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Salesforce increased its market share in 2017 by more percentage points than the rest of the top twenty CRM vendors combined

Salesforce is also #1 in sales applications, customer service applications and marketing applications

SAN FRANCISCO— May 8, 2018—Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the global leader in CRM, today announced that for the fifth consecutive year it has been named the #1 CRM provider by International Data Corporation (IDC) in its latest Worldwide Semiannual Software Tracker.

Salesforce grew its overall market share position and increased its revenue more than any other Customer Relationship Management (CRM) vendor. In fact, Salesforce increased its market share in 2017 by more percentage points than the rest of the top twenty CRM vendors combined. Additionally, Salesforce has been named the market share leader in sales applications, customer service applications and marketing applications (see graphics at the end of this story).

“Companies of every size and industry are transforming how they operate in the digital age—and that transformation revolves around the customer,” said Keith Block, vice chairman, president and COO, Salesforce. “As the IDC report shows, companies are increasingly turning to Salesforce to accelerate their digital transformations to deliver intelligent, connected customer experiences across every touchpoint.”

Connect with Salesforce

Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://facebook.com/salesforce.

Follow @salesforce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/salesforce.

Source: IDC, Worldwide Semiannual Software Tracker, April 2018. CRM Applications market includes the following IDC-defined functional markets: Sales, Customer Service, Contact Center and Marketing Applications.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” For more information please visit https://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/stories/2018/5/050818/

Every year, Dreamforce brings together Trailblazers in sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more to experience thousands of opportunities to get inspired. This year, B2C marketers will have their hands full — in a good way! — as inspirational Trailblazers guide them on a path to better know their consumer, personalize with AI, and engage across all touchpoints in the consumer journey.

As you gear up to soak in B2C marketing product innovations, strategies, tips, and tricks, here’s a glimpse at what’s to come at this year’s event:

Get inspired at the Marketing Cloud Keynote

Marketers are relational by nature, especially because customer experience is continually growing in importance. In fact, 79% of consumers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services (Source: Salesforce, “State of the Connected Customer,” June 2018). That means knowing consumers beyond simple data points, personalizing interactions that put the customer — not transactions — first, and engaging with people when, where, and how they want.

During our Marketing Cloud Keynote, you’ll experience a deep dive into modern, empowered consumers and how you can use AI and other tools to perfect customer journeys across marketing, commerce, sales, and service. Plus, you’ll learn how Trailblazers from BBVA and Ticketmaster nail customer experiences. Make sure to attend this must-see keynote on Thursday, September 27 at 1 p.m. PST in Moscone Hall D.

Join fellow marketers in 75+ sessions

Join Salesforce leaders and marketing Trailblazers for 75+ breakout and theater sessions during all four action-packed days of Dreamforce. From trends in email deliverability, to the future of data-driven marketing, to AI’s impact on consumer journeys, these sessions will prime you to reinvigorate your marketing strategies.

View all of our Marketing Cloud sessions here.

Lounge in the Lodge

A relaxing networking and lounge space is a must at Dreamforce. The Marketing, Commerce, and Retail Lodge at the Palace Hotel offers just that — and much more.

You’ll be able to experience demos that give you a first-hand glimpse at the power of Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Consumer Goods, and Retail products. Plus, hop into breakout sessions, theaters, Circles of Success, and customer activations.

Take a hike to the Campground

Marketing Cloud will be in full force across the entire Dreamforce event. Take a deep dive into immersive demos throughout our Campground, Developer Zone, and in our Trailblazer experiences. You’ll be able to test-drive the latest Salesforce products and features for marketers. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find a product expert to guide you, and you can get to know many Salesforce partners that offer innovative ways to take your marketing strategy to the next level.

Learn from Trailblazers

BBVA and Ticketmaster are two can’t-miss marketing leaders, so be sure to catch the Marketing Cloud Keynote to hear from them both. Beyond these two innovative brands, also hear from Trailblazer Kristin Bond during the Marketing Cloud Keynote. She is the Cofounder of Women of Email, a professional network promoting leadership among women in the world of email marketing.

No matter where you look for inspiration at Dreamforce, you’re sure to find something new around every corner. If you just can’t wait until September 25th to keep your marketing momentum going, take an educational hike with our “Everything Marketing” Trailmix on Trailhead — complete with five quick courses to keep you moving.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/08/dreamforce-18-b2c-marketers-sessions.html

For the 12th year in a row, Gartner has named Salesforce a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation. We are incredibly honored and we believe it’s all thanks to our customers.

Gartner evaluates vendors on their completeness of vision and ability to execute. In this report, Gartner recognized Salesforce as a Leader positioned highest for ability to execute and furthest for completeness of vision for SFA.

We believe our placement in this Magic Quadrant means that we not only understand the needs of our more than 4 million users, but continue to innovate and exceed those needs.

Download your complimentary report.

