Episode 4: Salesforce Career Conversation Richard Ferriman with ROD. After twelve years in the Salesforce ecosystem, Richard talks about his journey, which includes running his own Salesforce consulting company and now heading up sales for a growing consultancy.

[Below is a transcript for your benefit. Please excuse any typos.]

Lee Durrant: Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of RODcast. In this episode, I am having a chat with Richard Ferriman, an industry legend whose been around Salesforce for about 12 years, as of today's recording. It's quite an interesting one for you guys if any of you are thinking of starting a business in the Salesforce ecosystem. Richard started his own Salesforce consultancy company many years ago. He talks quite openly about what it's like to build a Salesforce consultancy from scratch, the ups and downs and quite honest about the mistakes that he made, and if he could do it again, what he would do. You know, the 18 hour days... what's it's like to interview people in the Salesforce ecosystem, which there's always opportunities out there for those guys.

This is what it's like really to start and grow a Salesforce practice. And also he talks about his passion for what he's doing at the moment. So it's a really good chat. Hope you enjoy it.

Hello, and welcome to RODcast with me Lee Durrant. This is the podcast where we learn how Salesforce experts started their careers many years ago, and get under the skin of what it's like to work in the Salesforce ecosystem. Ever wondered how someone rose to the ranks of a head of practise at a consultancy or perhaps became a CTO? Then this is the podcast to listen to. We'll also get some real-life tips from them, and advice on what you can do in your Salesforce career. So yeah, hope you enjoy.

So, hello Richard and thanks for joining us mate today on the podcast. How you getting on?

Richard F.: Yeah, very well thank you, and you?

Lee Durrant: I am all right, yeah, looking forward to this one, because you and I go back a long way. I don't know how long, but it's got to be more than 10 years, isn't it?

Richard F.: Lee, I think we're about 12 years or so man.

Lee Durrant: Oh my God, blimey. And I think people would listen to this and quite like your journey because you've done quite a lot of, correct me if I'm wrong obviously, different things in the world of Salesforce.

Richard F.: Yeah.

Lee Durrant: So that's what this is about really. It's just a bit of a chat about your journey, from how you got into it, and what you've done to be where you are now. So, yeah, I'll fire some questions at you then. The first one would really be, what, actually what were you doing before, well what was your career plan up until the point where you got into Salesforce, if you know what I mean... did you get into Salesforce by accident, and the sort of journey before Salesforce, if you don't mind?

Richard F.: Yeah, absolutely, so, I started out in Visio, before it was a Microsoft product, so worked for Visio. From Visio, with them, took that through to it being bought out by Microsoft. I was part of that transition team. Went over to Seattle, working with the Microsoft team there, and then came back and promptly went and worked for IBM Software Group.

Lee Durrant: Yes.

Richard F.: So Microsoft wasn't at that point where I wanted to go, but I like the ethos of IBM, I liked the branding of IBM and even now, I still can't go to a meeting without a blue suit and a white shirt, which was very much an IBM way of doing things. They taught me a lot, taught me a lot about process, a lot about sales, a lot about how someone like me can get the most out of a meeting, and a really enjoyable part of my career.

I then fell out, was offered something even better, and the grass is greener and took that, but actually, I jumped a few times through different emerging technologies, which was okay, and it was good,