About Us
The Back Story
After more than 20 years working with other CRMs and with over 15 books written and published on the topic, we found Zoho CRM and started working with it. We were so impressed with their products and the things that they could do, that our firm ultimately stopped supporting all other CRMs. We are now focusing exclusively on Zoho suite of products.
When we first started, we soon found out that there was no place to find the answers to a ton of our questions. Out team spent hours doing research using online help to see not only how to do something…
but WHY click this option or that one?
We spent nights and weekends viewing YouTube videos that sometimes helped, but mostly not.
So, we gave up and did our own testing.
Finally we just ended up testing each and every one of the features not only in Zoho CRM, but in the other Zoho apps as well.
It’s not that Zoho is hard to learn, but when each Zoho product has so many features and options that you can implement, it can be overwhelming to determine what is best for your company.
Fast forward to today
Through a ton of work, lots of testing, and some in-depth study,
we are ZohoONE certified (only 80 firms in the world).
In addition, Cornerstone is one of Zoho’s premier Certified Consulting firms. Our founder, Susan Clark, is one of only 4 consultants in the US and 25 in the world on whom Zoho has conferred the title of Zoho Advanced Solutions Partner, acknowledging her in-depth and broad knowledge of the Zoho product lines. Zoho also awarded Susan the MVP award, given to the partner who shares their knowledge, accelerates participation within the community, and who champions Zoho.
Why do you care?
It means that when you hire us, we know the answer to your questions now (we don’t have to research it). Our clients hire us now because we understand the business behind what they are asking for and we are good and we are fast.
We’ve spent years mastering all things Zoho.
So then we wrote the book
We have loved using all of the knowledge to help our clients, but felt like we needed to do more. So, everything that we learned that made the difference between where we started out and where we are now, we organized it and wrote the Zoho CRM Everyday QuickStudy Guide. It is the only book on the market written about and focusing exclusively on Zoho CRM, with sections for the end-user covering normal, everyday use and sections for the administrator covering all of the Setup commands.
And we have almost completed our new Zoho ONE QuickStudy Guide which covers all of the products in the Zoho ONE suite of apps.
You could skip reading the book
It’s true that some people don’t like to “read the book”…no problem. Because of the time that we spent in researching and writing the book (and keeping it up to date), and working with the thousands of clients in different industries and of different sizes, we know how to do whatever it is that you want to do (or even if it is possible). It’s a big task, but we are all committed to helping our clients get the most out of their investment.
Leadership Team
Susan Clark
Founder and CEO
Susan’s 30 years of sales/marketing experience have led her to believe that technology should support you (and not the other way around). Her focus is customizing software to reinforce corporate sales and marketing strategies. She is Zoho ONE Certified, holds the status of a Zoho Advanced Solution Partner (less than 30 consultants worldwide), and has been honored by Zoho as an MVP. She is the author of over 16 books on CRM and related software, including Zoho CRM and Zoho ONE.
Zach Spader
VP Business Solutions
Zach is our VP of Business Solutions with over 10 years of experience as a Zoho Admin also Consultant and as a RingCentral consultant. He is a strategic thinker that excels in creating innovative solutions for businesses of all types. His broad experience in supporting organizations in a variety of different roles gives him a unique perspective into developing systems that integrate seamlessly into our client’s businesses. Outside of work, Zach enjoys reading science fiction, collecting vinyl albums, and riding his motorcycle.
Alex Vaz
Senior Zoho Consultant
Alex has spent half of his career in creative and marketing and the other half in business and start-up development, including working on diverse technology projects. His experience gives him great insight into implementing the bulk of Zoho ONE products. He has an innovative and analytical character and a great passion for problem-solving. His business background and entrepreneurial mindset help him seeing projects from the client’s business perspective.
Shelly Fausett
Zoho Consultant
Shelly has extensive experience in developing and implementing systems that depend on remote work, workforce development and recruitment. Shelly has a diverse background in business development, strategic planning, systems analysis and design, marketing, e-commerce sites, fundraising, and curriculum/training development.
Jason Grogan
Senior Zoho Developer
Jason is an exceptional researcher and problem solver, especially within development projects. In addition to Deluge, he has his full stack web engineer certificate and is very proficient in Javascript, Python, SCSS, HTML, SQL, CS3, Cobol, C/C#/C++. Jason has incredible focus, which probably was honed during his 10-year stint in the Army handling live ordinance.
Blake Fausett
Senior Software Developer
Blake is an experienced Zoho developer with a passion for well-designed business information systems. He specializes in Zoho Creator system development, API integrations, and financial automations. With his entrepreneurial experience, Blake understands the crucial importance of systems analysis, design, and development for any successful organization.
Shane Fausett
Senior Software Developer
Shane specializes in developing custom applications and integrations for Zoho apps. He designs, creates, tests and deploys the customized solutions that our clients need to make them more efficient. He has an excellent ability to understand and translate requirements into technical solutions.
Ninna Isidto
Office Manager
Ninna is responsible for overseeing our daily operations to ensure we are running smoothly and efficiently. She helps our clients schedule appointments, handles our billing, and updates our Zoho records to keep them complete and up to date. She also helps the team with email management, handling customer concerns and ensuring that prospects are paired with the right consultant.
Ziggy
Dir Chat Bot Experience
Ziggy never sleeps. She is constantly monitoring our web chats to be sure that you get your questions answered. If she can’t answer them, she will take your email and get back with you. She is still only a year old, so we are constantly teaching her new things that she can use to help you. She is part of Zoho’s Zobot feature.