You never know when an old business contact can turn into new business – and much more.

Such is the case of colleagues and now friends Matt Willamson and Bill Nussey.

Williamson has a fast-growing startup on his hands with Windsor Circle, which helps companies retain customers. Last week, Windsor Circle moved into the email marketing space in a partnership with Atlanta-based Silverpop, which is led by Nussey, an NCSU graduate and former RTP entrepreneur who built and sold Da Vinci Systems. He moved on to become a venture capitalist at Greylock before locating in Atlanta for two startup gigs.

Now, Williamson is prepping for an appearance at the first Google Demo Day while continue to add customers.

When the Silverpop-Windsor Circle deal was disclosed last week, The Skinny wanted to know how the deal came about – and if Williamson knew Nussey. WRALTechWire has written about Nussey over the years.

Yes, he knew Nussey before the deal was announced – long before, in fact, Williamson replied via email from a trade show. And yes, Nussey has helped in several ways.

Here’s the conversation.

Building Bridges Over Years

“Data-driven life cycle automation for consumers (which we call ‘Retention Automation’) is very complex. We’ve made it very simple, and we’re excited about partnering with Silverpop and others to get it to as many marketers as possible,” Williamson wrote.

“We deeply care about the conversation that marketers should be having with their customers, and being sensitive to what they’ve bought in the past, what categories they like, and where they are in terms of wanting more communications, is critical to marketing success. And we want that to be push-button simple.

“Bill Nussey and I had our first interactions years ago when I was at SAS.

“He very kindly sent me an autographed copy of his book ‘The Quiet Revolution.”‘As I was getting Windsor Circle started, he generously provided time and coaching. Getting feedback from industry luminaries like Bill is critical for startup CEOs and Bill was helpful both then and now.”

So, Williamson was asked, why do startup CEOs need mentoring?

“I think everyone can benefit from mentoring. At the end of the day, successful people attract success. And they often like to see others being successful. So, if you can be humble enough to slow down and listen, and to make time to hear what these experts say, you can dramatically increase your effectiveness.

“Startup CEOs are uniquely positioned to benefit from mentors because so many aspects of the business, by definition, are not yet formed. Hearing smart people tell war stories of the unknown or the daunting, and how they handled specific situations under fire, is incredibly valuable.

“Unlock the brain trust, and be humble enough to really listen, and big things will happen.”

And what advice did Nussey offer that was particularly helpful?

“Focus on the customer.

“Figure out how they use the product and what they are trying to do instead of imposing what you think they should be doing.”

 But why did Williamson decide to approach Nussey in the first place?

“I’m a big believer in cultivating mentors. The people that are ahead of me on the path have a wealth of knowledge and experience.

“Bill happened to be one of them, but so have Scot Wingo and Steve Wiehe (both on Windsor Circle’s board of advisors). Jan Davis, who I met years ago on my first start up is a powerful, insightful, smart woman who has routinely helped me think through strategy and metrics.

“Lee Buck, here locally, has had multiple successful exits and lends tremendous thinking to the product and strategy. Bruce Boehm spent decades in the venture industry… and he’ll give it to you straight (so valuable).

“Peter Bourne, who came to the area from San Francisco, is a dynamo who knows how to build teams, how to attract capital, how to punch above his weight class.

“By actively engaging these mentors, I learn lessons that would only otherwise would come to me from experiencing them. By listening, I can learn more efficiently than if I had to wait to experience these lessons first hand.

“So, Bill was helpful in this journey, but lots and lots of other mentors have been, too.”