Qualify Better & Don't Discount

Send us Fan MailIn 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.Chapters00:00Introduction and Background00:30Identifying the Need for a New System03:23Acquiring the First Customers05:16Building on the Salesforce Platform06:34Challenges of Adapting Salesforce CRM for Professional Services08:29Transitioning from Services to Software10:41Acquiring Customers and Overcoming Implementation Challenges11:27Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy13:08Selling with Salesforce as the Brand Grows15:47Collaboration with the Channel and System Integrators18:43Success Turning Customers into Partners19:41Unexpected Hurdles and Lessons Learned20:50Navigating the Challenges of COVID-1924:56Advice: Qualify Better and Avoid DiscountingIf you are a Salesforce ISV founder with an interesting story to tell, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email to [email protected] and we'll be in touch.