Table Of ContentN A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
“A great guide for any aspiring entrepreneur or CEO navigating the
landscape of the future. It’s the playbook for Enterprise 2.0.”
—From the Foreword by MICHAEL DELL
Behind
the Cloud
the untold story of how salesforce.com
went from idea to billion-dollar company—
and revolutionized an industry
Marc Benioff
Chairman & CEO of salesforce.com
and Carlye Adler
the
salesforce.com
playbook
Benioff ffirs.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:29pm Pagei
Behind
the Cloud
the untold story of how salesforce.com
went from idea to billion-dollar company—
and revolutionized an industry
Marc R. Benioff
Chairman &CEOofsalesforce.com
Carlye Adler
Copyrighted material © 2009. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint.
Benioff ffirs.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:29pm Pageii
Copyright©2009byMarcR.Benioff.Allrightsreserved.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Benioff,MarcR.,1964-
Behindthecloud:theuntoldstoryofhowSalesforce.comwentfromideatobillion-dollar
company—andrevolutionizedanindustry/MarcR.Benioff,CarlyeAdler.–1sted.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-52116-8(cloth)
1.Salesforce.com(Firm)2.Customerrelations—Management.3.Salesmanagement.I.Adler,
Carlye.II.Title.
HF5415.5.B4432010
658.8–dc22
2009021671
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FIRSTEDITION
HBPrinting 10987654321
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pageiii
Contents
ForewordbyMichael Dell, Chairman and CEOofDell xi
Introduction xvii
Part 1 The Start-Up Playbook
How to Turn a Simple Idea into
a High-Growth Company 1
Play #1:AllowYourself Timeto Recharge 1
Play #2:Havea BigDream 3
Play #3:Believein Yourself 5
Play #4:TrustaSelectFewwith YourIdea andListen
to TheirAdvice 7
Play #5:Pursue TopTalentas If YourSuccess
Depended onIt 8
Play #6:SellYourIdea to Skeptics andRespond
Calmly to Critics 9
Play #7:DefineYourValues andCulture Up Front 11
Play #8:WorkOnlyonWhat IsImportant 12
Play #9:Listen to YourProspective Customers 13
Play #10:DefyConvention 14
Play #11:Have—and Listen to—aTrusted Mentor 14
Play #12:Hire theBestPlayers YouKnow 15
Play #13:BeWilling to Takea Risk—No Hedging 18
Play #14:ThinkBigger 20
iii
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pageiv
CONTENTS
Part 2 The Marketing Playbook
How to Cut Through the Noise
and Pitch the Bigger Picture 23
Play #15:Position Yourself 23
Play #16:Party withaPurpose 25
Play #17:Create aPersona 27
Play #18:Differentiate, Differentiate, Differentiate 28
Play #19:Make Every Employee aKey Player onthe
Marketing Team,andEnsure EveryoneIs
OnMessage 33
Play #20:Always, Always GoAfterGoliath 34
Play #21:TacticsDictate Strategy 37
Play #22:Engage the MarketLeader 39
Play #23:ReportersAre Writers; TellThema Story 40
Play #24:Cultivate Relationships withSelect
Journalists 41
Play #25:Make Your OwnMetaphors 44
Play #26:No Sacred Cows 44
Part 3 The Events Playbook
How to Use Events to Build
Buzz and Drive Business 47
Play #27:Feed theWord-of-MouthPhenomenon 47
Play #28:Build StreetTeamsandLeverage Testimony 49
Play #29:Sell to theEnd User 52
Play #30:TheEventIsthe Message 54
Play #31:Reduce CostsandIncrease Impact 57
Play #32:Always Stay in the Forefront 60
Play #33:TheTruth AboutCompetition(It IsGood
forEveryone) 60
iv
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pagev
Contents
Play #34:BePrepared forEvery Scenario ...and
Have Fun 61
Play #35:Seize UnlikelyOpportunitiesto Stay
Relevant 63
Play #36:Stay Scrappy ... butNotTooScrappy 65
Part 4 The Sales Playbook
How to Energize Your
Customers into a
Million-Member Sales Team 67
Play #37:Give ItAway 67
Play #38:Win First CustomersbyTreating Them
Like Partners 69
Play #39:LetYourWeb Site BeaSales Rep 72
Play #40:Make Every CustomeraMemberofYour
Sales Team 73
Play #41:Telesales Works(Even ThoughEveryone
ThinksItDoesn’t) 76
Play #42:Don’tDis YourFirst Productwith a
Discount 78
Play #43:Sales Is aNumbersGame 79
Play #44:SegmenttheMarkets 80
Play #45:Leverage Timesof Change 82
Play#46:YourSeedsAreSown,soGrow,Grow,Grow 86
Play #47:Land andExpand 95
Play #48:Abandon Strategies ThatNo Longer
Serve You 96
Play #49:Old CustomersNeedLove 97
Play #50:Add ItOn andAdd It Up 98
Play #51:SuccessIs the NumberOne Selling Feature 100
v
