In this powerful episode of Magic in the Cloud, host Joseph Griffith sits down with Greg Wojcik, Chief Revenue Officer at Royal Transportation Services, to explore what it truly means to put customers first in today's competitive business landscape. Greg shares his unique philosophy of being a "Customer Relations Officer" rather than just focusing on revenue, revealing how this mindset shift has driven success across multiple industries including pharmaceuticals, logistics, and transportation.

Short description: Discover how customer-first leadership transforms businesses and drives sustainable growth through authentic relationships and operational excellence.

Tune in for insights on: Customer journey mapping, relationship-driven business growth, leadership philosophy in transportation and logistics, operational excellence strategies, building trust in high-stakes industries, servant leadership principles, Polish immigrant work ethic, mentorship and succession planning, parenting lessons applied to business, military precision in customer service

Key Takeaways:

- Revenue follows relationships - focus on customer success first, money second

- Everyone in your organization should be a Customer Relations Officer

- Internal operational excellence enables exceptional customer service

- Hire people who genuinely want to be there and understand the mission

- Apply parenting principles to customer relationships - patience, nurturing, unconditional support

- Military precision and formation flying as metaphors for customer alignment

- The transportation industry suffers from commodity thinking - differentiate through expertise

- Succession planning requires ego-free leadership and hiring people smarter than yourself

- Blue-collar immigrant values still drive modern business success

- Trust is the foundation of all meaningful business relationships

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:40 Meet Greg Wojcik - Introduction and Background

1:41 The Customer Relations Officer Philosophy

2:38 Journey to Royal Transportation Services

3:03 Early Career in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

7:14 Transportation as Customer Journey Partner

10:02 The Anti-CRO Approach - Customer First

12:13 Magic in Cloud Framework Discussion

13:25 Blue Collar Work Ethic and Team Culture

16:02 Blue Angels Formation Flying Metaphor

19:03 Sales Operations and People Framework

20:18 Everyone as Customer Relations Officer

24:06 Creating Meaning vs Being Data Driven

25:06 Transportation Industry Misconceptions

29:09 Strategic Partnerships and Risk Management

31:28 Restaurant Service Parallels

33:38 Personal Background and Polish Heritage

34:00 Key Influences - Sandy, Renee, Jim

37:04 Military Leadership Inspiration

40:00 Level Five Leadership and Succession

43:36 Managing Stress Through Customer Focus

44:17 Personal Accomplishments - Becoming a Father

47:58 Applying Parenting to Customer Relations

51:04 Selfless Love and Customer Focus Philosophy

53:36 Contact Information and Closing Thoughts

56:46 Outro

Quote of the show: "We want your success. The money will figure that out. Don't worry about it."

Subscribe to Magic in the Cloud for more conversations with visionary leaders who are transforming industries through innovative thinking and authentic leadership. Like this episode if Greg's customer-first philosophy resonated with you, and share it with someone who needs to hear these leadership insights.

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In this engaging episode of the Magic in the Cloud podcast, we welcome guest Sean Lewis. Sean shares his unique journey from glass blowing to becoming a leader in the Salesforce ecosystem. He dives into his experiences, his strategic approach to customer service, and the evolving landscape of AI in tech. The conversation highlights the importance of honesty, emotional intelligence, and continuous learning in achieving professional success and personal fulfillment.

00:00 Introduction to Magic in the Cloud

00:45 Meet Sean Lewis: Salesforce Ecosystem Expert

01:48 Sean's Role at VAC Picasso

03:55 The Importance of Customer Experience

08:48 Navigating the Post-COVID Work Environment

11:39 Building Trust and Effective Partnerships

18:11 The Service Blazer Community and A

I22:10 Embracing AI and Future Opportunities

26:42 Finding Purpose and Standard of Living

27:59 Journey into Glassblowing

30:25 Transitioning Careers and Unique Jobs

33:24 Embracing Challenges and Learning

39:51 Mentorship and Personal Growth

43:23 Connecting and Giving Back

47:03 Conclusion and Contact Information

From moving furniture in New York City with just $120 to becoming a Salesforce MVP Hall of Famer and successful entrepreneur - this is the incredible journey of Ohad Idan, founder of Praxis Solutions. In this inspiring episode of Magic in the Cloud, Ohad shares his remarkable transformation from an accidental Salesforce admin to a leading consultant in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Born in a small town by the Dead Sea in Israel, Ohad's story begins with mandatory military service and a leap of faith to America. Starting with literally nothing but determination, he worked moving furniture while discovering his passion for technology and business process optimization. What started as an accidental assignment to manage Salesforce after an acquisition became the foundation for an extraordinary career.

Tune in to discover insights on embracing unexpected career paths, leveraging unique superpowers, building trust through specialization, entrepreneurial mindset, Salesforce ecosystem expertise, manufacturing and ERP solutions, communication across technical and business teams, MVP community involvement, immigrant success stories, and personal branding in tech.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace unexpected paths - your career journey doesn't have to be linear

• Develop your unique superpower - the ability to translate between technical and business teams

• Specialization builds trust and longevity in consulting

• Attitude and aptitude matter more than background and experience

• Understanding how things work creates mental maps for complex problem solving

• Community involvement leads to organic recognition and opportunities

• Hard work and curiosity cannot be replaced by natural talent alone

• Building deep customer relationships requires understanding their day-to-day operations

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

02:30 - From Moving Furniture to Manufacturing

08:15 - The Accidental Salesforce Admin

14:25 - Developing Communication Superpowers

22:45 - Founding Praxis Solutions and MVP Journey

35:20 - Scaling a Consulting Business

42:15 - Personal Story: From Israel to America

50:30 - The Meaning Behind Praxis

52:45 - Outro

Quote of the Show: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

Ohad's journey from immigrant with $120 to Salesforce MVP and successful entrepreneur demonstrates that with curiosity, hard work, and the ability to connect technical solutions with business needs, extraordinary success is possible. His story offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to build a career in technology consulting or entrepreneurship.

Don't forget to subscribe to Magic in the Cloud for more inspiring stories of visionary leaders transforming industries through technology and innovation.