The origin story of ACT, the software that started the CRM industry, and the investor lunch that could have ended it all. [0:01]
Introducing Mike Muhney, co-inventor of ACT, and how customer relationship management existed before computers, the internet or Salesforce. [1:18]
The "hail Mary" moment; realising a first product had failed with only $15,000 left of a $100,000 investment. [2:20]
A holiday weekend brainstorm shifts the focus from tracking activities to tracking relationships. [3:15]
An IBM sales school lesson on why you should walk into a first meeting like you're making a friend, not closing a deal. [5:10]
How asking questions instead of pitching creates a psychological transference of trust with a client. [7:40]
What early company culture looked like: choosing people for integrity, vulnerability and an absence of ego. [9:00]
Why real relationships require face to face connection, not social media. [11:20]
The napkin plan; architecting an entire product in a month before the investor's visit. [12:40]
The lunch where an investor says no to a refund and instead doubles down with more money. [14:30]
A late night pitch at a mentor's house turns into $400,000 in cheques by the end of the evening. [16:20]
ACT launches nine months later, and why enthusiasm inside a company is as contagious as negativity. [18:00]
The Comdex trade show gamble: fifty chairs, a packed booth, and a strategy nobody else was using. [19:40]
A stranger with a million dollars in cash turns out to be Kevin O'Leary, and the offers keep climbing from there. [21:10]
A teaser for the next episode: why ACT's co-inventors are building a new relationship focused platform, Contata. [22:00]
ABOUT MIKE MUHNEY
Mike Muhney is the co-inventor of ACT!, the software credited with launching the multi-billion dollar CRM industry. Released in 1987, before the internet and before Salesforce existed, ACT! grew from a failed first product and a desperate Fourth of July brainstorm into a tool used by tens of millions of salespeople worldwide. Mike went on to co-found Contata, a new relationship focused platform built to bring the "R" back into customer relationship management.
CONTACT MIKE MUHNEY
CRM: https://contatta.com/
Website: https://mikemuhney.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemuhney/
ABOUT PODCAST HOST, NINA SUNDAY
Nina Sunday’s latest book, Manage Self, Lead Others: Constructive Conversations, True Self-Leadership, and Culture You Can’t Fake, is now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and audiobook. Not a collection of transcripts. Nina adds her own reflections on each guest conversation.
Amazon USA: https://a.co/d/3WaplI9
Amazon Australia: https://amzn.asia/d/0KwghaM
You can read any Kindle eBook on your PC, laptop or phone. You don’t need a Kindle device.
===
To learn more about face-to-face training programs with Nina Sunday or one of her experienced Facilitators from Brainpower Training Pty Ltd in Australia Pacific, visit https://www.brainpowertraining.com.au/signature-programs/
===
For global in-person speaking bookings, visit https://www.ninasunday.com
===
Connect with Nina Sunday on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninasunday/
===
Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Scroll past the episodes to ratings and reviews, tap 5 stars and add a quick comment. That simple act helps other leaders discover the show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