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pagevi
CONTENTS
Part 5 The Technology Playbook
How to Develop Products
Users Love 103
Play #52:Have the Courage toPursue Your
Innovation—BeforeIt IsObvious to
theMarket 103
Play #53:Invest inthe LongTermwith aPrototype
ThatSets aStrong Foundation 106
Play #54:Follow theLeadof CompaniesThatAre
LovedbyTheirCustomers 107
Play #55:Don’tDo It AllYourself; Reuse, Don’t
Rebuild 109
Play #56:Embrace Transparencyand BuildTrust 110
Play #57:Let YourCustomersDrive Innovation 115
Play #58:Make It Easy forCustomersto Adopt 119
Play #59:TranscendTechnicalParadigms 120
Play #60:Provide a MarketplaceforSolutions 125
Play #61:Harness Customers’ Ideas 127
Play #62:Develop Communitiesof Collaboration
(akaLoveEverybody) 131
Play #63:Evolve byIntelligent Reaction 132
Part 6 The Corporate Philanthropy
Playbook
How to Make Your Company
About More Than Just the
Bottom Line 135
Play #64:TheBusinessof BusinessIs MoreThan
Business 135
Play #65:Integrate Philanthropyfrom theBeginning 139
vi
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pagevii
Contents
Play #66:Make YourFoundation Part ofYour
Business Model 140
Play #67:Choosea Cause ThatMakes Sense andGet
Experts onBoard 144
Play #68:Share theModel 146
Play #69:Builda GreatProgram byListening to the
Constituents 148
Play #70:Create a Self-Sustaining Model 153
Play #71:Share YourMostValuable Resources—
Your ProductandYour People 156
Play #72:Involve YourPartners, YourVendors, Your
Network 159
Play #73:LetEmployees Inspire the Foundation 161
Play#74:HaveYourFoundationMimicYourBusiness 166
Part 7 The Global Playbook
How to Launch Your Product
and Introduce Your Model to
New Markets 169
Play #75:BuildGlobalCapabilities into YourProduct 169
Play #76:InjectLocalLeaders withYour
Corporate DNA 170
Play #77:ChooseYourHeadquarters andTerritories
Wisely 172
Play #78:BoxAbove YourWeight 175
Play #79:Scale WithoutOverspending 176
Play #80:Understand Sequential Growth 177
Play #81:UpholdaOne-CompanyAttitude
Across Borders 178
Play #82:Follow Strategy, NotOpportunity 179
vii
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pageviii
CONTENTS
Play #83:Going Far?Take aPartner. GoingFast?
GoAlone. 180
Play #84:Fine-TuneYourInternational Strategy 182
Play #85:Send Missionaries to BuildNewMarkets 186
Play #86:Handle GlobalDisputes withDiplomacy
(akaLightandLove) 188
Play #87:Edit an Overarching Outlook 192
Play #88:Bring Old Tricksto NewRegions 196
Play #89:Don’tUse a‘‘Seagull Approach’’;the Secret
toGlobal SuccessIsCommitment 198
Part 8 The Finance Playbook
How to Raise Capital, Create a
Return, and Never Sell Your
Soul 201
Play #90:Don’tUnderestimate YourFinancialNeeds 201
Play #91:ConsiderFundraising Strategies OtherThan
VentureCapital 203
Play #92:Use InternetModelsto Reduce
Start-Up Costs 206
Play #93:Set Yourself UpProperlyfrom the
Beginning,ThenAllow YourFinancial
ModeltoEvolve 207
Play #94:Measure aFast-Growing Companyon
Revenue,NotProfitability 208
Play #95:Build aFirst-Class FinancialTeam 209
Play #96:Be Innovative andEdgy in Everything You
Do—ExceptWhenIt Comesto Your
Finances 210
viii
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Benioff ftoc.tex V3-08/12/2009 2:30pm Pageix
Contents
Play #97:WhenIt Comesto Compliance,Always Play
bytheRules 215
Play #98:Focusonthe Future 218
Play #99:Allow forChangeasYourCompanyGrows 220
Part 9 The Leadership Playbook
How to Create Alignment—the
Key to Organizational Success 225
Play #100:UseV2MOMtoFocusYourGoals and
Align YourOrganization 225
Play #101:Use aTop-Downand Bottom-Up
Approach 230
Play #102:BuildaRecruiting Culture 233
Play #103:RecruitingIs Sales 236
Play #104:KeepYourStandards HighasYouGrow 239
Play #105:HowtoRetain TopTalent 242
Play #106:TheImportance ofMahalo 244
Play #107:FosterLoyalty byDoing the RightThing 246
Play #108:ChallengeYourBestPeople with New
Opportunities 247
Play#109:SolicitEmployeeFeedback—andActOnIt 249
Play #110:Leverage Everything 252
The Final Play 255
Play #111:Make Everyone Successful 255
Notes 261
Acknowledgments 265
AbouttheAuthors 269
Index 271
ix
Copyrighted material © 2009. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint.
Description:went from idea to billion-dollar company— and revolutionized an industry. Marc
Benioff. Chairman & CEO of salesforce.com and Carlye Adler the salesforce.com.
