Every business success is driven by the very human stories of its founder and its people. Following our recent win of the King’s Award for Enterprise 2024 in the International Trade category, we’re thrilled to be a sponsor and exhibitor for the first time at Salesforce World Tour in London.
We sat down with our CEO, Matthew Day, to delve into his remarkable journey from the early days of his career, when he used to gaze at the Queen’s Award displayed on his employer’s wall, envisioning the day he would achieve such an honour, to ultimately realising that dream.
Matthew attributes his success to hard work, some luck, but most notably, the incredibly supportive and strong community that the Salesforce ecosystem network provides.
Salesforce’s innovation, strength of brand and visionary leadership cultivates a culture of success empowering their partners like Matthew to thrive. This community not only served as a stepping stone into the world of implementation and app development, but also facilitated easy access into international markets.
This is how it happened:
1. The Unexpected Introduction to Salesforce
In 2004, Matthew’s first interaction with Salesforce was unexpected. Intrigued by the consistency of a salesperson’s follow-up emails matching his timing, Matthew – the inquisitive technologist, delved into the email headers searching for clues on how they did it. That’s when he discovered references to a then-unfamiliar cloud-based CRM platform called “salesforce.com”.
The salesperson’s tenacious follow-up was a notable difference from Matthew’s experience in the print sector. His curiosity was piqued. He was fascinated by Salesforce’s ability to keep sales teams on target, and intrigued about whether he could leverage their web to lead functionality in his company.
As a budding software developer, he licensed Salesforce and created web-based PHP scripts connected to a series of digital personalised printing campaigns that would create leads using Salesforce’s web-to-lead.
2. Transforming Support Services with Salesforce
Matthew’s relationship with Salesforce deepened when he became the Chief Technology Officer at a high street print franchise.
Frustrated by the limited support available at the time to franchisees, Matthew took action. He was aware that franchisees had to interrupt their work with customers to call Head Office during office hours, and wait for extended periods to get answers to their questions.
So, he introduced Salesforce Service Cloud which revolutionised support with 24/7 access to online guides, FAQs, and raising service cases .
3. Building CRM Team Global
As the digital revolution surged, the economic downturn and shifting behaviour in the print sector led to the liquidation of his franchisor employer.
Undeterred, Matthew focused on what he had learned and enjoyed in these formative years, founding what is now CRM Team Global in 2011. He initially offered Salesforce consulting, administration, and development services to small and medium-sized businesses.
Daily client interactions deepened his understanding of diverse business challenges across industries and how best to leverage Salesforce to build tailored solutions.
He also became connected to the Salesforce global development community.
4. Innovation with Flexpricer
Matthew’s consultancy work revealed common challenges among clients, such as complex pricing and quoting processes.
Inspired by these insights and his passion for helping as many small and medium-sized businesses as he could, he created Flexpricer, a clever CPQ app for Sales Cloud.
Flexpricer simplified pricing and quoting, gaining popularity globally and evolved to offer enhanced features over time.
5. Adapting to Global Challenges
The global reach of Flexpricer proved to be a game-changer during the Pandemic when UK consultancy work declined and international markets faced varying lockdown phases. As businesses needed to rapidly digitise, Flexpricer facilitated streamlined quote-to-cash processes, enabling sales teams to thrive amidst disruptions, speed up deals and impress prospects. Its native integration with Salesforce, lightweight design, competitive pricing, and user-friendly interface made it accessible and beneficial for businesses of all sizes, simplifying tasks for sales teams, administrators, and leaders.
6. Winning the King’s Award for Enterprise
Matthew’s vision and dedication culminated in CRM Team Global winning the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2024. The entry requirements were tough: a compelling journey, due diligence audits, financial stability and proof of customer trust and service quality.
This achievement highlights CRM Team Global’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, marking a major milestone in the company’s history that fulfilled one of Matthew’s lifetime ambitions and motivated the team.
7. Looking Ahead
With a growing team and the launch of his own dedicated development business in India, CRM Team Innovation, exciting opportunities lie ahead for CRM Team Global and Flexpricer.
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Are you ready to harness the power of Salesforce to drive sales growth? Visit us at Stand number 266, by the Yosemite Theatre, at Salesforce World Tour London on 6th June. Book a meeting with Matthew and the team here.