Hunter Austin, Kelley Austin — From Legal Setbacks to Salesforce Success
Hunter Austin is the co-founder of Kelley Austin, a full-service Salesforce consultancy. A former sports and entertainment pro who cut his teeth pitching multimillion-dollar sponsorships, Hunter brings boardroom rigor and a builder’s mindset to CRM strategy, implementation, and growth. His story matters to founders because it blends grit (surviving a business-halting legal hit during Texas’ “Snowmageddon”) with practical playbooks for pipeline clarity, resource planning, and relentless follow-up.
Key Takeaways from the Episode:
Trailhead to trusted expert: Hunter dove into Salesforce’s Trailhead, racking up top points and certifications—proof that focused self-education can fast-track a new career path.
What great CRM actually does: Salesforce only pays off when it’s configured to your real processes—beyond a “fancy Rolodex”—to deliver ROI in sales, service, marketing, and analytics.
Plan people like you plan pipeline: In services firms, resource planning hinges on understanding true sales cycles across project and managed-services work.
Follow-up wins deals: Treat follow-up as a skill and systemize it; if reps juggle >10 opportunities, automated reminders and touchpoints are non-negotiable.
Start small, scale smart: Smaller companies can begin with lower-tier licenses and targeted admin support, then level up as metrics illuminate the path from $2M to $10M+.
👉 Watch the full episode now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CULWc9U6DKU
Memorable Quote:
“We almost never got off the ground.”