The Peerbound Podcast

In this episode, we dive deep with Will Crocker Hay, the VP of Customer & Partner Education at Braze, to explore various aspects of building and scaling successful customer-facing functions. Will shares insights gleaned from over a decade of experience developing critical customer-facing functions such as customer success, customer marketing, and customer education, along with valuable career lessons learned along the way. 

Will and Sunny discuss:

• (00:58) What Braze does.
• (02:15) Will's career journey and the pivotal points that shaped his path, including the early days of customer success.
• (07:24) Scaling customer and partner education.
• (11:12) Learnings for career progression and growth.
• (12:37) Launching the customer marketing function, including the initiation of the advocacy program, Firebrands.
• (23:48) Launching the Braze customer community, Bonfire.
• (27:13) Advice for choosing a great company to work for and the skills needed to succeed.
• (30:12) Will’s grand theory of customers.

Stay tuned through the end of the show (31:19) to learn: 

• Which Will chooses: city or country (...or both).
• Whether or not Will is an iPhone or Android supporter.
• Who Will thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Will Crocker Hay (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Ciana and Sunny dive into:

• (01:41) Ciana's first corporate job (which she found via Craigslist)
• (04:45) Learning the ropes of customer advocacy at Kronos
• (07:03) Building customer advocacy from the ground up at SumTotal Systems, leading to a successful acquisition
• (12:40) Why customer references matter
• (14:15) Why customer advocacy
• (16:26) Expanding the customer advocacy remit at Zerto, and  supporting another successful acquisition
• (24:08) Finding Snyk and how Ciana helped them become a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant
• (28:47) The role of the voice of the customer in new business generation
• (32:28) Developing the Customer Value Study at Snyk to help sales teams communicate ROI
• (39:38) Ciana's take on the future of customer advocacy and how to collaborate effectively

Stay tuned through the end of the show (44:51) to learn: 

• How Ciana got her office to stock up on Diet Coke.
• What type of pastry Ciana is obsessed with and why.
• Who Ciana thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Ciana Abdollahian (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Elizabeth and Sunny dig into:
(01:07) Elizabeth's early career experiences
(11:21) Qualities to look for when hiring, and how to test for them
(17:57) Going deeper into community & advocacy
(22:35) Benefits from investing in community & advocacy
(29:03) Skills and lessons for career growth
(38:51) Building the Slack Developer Community

Stay tuned through the end of the show (46:18) to learn: 
What cartoon characters Elizabeth named her cats after.
Why Elizabeth has to stay loyal to Netflix over YouTube.
Who Elizabeth thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:
Elizabeth Kinsey (LinkedIn)
Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter)  

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Welcome to The Peerbound Podcast! I'm your host, Sunny Manivannan. Today we embark on a journey into the heart of the enterprise software industry. 

As a SaaS executive with a passion for innovation, I witnessed firsthand the incredible transformations happening in the world of enterprise software. But what truly fascinates me is the power of the customer's voice. In the ever evolving landscape of software purchasing decisions, I firmly believe that customers are now more than ever turning to their peers for guidance. 

Customer marketing and advocacy have become the secret weapons of the world's leading software companies. It's not just about selling software. It's about fostering relationships, building trust, and harnessing the collective wisdom of those who use your technologies day in and day out. 

On The Peerbound Podcast, we're diving deep into this dynamic industry. We're here to celebrate the leaders behind the scenes—those visionary minds who are driving this transformative movement. 

Our mission is simple: to showcase how these powerhouse teams are amplifying the voices of their customers to accelerate growth. We'll explore their strategies, their innovations, and their journey to the forefront of customer-centric marketing in enterprise software. 

So, if you're passionate about the future of software, if you believe that the customer's perspective is the ultimate source of truth, and if you're ready to uncover the strategies that are reshaping the industry, you're in the right place. 

Join us on The Peerbound Podcast, where we bridge the gap between technology and humanity. It's time to unlock the potential of peer-driven decision-making. And together we'll navigate the exciting world of customer marketing and advocacy in enterprise software. Stay tuned for inspiring stories, thought provoking insights and a deeper understanding of how customers are shaping the future of software. 

Welcome to Peerbound, your compass in the world of customer influence.

LinkedIn - Sunny Manivannan

LinkedIn - The Peerbound Podcast