Johann Wrede of Emburse: The Power of Experience

Johann Wrede of Emburse: The Power of Experience

Author: Dr. Laura Sicola January 8, 2024 Duration: 29:47

Joining Laura on this week’s episode of ‘Speaking to Influence’ is Johann Wrede, Chief Experience Officer at Emburse. Johann shares how he manages group dynamics among key stakeholders to keep them from hijacking meetings with their own agendas so that his plan stays intact.

In this episode you will learn:

  • What a great customer experience is really about.
  • What exactly a Chief Experience Officer does, and why more C-Suites should think about adding one to take collaboration of departments to integration.
  • How Johann was able to bridge the divide between his expertise on the technical side and his creativity when it came to talking to customers through sales.
  • How Johann went about getting prepared to be assertive in a meeting with other executives in order to keep everyone focused and achieve his objectives and ensure his meeting didn’t get hijacked by other stakeholders’ agendas.
  • The approach of a ‘Yes we can do it, here’s what I need’ perspective during negotiations, and how you can use it to show you are collaborative as well as to highlight alternative options.

24 Hour Challenge:

Go to every person you run into in your business and ask them how the work they do impacts the customer experience.

About Johann:

As the first-ever Chief Experience Officer at Emburse, Johann is responsible for leading a cross-functional marketing and customer success organization, with the goal of delivering a world-class customer experience from first awareness through subscription renewal.

Over the course of the last 25 years, Johann has written, implemented, sold and marketed a variety of customer database, CRM and customer experience (CX) products. An evangelist for customer experience, he has spoken to keynote and media audiences in 18 different countries.

Prior to Emburse, Johann served as Chief Marketing Officer at Xactly Corporation. Before joining Xactly, he held several executive leadership positions within SAP Global Marketing, including the first-ever Creative Director for SAP.

You can connect with Johann in the following ways:

You can connect with Dr. Laura Sicola in the following ways:

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola
  • LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laurasicola-inc
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VocalImpactProductions
  • Facebook: Dr. Laura Sicola
  • Twitter: @LauraSicola
  • Instagram: @drlaurasicola
  • Website: https://laurasicola.com
  • Laura’s Online Course: virtualinfluence.today

Speaking to Influence features conversations about the tangible mechanics of leadership communication, moving beyond theory into practical application. Host Dr. Laura Sicola, an expert in linguistic influence, guides discussions that dissect how language, tone, and presence directly impact credibility and outcomes. Each episode brings a perspective from seasoned executives and industry figures who share their real-world experiences-not just their successes, but the nuanced moments where a single conversation changed a trajectory. The focus here is on the actionable: how to structure a message for a skeptical board, modulate your voice to convey authority without arrogance, and read a room to pivot your approach in real time. This isn't about generic public speaking tips; it's a deep exploration of the strategic choices behind influential speech. Listeners gain access to a toolkit for building confidence, commanding attention, and achieving specific professional results through more intentional communication. The podcast operates at the intersection of business strategy, personal development, and the often-overlooked technical art of persuasion, making it relevant for anyone whose role requires them to lead, sell, or inspire through spoken word. Dr. Sicola's background provides a unique lens, ensuring every conversation yields insights you can use immediately to refine your own impact.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Speaking to Influence
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