Each autumn I have the chance to spotlight the best business podcasts from across the Salesforce network. I love the opportunity to reflect on the past year and revisit the compelling storytelling from my colleagues. Inevitably, I discover new ideas and mindsets, and have a laugh or two. Best of all, I get to share them with you.
Last year’s list emphasized the uncertainty ahead of us. That included the future of work, a new Digital HQ, and sustainability as a competitive advantage. This year, the focus is on getting stuff done — developing career-changing admin skills, connecting with your customers in new ways, and using system automation to rapidly change business operations. I hope you find something that speaks to you and carries you into 2023 feeling inspired.
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1. Pizza shows us how businesses can connect with customers
Join Peabody award-winning journalist Adam Davidson, co-creator of Planet Money, and Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist Jane Marie on a journey through the history of the relationship between businesses and customers. From Assyrian traders 4,000 years ago to today’s startups, we’ll gain a deeper understanding of the infinite ways that businesses can connect — deeply, powerfully — with their customers.
Start with episode one: Innovation isn’t just about technology — sometimes it’s about pizza!
With the help of King Arthur Baking Co. and home pizza oven designers from Breville and Ooni, we talk about how technology in baking is changing the game for pizza lovers.
Podcast: Innovation isn’t just about technology — sometimes it’s about pizza!
2. How women in sales can close the deal and develop their careers
Only 25% of the tech industry’s salespeople are women and only 12% of these women are sales leaders. In this conversation, a group of trailblazing women in sales discuss that gap and what needs to be done to close it. They also share how they’ve perfected the art of closing the deal and what other women in sales can do to develop their own careers. This was recorded at Salesforce’s annual Gender Equality Summit, which seeks to elevate and inspire the next generation of women leaders (and male allies).
Podcast: Closing the deal — Women in sales
3. How companies can build trust and better connect with customers
How can companies better know and connect to their customers and build more trust? That’s a question Seth Godin, marketing guru and founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, and Brian Solis, vice president and global innovation evangelist at Salesforce and best-selling author, try to answer in this episode, one of the year’s best business podcasts. They discuss some fascinating findings from our just-released State of the Connected Customer report. It’s our fifth edition and features insights from nearly 17,000 consumers and business buyers worldwide. Tune in to find out what’s at the heart of it.
Podcast: Seth Godin and Brian Solis — How to better connect to your customers
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4. Which industries benefit the most from automation?
Are the antiquated systems at your business holding it back from its full potential? Today’s the day to automate! On this episode, we kick off our Automation series with guests John Kucera, senior vice president of product management at Salesforce, and Matt McLarty, global field chief technical officer and vice president of the Digital Transformation Office at Salesforce’s integration platform MuleSoft. John and Matt join us to discuss how system automation is rapidly changing how businesses operate, and which arenas outside of the tech industry would most benefit from an automation overhaul.
Podcast: The Automation renaissance, part 1, with John Kucera of Salesforce and Matt McLarty of MuleSoft/Salesforce
5. Automation is already changing the way we communicate
From telephone lines to the cloud, the human impulse to connect has long been a powerful driver of innovation. But how is the rapid advancement of automation technology changing the way we communicate? Continuing our Automation series, we welcome Savinay Berry, executive vice president of product and engineering at the cloud communications provider Vonage. Tune in to hear eye-opening insights from an industry leader at the cutting edge of communications technology.
Podcast: The Automation renaissance, part 2 — Accelerating human connection with Savinay Berry, EVP, Product and Engineering, Vonage
6. Find new business opportunities in all your brands
Michal Geller, the president of ecommerce and digital at Newell Brands — Sharpie, Crock Pot, Food Saver, Elmer’s Glue, Graco — manages many brands. With so many potential touchpoints and opportunities for cross promotion, how are Michal and his team approaching this challenge? On this episode of “Up Next in Commerce,” Michal talks about the ways that Newell is experimenting, using data, and taking advantage of new opportunities in order to bring the ecommerce experience — and every other aspect of the business — to the next level.
Podcast: Newell Brands has multiple brands and multiple ecommerce challenges, which Michal Geller, the president of ecommerce and digital, is trying To solve
Listen now on Up Next in Commerce
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7. Ace your Salesforce admin interview
In one of the best business podcasts from the Admins Podcast, we talk with Lissa Smith, senior manager of business architecture at Salesforce. We learn about how she hired a team of Salesforce admins, what she looks for in the interview process, and important advice for anyone hiring a Salesforce administrator.
Join us to learn about how to stand out when you’re applying for a job, and what makes the difference between a junior and senior admin candidate.
Podcast: Hiring an Admin with Lissa Smith
Listen Now on Salesforce Admins
8. Develop the admin skills employers want
Join “Accidental Admin” Nana Gregg for a breakdown of her Salesforce Admin Skills Kit. She discusses how the skills kit helps develop the skills that employers are looking for and why your background matters much more than you think when you’re building your admin career. Get concrete examples and learn Nana’s EASY Methodology:
E: Embrace change.
A: Always be learning.
S: Show and tell.
Y: You got this.
It’s a recipe for success for admins and a guide to help employers figure out what to look for when they’re hiring.
Podcast: Admin Skills Kit with Nana Gregg
Listen Now on the Salesforce Admins Podcast
9. The Slack and Salesforce integration can bring back some magic for developers
Daniel Peter is the Salesforce practice lead over at Robots & Pencils. Having had some incredible experiences throughout his life (including starting as a self-taught programmer, studying marketing in college, and taking some time mid-career to go on “sabbatical” and travel), Daniel brings a unique perspective to our show.
Podcast: Salesforce & Slack with Daniel Peter
Listen now on the Salesforce Developers Podcast
10. These qualities make for a good DevOps practice
Kevin Boyle is the CEO of Gearset. This made our list of best business podcasts because we talked with him about his journey of building out Gearset and developing it into what it is today. We also discuss DevOps in general throughout our conversation.
Podcast: DevOps with Kevin Boyle
Listen now on the Salesforce Developers Podcast
11. Diversity and inclusion in the public sector
This three-part series explores advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in public sector organizations.
This episode features Katie Cook, the first female pilot to perform with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. She served in the active duty Marine Corps as a KC-130 pilot for 12 years, accumulating over 1,400 flight hours, 400 of which were in combat. Now as a senior director of operational excellence for Salesforce’s global public sector, she leads a team focused on eliminating inefficiency and friction within the global public sector sales process.
Podcast: Equity-Centered Digital Transformation
Listen now on Our Digital Nation
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