In this episode, Mark Robinson, founder of Kimble Applications, shares his journey in the Salesforce ecosystem. He discusses the need for a new system to manage professional services firms and how the Salesforce platform provided a solution. Mark highlights the challenges of adapting Salesforce CRM for the professional services market and the importance of building a brand outside of Salesforce. He emphasizes the need to qualify leads better and avoid excessive discounting. Mark also shares his experience navigating the challenges of COVID-19 and offers advice for entrepreneurs.

During the conversation, James and Mark discuss:

- How Mark got started in the Salesforce ecosystem from a consulting background.

- Strategies for acquiring the first few customers and building relationships.

- Navigating the challenges of transitioning from a services business to a software business.

- Insights on marketing and collaborating with Salesforce as the brand evolved.

- Overcoming unexpected hurdles, including the impact of COVID-19.

- Key advice on qualifying leads and avoiding excessive discounting for long-term success.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Background

00:30
Identifying the Need for a New System

03:23
Acquiring the First Customers

05:16
Building on the Salesforce Platform

06:34
Challenges of Adapting Salesforce CRM for Professional Services

08:29
Transitioning from Services to Software

10:41
Acquiring Customers and Overcoming Implementation Challenges

11:27
Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy

13:08
Selling with Salesforce as the Brand Grows

15:47
Collaboration with the Channel and System Integrators

18:43
Success Turning Customers into Partners

19:41
Unexpected Hurdles and Lessons Learned

20:50
Navigating the Challenges of COVID-19

24:56
Advice: Qualify Better and Avoid Discounting

If you are a Salesforce ISV founder with an interesting story to tell, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email to podcast@unaric.com and we'll be in touch.