Tony Rodoni of Salesforce: Helping Small Businesses Thrive in the World of Tech

Last week, something exciting happened in the bustling city of New York. Salesforce, a company that specializes in innovative technology, hosted a special event just for small businesses like yours. It was called the Small Business Basecamp, and it was an incredible experience. Can you believe that over 1300 small business owners signed up for this event? The venue was so packed that it couldn’t fit any more people!

At the Basecamp, some big names in the tech industry came together to support small businesses. Companies like Amazon Business, Chase, LegalZoom, FreshBooks, Revel, SquareSpace, WeWork, Zenefits, RingCentral, and Yelp joined forces to show small businesses how they can harness the power of CRM and other technologies to expand their customer base and operate more efficiently.

• I had the privilege of meeting Tony Rodoni, the Executive Vice President of SMB Sales at Salesforce. He is an expert in helping small businesses like yours thrive.
• Another amazing person I met was Jamie Domenici, the Senior Vice President of SMB Marketing at Salesforce. She knows all the tricks to help small businesses grow.
• I also had the pleasure of conversing with Darnell Hollaway. He’s the Director of Business Outreach at Yelp, and he shared some valuable insights with me.

Hi there! I’m excited to share with you the edited transcript of my chat with Tony Rodoni. If you want to watch the full conversation, just click on the video below. Don’t worry, I’ll be posting my talks with Domenici and Holloway in the next few weeks too.

USamerica.US: Can you tell us a bit more about what you do at Salesforce?

Tony Rodoni: I’m in charge of the sales teams for small and medium-sized businesses at Salesforce. I’ve been with the company for 10 years now. Throughout that time, I’ve been helping small businesses with their sales, marketing, and customer service by showing them how to use CRM tools effectively.

USamerica.US: How has the world of small business changed during your time at Salesforce?

Tony Rodoni: When Salesforce was founded, we primarily served small businesses. Ever since our humble beginnings 17 years ago, we faced the challenge of convincing people to trust and embrace cloud technology. Many questioned its safety and whether they would be comfortable using it. However, those days of skepticism are long gone. In fact, it is the small businesses that have become the trailblazers and early adopters of nearly every technological advancement we introduce.

The reason behind this trend is that technology empowers small businesses to become more agile and competitive. It gives them the ability to appear larger and more formidable than their actual size. We like to call this phenomenon the blowfish effect – the art of appearing bigger than you are.

Wow, can you believe it? Just fifteen years ago, starting an ecommerce company or marketing over the web was a costly and time-consuming endeavor. But times have changed, my friend. The costs have dropped dramatically, and here at Salesforce, we’re all about helping our customers appear bigger and grow faster. How do we do it? Well, with our amazing cloud technology, we future-proof their technology so they can stay ahead of the game. Let me tell you, we’re constantly generating new releases, like three or four times a year. We never stop innovating!

Now, let’s talk about something really cool. Salesforce is teaming up with awesome partners like Amazon Business, Ring Central, Yelp, and more. You might wonder, why are we reaching out to small businesses through events like this? Well, let me break it down for you.

Me, as Tony Rodoni: When I talk to small businesses, they often ask me about using our CRM tool and wonder what other technologies they should be using. They see us as advisors for small business technology. The companies we’ve invited here today are the ones we believe can make a big difference for small businesses. They have already started with Salesforce and are involved in accounting, payroll, reviews, website development, and more.

We believe that it’s not just about one vendor, but about the community we’re building together in the field of CRM.

USamerica.US: The landscape has changed a lot. How are the small businesses you talk to keeping up and staying ahead of the competition? What are they doing to remain competitive in this challenging environment?

Me: Have you noticed how some companies seem to have a natural agility, always staying one step ahead? They’re quick to adapt in competitive or economic environments, spotting opportunities before anyone else. It’s impressive how they harness technology to make swift changes to their business.

Take retailers, for example. They know exactly how to adjust the offers they give to customers. If they use customer relationship management (CRM) to sell through a direct organization, they can effortlessly alter their product or pricing mix. It’s all about shifting focus from simply recording information to using CRM as a tool for actively engaging with customers. In fact, the current buzz in the business world revolves around data science and artificial intelligence – it’s the hot trend right now!

I don’t think it’s fair for small businesses to have to maintain a whole data science department. But we’re determined to make our product helpful in identifying trends, suggesting actions, and guiding you forward. And let me tell you, our small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers are gonna see those features real soon.

Let’s talk about something important in USamerica.US: We often hear about big enterprises using fancy stuff like machine learning and data science. But how can small businesses benefit from these systems and the insights they offer?

Tony Rodoni: The key advantage of using data science systems is things like lead scoring. It helps you know which leads to prioritize and respond to first.

Today, we no longer have to rely on others to figure things out. With the help of our data science team, we can now automate tasks and provide valuable insights. For example, if you’re inundated with leads, our technology can help prioritize which ones you should contact first. It takes the guesswork out of decision-making by telling you which leads are the highest priority.

Let’s say you’re in customer support and you face a challenging case. How do you know when to escalate it or when you can automate a particular task? Our CRM system can guide you, providing recommendations on how to handle each situation. This applies to sales, service, or marketing endeavors – people want the features in our system to assist them in determining their next steps.

In the past, the first generation of CRM systems left users to figure things out on their own. But now, with innovative advancements, our CRM system takes the lead by recommending actions based on your specific needs and objectives. We are here to make your work easier and more efficient by suggesting what you should do next, tailored to your unique business requirements.

When speaking with small business owners about the latest technology, their excitement arises from the possibilities it holds for their specific needs and goals.

Tony Rodoni: The explosion of devices. Today, we’re livestreaming using just a tiny camera on our phones. It’s fascinating to see more and more small businesses running their operations right from their phones, being able to stay mobile. And the exciting thing is, they don’t want to be stuck at a desk all day. The best decisions happen when you’re out of the office.

USamerica.US: After attending this event, what do you want small businesses to take away today?

Tony Rodoni: We have a diverse group of people here. Some use Salesforce, some don’t. We have early-stage small businesses too. When we study small businesses, we find that 80 percent of them still don’t use any marketing automation. And surprisingly, 85 percent still rely on email and spreadsheets to manage their customer interactions.

And let me tell you, the thing I want to share with you today is how amazing it is to manage your business with Salesforce. It’s so easy, especially when you want to grow.

USamerica.US: In a year from now, what will we be talking about in terms of small businesses and technology?

Tony Rodoni: We will be talking about the success rate. We will be amazed by the new wave of small businesses that have been created using technology. Because the businesses that are here today will eventually graduate. They will become bigger companies and make changes in their industries. Now, I’m not saying every company wants to become huge. But they will do more with less. And Salesforce will help them do it cleverly.

USamerica.US: If people want to learn more, where can they go?