The Customer Conversation That Changed a Company | CEO Motus, Phong Nguyen

When Phong Nguyen stepped into the CEO role at Modus—a technology platform processing over $2 Billion annually in driver reimbursements—he skipped the victory lap and did something his team was terrified to arrange: he got on a call with one of their biggest, angriest ex-customers. The client "ripped them a new one," exposing a hard reality: Modus had lost its innovation edge and treated them transactionally. But instead of getting defensive, Fong took a walk to cool down, gathered his leadership team, and used that uncomfortable call to recalibrate the company’s "true north". Within 12 months, they won that customer back. In this episode of *Lead The Team*, host Ben Fanning sits down with Phong Nguyen to discuss: - **The Ex-Customer Playbook:** Why calling lost accounts yields the rawest, most valuable strategic data. - **Customer Centricity vs. Customer Success:** Why true customer focus is a business strategy, not a metrics-driven department. - **Leading Through Perspective:** How growing up as a Vietnamese refugee shaped his long-term view on work ethic, discipline, and opportunity. - **"Liked vs. Respected":** The screaming match early in his career that forced him to develop his own philosophy on modern management. - **Uncovering Hidden Signals:** Moving past surface-level KPIs to align with actual customer business outcomes. **Resources & Links** - **Get Weekly Insights:** Receive vital takeaways from every episode directly to your inbox at benfanning.com/insight. - **Rate & Review:** Enjoying the show? Take 10 seconds to rate, follow, and drop a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help more leaders discover the show. \----- **Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning** Speaking and Training inquires Subscribe to my Youtube channel LinkedIn Instagram Twitter