey by tuning into ‘The Shift’, a new docuseries from Salesforce Studios premiering on CNBC, on Sept 17. Every Saturday at 2:30pm EST through November 12, you'll learn how high-growth organizations are taking on digital transformations during heavy market headwinds and coming through better than ever. You can also catch the series on demand on CNBC.com, Peacock, and of course on Salesforce+.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected