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Selling Smarter with Kelly Koner: How CRM Strategy Turns Relationships into Revenue · Behind the Business

• 0:00
  Ian McLean: Welcome to another episode of Behind the Business, presented by Gore Mutual.
• 0:04
  Ian McLean: I'm your host, Ian McLean, president and CEO of the Greater Kitchen Waterdoo Chamber of Commerce.
• 0:09
  Ian McLean: This podcast is recorded on the traditional territory of the neutral Anishinabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.
• 0:15
  Ian McLean: Each week I sit down for candid conversations where we go beyond the boardroom and behind the business to uncover the real stories of Waterdo Region's business community.
• 0:25
  Ian McLean: Today I'm joined by Kelly Coner, account executive at Rolldog CRM, an award-winning Canadian platform helping businesses better understand their customers, streamline sales, and drive smarter growth.
• 0:47
  Ian McLean: Kelly's career spans consumer goods, analytics, and technology with a strong foundation right here in Waterloo Region as a graduate of Wilford Laurier University's Lazarita School of Business.
• 0:58
  Ian McLean: In this episode, we're unpacking what businesses often get wrong about CRM, how sales is evolving in a data-driven world, and why human relationships still sit at the center of sustainable growth.
• 1:10
  Ian McLean: We'll also talk about leadership without titles, navigating a career in sales, and what makes building a business and a career in Waterdo Regions so unique.
• 1:20
  Ian McLean: So join me in this episode as we go behind the business with Kelly Conner.
• 1:24
  Ian McLean: Well, we're excited to have you here today, Kelly.
• 1:27
  Ian McLean: Thanks for joining us.
• 1:28
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, it's great to be here.
• 1:30
  Ian McLean: Now, let's start, you know, you're way younger than I am, but let's start with the beginning of your career.
• 1:36
  Ian McLean: And you've you've it's been interesting.
• 1:38
  Ian McLean: You've you've started your career with some large established brands like PepsiCo and SC Johnson, and now you're working with a growing technology company.
• 1:48
  Ian McLean: How are those like there must be different environments?
• 1:51
  Ian McLean: And each one of those shapes, you know, every work job we have shapes our own perspective.
• 1:56
  Ian McLean: But what specifically attracted you to Rolldog given those roles with what I would say are big, big, you know, Fortune 500 type companies?
• 2:08
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, I mean, I had some really great experiences with those companies.
• 2:12
  Kelly Koner: It I took so much away.
• 2:14
  Kelly Koner: It's definitely a very different dynamic from going from one of those really big companies to um, you know, more of a growing business.
• 2:20
  Kelly Koner: And I just there was a lot I took away, but a big thing was data and like the importance of data and how valuable it can be to drive decision making, especially seeing that at such large of a scale.
• 2:33
  Kelly Koner: But you know, something for me personally, I've always been more drawn to that like human element of business that's important for any business to succeed.
• 2:42
  Kelly Koner: And I really like that roll dog brought together technology data and then keeping people and relationships at the center of that.
• 2:50
  Kelly Koner: So that was really interesting to me.
• 2:52
  Kelly Koner: And I mean, roll dog was really intriguing because it's this Canadian-made CRM that is out there competing at the highest levels in a really competitive space.
• 3:02
  Kelly Koner: And as I got to learn a bit more initially about the business, I really resonated with that vision of innovation and just making CRM really simple but powerful for businesses of all different sizes.
• 3:17
  Ian McLean: And so explain CRM because there's lots of there's a quite a range of of what's involved there.
• 3:23
  Ian McLean: But CRM, customer relationship management software.
• 3:27
  Ian McLean: Many people will have used this without even knowing that they've used the rudimentary or the basics of of customer relationship management.
• 3:36
  Ian McLean: But talk uh maybe describe what that is and what what roll dog um roll dog's version of CRM is.
• 3:44
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, no, it's a great question because I think a lot of people perceive CRM as being just a database, but it really can be a lot more than that.
• 3:52
  Kelly Koner: So I mean, with Rolldog, it's really about keeping your teams aligned and people communicating, departments communicating really effectively.
• 4:01
  Kelly Koner: So roll dog is like an all-in-one solution.
• 4:04
  Kelly Koner: So you have tools to help with your marketing team, project management, customer service.
• 4:09
  Kelly Koner: And then when it comes to growing the business, that lead and opportunity management side of it.
• 4:15
  Kelly Koner: And with Rolldog, the sales management side is really designed to be simple, fast, and objective.
• 4:22
  Ian McLean: So Rolldog's um CRM is capturing the data, but then translating it into the sales part of that as well.
• 4:32
  Ian McLean: And so is that is and is that what is there a unique part of that?
• 4:36
  Kelly Koner: Yeah.
• 4:37
  Ian McLean: Or what problem does it solve?
• 4:38
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, so really it's because I mean, with focusing on the sales piece of it, a lot of salespeople find themselves as using a CRM as more of a chore or a burden.
• 4:49
  Kelly Koner: And that's really not what it is.
• 4:51
  Kelly Koner: So roll dog helps keep it really fast to get information into the system.
• 4:56
  Kelly Koner: So then you're able to have that information, even from a leadership perspective.
• 5:01
  Kelly Koner: You have better visibility into what's going on, you're able to have more visibility into your forecast pipeline.
• 5:08
  Kelly Koner: And then with that information, you can coach more effectively and you can also make smarter data back decisions of where to invest resources.
• 5:16
  Kelly Koner: So really helps drive growth.
• 5:19
  Ian McLean: Listen, I should have done this right at the beginning because I've been I've been looking at your logo on your shirt and trying to figure out roll dog and and what the connection is.
• 5:28
  Ian McLean: What tell me the story behind Roll Dog as a as a brand?
• 5:32
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, so I mean, our founder heard the term roll dog a long time back and thought it was a really interesting name.
• 5:39
  Kelly Koner: Basically, it's a slang term for your best friend, your wingman, your mentor, and that's really what Roll Dog is designed to be for businesses.
• 5:48
  Ian McLean: Aaron Powell It's to be that support for you and your sales team, and it's it's it's it's uh who's got your back?
• 5:53
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, your trusted mentor.
• 5:55
  Ian McLean: So I mean, you you're having worked for large businesses and now as a startup, and every size business can benefit from that, right?
• 6:02
  Ian McLean: Because I mean, ultimately, every business data is what's driving it's your investments, your new technology, your new product, your new service.
• 6:11
  Ian McLean: Technology is driving that.
• 6:13
  Ian McLean: Is that a fair statement that that every every business can benefit from taking the data you have around who your customers are and then how how to how to put it into place for value chain investments by those by those businesses, other products that you might have or what other things they might need to be more effective?
• 6:36
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, definitely.
• 6:36
  Kelly Koner: Businesses of all sizes, because I mean most businesses have that information already or can very easily capture it.
• 6:44
  Kelly Koner: So roll dog really helps make that simple.
• 6:46
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, exactly.
• 6:50
  Kelly Koner: So um, you know, a lot of salespeople find they're filling in endless text boxes within a CRM.
• 6:56
  Kelly Koner: Roll Dog's really designed to be like very simple, like yes, no, multi-select, drop-down, just quickly get that information into the system because then it really helps them drive revenue and close sales.
• 7:09
  Ian McLean: So what uh the other side of that is when you work directly with businesses, what's the what's the the biggest misconception or misunderstanding about what a CRM software can do?
• 7:19
  Ian McLean: So if they come and say, oh, I'd like to get Rolldog, but what might they not understand about how they they will be using it?
• 7:26
  Ian McLean: Like because I think there is some misunderstanding sort of a generation ago what CRM is versus what it is today, or two, or they're miles apart.
• 7:35
  Kelly Koner: Totally.
• 7:35
  Kelly Koner: No, it's really evolved quickly.
• 7:37
  Kelly Koner: And I mean, one of the misconceptions we just talked about, too, is people think CRMs are for large enterprise organizations when they can really benefit, especially scaling companies to make things efficient, effective.
• 7:49
  Kelly Koner: But I think one just overview misconception I hear a lot is that CRMs are really complicated, therefore they're gonna slow your team down.
• 7:58
  Kelly Koner: But the truth is with a good CRM, it really simplifies processes and makes things just quicker and easier for everyone.
• 8:07
  Kelly Koner: So, I mean, I see businesses every day start with roll dog and they see those benefits of workflows being streamlined and time-saved, admin headaches are reduced, no endless text boxes for other salespeople.
• 8:22
  Kelly Koner: So kind of turns into more of a sales enabler to help drive revenue at your organization, as opposed to, like I said, a chore or a burden.
• 8:31
  Ian McLean: And that's a that's important, is it every size business can benefit from that because you need to know what your date is and how to interpret it and how to put your put your time to good use.
• 8:40
  Ian McLean: With all the buzz around innovate or automation, so whether it's AI, you know, data processing to make things more uh more efficient, where do you see technology genuinely driving better outcomes for sales teams?
• 8:58
  Ian McLean: Like because it because it I mean you've described some of the things it it does.
• 9:01
  Ian McLean: Where are the where's the the real genuine outcome that you say the sales team loves it because X?
• 9:07
  Ian McLean: Or the sales manager or the executive team says, I love it because I can get boom, boom, boom.
• 9:14
  Ian McLean: What are the pieces that that make it so valuable?
• 9:18
  Kelly Koner: I mean, I agree.
• 9:19
  Kelly Koner: There's so much buzz out there about AI automation.
• 9:22
  Kelly Koner: I think it honestly can get really overwhelming for businesses, and really validly so.
• 9:26
  Kelly Koner: But I mean, I think technology can be really effective, but I think it should help amplify human effort, not replace it.
• 9:35
  Kelly Koner: So I mean, when it comes to sales teams using technology, there's many ways you can use AI to help with research or meeting preparation, things like that.
• 9:44
  Kelly Koner: But with Roll Dog, what I see a lot, um we're constantly expanding our AI capabilities, but even today with um lead ranking, being able to rank the best fitted leads for your business so you know where to focus.
• 9:56
  Kelly Koner: And then with that, opportunity scoring is another place we use AI.
• 10:00
  Kelly Koner: So this really helps managers and salespeople know is this opportunity trending to close, or do I need to get some more information and work a bit more at it?
• 10:12
  Ian McLean: The Behind the Business Podcast is made possible through the support of our title sponsor, Gore Mutual.
• 10:17
  Ian McLean: Proudly Canadian, Gore Mutual has stayed true to one purpose for more than 185 years: insurance that does good.
• 10:24
  Ian McLean: It's the reason they exist.
• 10:26
  Ian McLean: They believe that when we focus on being good, doing good, and spreading good, we all thrive together.
• 10:32
  Ian McLean: We're grateful for their continued commitment to our local communities and the positive impact they make every day.
• 10:38
  Ian McLean: For more information, visit goremutual.ca Follow on to that.
• 10:45
  Ian McLean: You've done you've described some of the jobs you did, which were maybe in finance or analytical, sort of, you know, not not front-facing, but you've also had the relationship-driven front-facing, those more sales-oriented roles as well.
• 10:59
  Ian McLean: How does that combination of the experiences you've had on both fronts influence how you support clients and solve problems?
• 11:07
  Ian McLean: So, you know, you you've got the the back office stuff, but you also have the front of the house or the or the or the front facing.
• 11:14
  Kelly Koner: Yeah.
• 11:14
  Kelly Koner: I mean, it's definitely supported me a lot in how I'm able to solve problems.
• 11:18
  Kelly Koner: And I think that combination of analytics and relationships is also what makes modern sales so powerful because data can really provide clarity, it can show you where to focus, what's working, what's not working.
• 11:32
  Kelly Koner: So I think my experience has really helped me with how I go about solving problems for businesses because data can really guide my strategy, can show me where I should focus, where can I provide the most value for businesses.
• 11:46
  Kelly Koner: But from there, it's absolutely critical to build genuine relationships with people to really understand the challenge or problem that they have and see that there is fit with the solutions and ways I can help them solve that problem.
• 12:02
  Kelly Koner: So I think it's really important to balance kind of insight and empathy because I think the best outcomes happen when you understand the human side of it, but also innovation really and so your role has a real influence on client success.
• 12:16
  Ian McLean: Ultimately, I mean that's that's what's um what drives sales is people say it actually helps me in my business.
• 12:22
  Ian McLean: How do you think about leadership in your day-to-day work and what does good leadership look like from your perspective, right?
• 12:30
  Ian McLean: So, you know, whether it's a sales team, what's the leadership that they need or or leadership making the decisions about where to make investments to grow the grow the business?
• 12:40
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, I mean, I think leadership can really be a lot about impact.
• 12:44
  Kelly Koner: I mean, for my day-to-day, it's really about being proactive with the businesses I'm working with and sharing the knowledge I have, making sure they're confident in the decisions that they're making and that they make sense for all parties involved.
• 12:57
  Kelly Koner: I think when it comes to good leadership, it really starts with listening.
• 13:02
  Kelly Koner: And then after listening and understanding, really guiding with integrity, with clarity.
• 13:07
  Kelly Koner: And I'm honestly really lucky because Roll Dog's leadership team models this every day.
• 13:12
  Kelly Koner: So it really inspires me to lead in my own way, whether that's through internal projects, but also, like you said, helping businesses through a decision-making process and providing value and helping where I can with that.
• 13:25
  Ian McLean: The whole process, I I'm I came from a sales background.
• 13:28
  Ian McLean: I've changed a lot from the ancient days when I was in sales, but it's a it has evolved, particularly in in recent years, and a lot of it technology-driven, who you're going after, how you how you you know connect with uh uh with either uh customers or potential customers.
• 13:48
  Ian McLean: Um but it also will have changed who you see in the room.
• 13:51
  Ian McLean: Like it it's not, it's not, I mean, there's a variety, wide variety of of people that are in the room that you're selling to and who are doing the selling for the businesses that are your clients.
• 14:03
  Ian McLean: From your perspective, how is the profession changing um in terms of sales and and that front-facing portion?
• 14:10
  Ian McLean: And and do you have optimism of where that's heading?
• 14:14
  Ian McLean: Uh and is that technology or is it still you still need salespeople, you can't take the human part out of a salesperson.
• 14:21
  Ian McLean: There's just no substitute for it.
• 14:22
  Ian McLean: Because the trust factor doesn't come from software, it comes from people.
• 14:28
  Kelly Koner: I mean, I think sales has evolved through so many eras, like you said.
• 14:32
  Kelly Koner: Um I think to simplify it, it's really gone from being transactional to consultative.
• 14:37
  Kelly Koner: So it's a lot more about listening.
• 14:39
  Kelly Koner: It's not about pitching, it's about understanding the challenge, the problem, and the solution.
• 14:46
  Kelly Koner: And I think we're also in a really unique time because information's so easily at our fingertips.
• 14:52
  Kelly Koner: So buyers are more informed than they ever were before prior to even speaking to a salesperson.
• 14:59
  Kelly Koner: So for me, it's really important that I understand how I can best support that buyer in the final steps of their decision-making process.
• 15:07
  Kelly Koner: What do they need?
• 15:07
  Kelly Koner: How can I support that?
• 15:09
  Kelly Koner: And I think it does give me optimism, that consultative approach, because I think it just results in a more in-depth understanding of the problem and also the solution for both parties.
• 15:20
  Kelly Koner: And I think that just leads to a stronger fit, stronger partnerships, and just better outcomes for everyone involved.
• 15:27
  Ian McLean: Now, Roll Dog, I mean, in this day and age, I think it's important everyone wants to know who you're doing business with.
• 15:33
  Ian McLean: I mean, we talk about um tariffs and Trump and American-based companies versus Canadian-based with Rolldog is a Canadian-built platform.
• 15:43
  Ian McLean: Uh, you're a Lazaritus uh grad from Laurier, who you've stayed rooted here in Waterdoo Region.
• 15:51
  Ian McLean: Uh you know, Canadian-owned business is is, I think, worth something in this, in this, in this immediate day and age.
• 15:59
  Ian McLean: Um, but the region seems to have been a good fit for you.
• 16:03
  Ian McLean: You've not you've stayed here, you went to university here, you're you're with a Canadian company, but based out of here.
• 16:08
  Ian McLean: Why does the region work so well for you uh in what you do?
• 16:13
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, I mean, I I really love it here.
• 16:15
  Kelly Koner: I don't think I realize how unique this area was prior to coming to Laurier.
• 16:20
  Ian McLean: Um where did you where did you come from?
• 16:22
  Kelly Koner: Like, I grew up in the Muskoka area.
• 16:24
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, so shift there.
• 16:26
  Kelly Koner: Um but it's it's been great, and I think it makes it such a unique area because you have large global brands here.
• 16:34
  Kelly Koner: You have startups, you have scale-ups, you have a strong academic community, but you also have this really vibrant culture that I love, and I think it really creates an environment where innovation really thrives, and people are very open-minded and collaborative and wanting to help each other.
• 16:51
  Kelly Koner: So I think it makes it a great place when it comes to business growth.
• 16:55
  Kelly Koner: And also, I mean, I think it's really inspiring to be around so much entrepreneurial spirit too at the same time.
• 17:01
  Ian McLean: Okay, we're we it's amazing how fast this these podcasts always go, but we're kind of getting towards the end.
• 17:08
  Ian McLean: Before we wrap up, I as you look forward, um, both for Roll Dog, but also your own growth, what excites you most about what's next?
• 17:18
  Kelly Koner: I mean, there's so much to be excited about.
• 17:20
  Kelly Koner: There's a lot of interesting and fun, exciting capabilities coming to Roll Dog very soon.
• 17:25
  Kelly Koner: But I'm honestly just looking forward to helping businesses continue to grow and thrive by using Roll Dog in a really effective and efficient way.
• 17:35
  Kelly Koner: And for me personally, I'm very excited to just keep valuing continuous learning.
• 17:42
  Kelly Koner: So I think sales is evolving really quickly, as we said.
• 17:45
  Ian McLean: It certainly is.
• 17:45
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, so I think it's really exciting to just embrace the new ideas out there while keeping people always at the core of what I do.
• 17:54
  Ian McLean: Uh so just as as we again come to come to the to the end, this this podcast is it's about hearing the stories, you know, local stories and a lot of a lot of times, but and the leaders and the organizations that lead our community.
• 18:07
  Ian McLean: Uh, but it's also about individual leadership and different styles and the things that that drive people.
• 18:12
  Ian McLean: So I asked the same series of questions in our rapid fire uh um section here.
• 18:18
  Ian McLean: So as if as you you think about yourself and and what you've learned so far in your career, what would you tell your younger self if you could go back and kind of give yourself some advice?
• 18:31
  Kelly Koner: I mean, I think I would say that line about you know confidence isn't about knowing everything, but trusting what you don't know, you'll be able to figure it out.
• 18:40
  Ian McLean: That's good, good advice.
• 18:41
  Ian McLean: Everyone has something or somebody or something you know, something that drives them.
• 18:46
  Ian McLean: What what or who inspires you most?
• 18:50
  Kelly Koner: I mean, honestly, I I really look up to people and specifically people that lead with empathy but also curiosity, just open-minded leaders.
• 18:59
  Ian McLean: Uh if you weren't in your current career and you're new, you're in the early stages of your career, but if you were doing something different, the what would that look like?
• 19:09
  Ian McLean: What would what would be something else that you uh that you might be be doing if you weren't doing sales with with Roll Dog?
• 19:16
  Kelly Koner: I mean, I could perhaps see myself somewhere in the consulting world, somewhere where I can still work with people in business and problem solve in some capacity.
• 19:26
  Ian McLean: Well, there'll be uh we get lots of lots of opportunity for that down the road.
• 19:31
  Ian McLean: Uh I know that you watch, you must watch and listen to the behind the business podcast.
• 19:36
  Ian McLean: But if you were reading a book or reading another or listening to another podcast, what would that be?
• 19:41
  Kelly Koner: Well, I just recently started the book to sell as human, and I've also been a big fan of the on purpose podcast as well.
• 19:48
  Ian McLean: Who's who's in that one?
• 19:49
  Kelly Koner: Uh Jay Shetty.
• 19:50
  Kelly Koner: Oh, okay.
• 19:51
  Kelly Koner: Yeah.
• 19:51
  Ian McLean: Yeah.
• 19:52
  Ian McLean: Uh that is uh I've heard and you're not that's not the first time I've heard that one, so I'm gonna have to take that on.
• 19:57
  Ian McLean: Um do you have a favorite?
• 19:59
  Ian McLean: Business here in Waterloo Region that's your go to, whether it's a coffee shop or restaurant or retail therapy, where do you what what's your what's your favorite local business?
• 20:10
  Kelly Koner: I mean, there's so many favorites, but if I had to name one, I would say Hustle and Flow in Uptown Waterloo.
• 20:15
  Kelly Koner: It's a really great group fitness studio with a really awesome community with it.
• 20:20
  Ian McLean: That's great.
• 20:20
  Kelly Koner: Yeah.
• 20:21
  Ian McLean: And if someone wants to learn more about uh Roll Dog, uh Connect with you, where can listeners uh connect with you and learn more about uh about your work?
• 20:30
  Kelly Koner: That would be LinkedIn.
• 20:31
  Kelly Koner: You know, I'm always happy to connect there and keep conversations going.
• 20:34
  Ian McLean: And what is your LinkedIn tag?
• 20:36
  Kelly Koner: Uh Kelly Coner.
• 20:37
  Kelly Koner: Okay.
• 20:37
  Kelly Koner: That's my name.
• 20:38
  Kelly Koner: Yeah.
• 20:38
  Ian McLean: Okay, perfect.
• 20:39
  Ian McLean: Listen, one of the most valuable commodities that most businesses have is time, uh especially small and medium-sized business.
• 20:46
  Ian McLean: So we really thank you for uh for taking uh some of your valuable time and sharing it with us today.
• 20:51
  Kelly Koner: Yeah, thanks for having me.
• 20:53
  Ian McLean: Thank you for joining us for another episode of Behind the Business, proudly presented by Gore Mutual, insurance that does good.
• 20:59
  Ian McLean: New episodes drop every Thursday, so be sure to tune in next week.
• 21:03
  Ian McLean: You can also visit greater kw chamber.com to catch up on past episodes anytime.
• 21:08
  Ian McLean: We'll see you next time as we continue to go behind the business.