The Adapter’s Advantage: Jon Ferrara on Building Customer Relationships
Welcome to The Adapter’s Advantage: Breakthrough Moments that Lead to Success.
In episode 48, Nimble Founder & CEO Jon Ferrara talks about how he went from selling PCs to launching a $100 million company, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, and how his life changed after a brain tumor.
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“I don’t think people buy great products. They buy better versions of themselves. So, stop talking about yourself and your product. Nobody cares. Start talking about how you can help people become better, smarter, faster at scale.”
Jon Ferrara is a serial entrepreneur, CRM pioneer, speaker, and leader in the relationship economy, which is the foundation of social selling and modern-day sales. He’s been recognized by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Social CEOs, one of the Top 10 Social Salespeople in the World, and one of the Top 100 Marketing Influencers.
Ferrara is the founder and CEO of Nimble, an award-winning social sales and marketing CRM for individuals and teams. He launched Nimble to help people nurture their personal and business relationships across email and social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Nimble is ranked #1 in Overall Satisfaction by G2 Crowd.
He’s best known as the co-founder of GoldMine Software Corp, one of the first customer relationship management (CRM) platforms for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In 1999, Goldmine was acquired by FrontRange.
Ferrara is an advisor to multiple start-ups and established companies. He also donates time to local business colleges and entrepreneurial programs, including the Entrepreneurial Program at USC Marshall School of Business.
Listen as Jon discusses the evolution of sales, skills and traits that win deals, and why it’s important to be present and focus on connections with people.
Episode 48: Building Customer Relationships | Jon Ferrara
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From This Episode
Host Mark Magnacca: “What qualities do you look for in salespeople?”
Jon Ferrara: “I believe service is the new sales and that nobody wants to be bagged or tagged or sold. I think a good salesperson is interested in growing the person they’re selling to. So, I look for somebody who is intelligent, has a strong desire to learn and grow, and is very detail oriented with good follow-up and follow-through. It’s the basics that win games, and follow-up and follow-through will make or break you.
“And I’m not necessarily interested in a people person or somebody who talks a lot. I’d rather them listen more than they talk. Sales has evolved, and the modern salesperson is nowhere like the Fuller Brush salesperson.”
About The Adapter’s Advantage
Our podcast features leaders from sales, training, and industry who share their personal journeys of transformation and how they are adapting to an ever-changing environment. As your host, I’ll introduce you to some of the most interesting and inspiring people I’ve met over the last 20 years.
The conversations dive into the ups and downs of their journey. Our guests focus on inflection points—the aha moments that, in retrospect, had a critical impact on their success. These interviews will leave you with practical, real-world advice that you can apply to your life.
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