Salesforce Delivers Continuous Innovation
Salesforce was the first to take customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation (SFA) to the cloud. For the first time companies could access all of their customer information on a website, from any device, anywhere in the world, 24/7. Almost 20 years later, we continue to innovate and define the cloud computing space with:

1. Artificial Intelligence
We believe we’re not only the world’s #1 CRM, we’re also the world’s most intelligent CRM. Sales Cloud Einstein automates data entry and predictive analysis to help you make every selling moment count. For example, Einstein uses its AI to analyze your lead and opportunity history and find patterns you probably didn’t even know existed. Einstein then scores leads and opportunities, giving your reps a roadmap for productive selling.

2. Sales Platform
Sales Cloud provides a flexible, easy-to-customize platform that allows you to sell the way you want and close more deals anytime, anywhere. Customers can automate their sales processes to support their specific selling needs and extend capabilities by connecting prebuilt components and AppExchange apps — all thanks to the power of the Salesforce Platform.

3. Customer Success
As a company, customer success is our #1 benchmark. Their success is our success and their growth fuels our own. We do everything we can to help our customers achieve extraordinary things — from our free online learning program, Trailhead, to the unparalleled resources of Success Cloud. Gaining recognition for customer success in Gartner Peer Insights means the world to us.

The Gartner Peer Insights Logo is a trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc., and/or its affiliates, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation, Tad Travis, Ilona Hansen, Julian Poulter, Melissa A. Hilbert, 9 July 2018. From 2007-2014 Salesforce was recognized as salesforce.com.

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc., as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Salesforce.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/07/gartner-magic-quadrant-leader-sales-force-automation.html?d=70130000000tP4L

Sales managers have very important responsibilities today. Since the survival of businesses is directly proportional to the sustainable growth, the performance of the sales team is very important nowadays. Today’s sales executives sometimes forget about the scientific direction of sales because of the focus in effort to teach the art direction of sales to their sales team with their past experience in the field. For the individual success in sales, the association with the art direction of sales is of course very important but it is not sustainable. Continuous development is only possible with a scientific approach. For this purpose, I would suggest the following 5 key performance indicators that sales executives can follow. This ranking is very variable according many other key performance indicators that can be monitored.

1.    Win Ratio

Recommended Calculation Methods

• Total number of proposal given / number of opportunity won at a given date range
• In a given date range, the total proposal amount given / the opportunity amount won

Goal

“Win Ratio ” is a measure of how our sales teams work efficiently. With this ratio, It is also possible to monitor how much of the total sales opportunities produced and still open are going to be sold.

2.    Conversion Rate

Recommended Calculation Method

• In a given date range, a specific list of leads / number of converted leads

Goal

With ” Conversion Rate”, it is possible to measure the total performance starting from marketing activities to the end of the sales period. With average conversion rate information, it is possible to predict how much sales the company can make from the pool of existing leads.

3.    Pipeline Growth Ratio

Recommended Calculation Methods

• Number of open opportunities at the end of a given date range  / number of open opportunities at the beginning of a given date range
• Total amout of open opportunities at the end of a given date range  / Total amount of open opportunities at the beginning of a given date range

Goal

With Pipeline Growth Ratio, the change of opportunity size produced by sales team can be followed. With this view, the sales team’s performance in bringing new business opportunities is observed.

4.    Average Duration of Sales Cycle

Recommended Calculation Methods

• Average closing duration for opportunities at a given date range
• Opportunity duration averages over the sales funnel at a certain date range

Goal

With Average Duration of Sales Cycle, within the sales operation carried out by the sales team, the closing or progress times of the opportunities are monitored. It is a very important display in terms of monitoring the costs and the capacity planning of sales activities.

5.    Average Deal Size

Recommended Calculation Method

• Average amount of opportunities that are closed at a given date range

Goal

With Average Deal Size, it is possible to calculate the return of the sales team’s operation for each opportunity.

It is important to evaluate the Key Success Indicators exemplified above for analysis by correlating them together. For example, it is scientifically possible to estimate how much revenue an existing “Pipeline” will generate and the needs of salespeople for this revenue with “Average Deal Size”, “Average Duration” and “Win Ratio”. Of course, duplicating these tables and calculating them using different methods can differ in the customer, sector and product context.

How to monitor all these Key Performance Indicators is also a very important issue. Spending too much time and resources to follow this data is often unsustainable and makes the truth of the data vulnerable to debate. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor the entire process through a system. The goal is to be as proactive as instant. The use of artificial intelligence is also one of the primary factors that make a difference.

Author: Sinan Erkiner

Salesforce.com’s only and first reseller Kofana serves as a enterprise cloud computing solutions and services company in Turkey.

Kofana supports the companies on their ways to become a mobile, social and customer company. They provide solutions, consulting, technical support and training services.

Kofana provides its service to the below Salesforce.com products.

• Sales Cloud – sales force automation & CRM
• Service Cloud – customer services management
• Radian6 – social media listening, analytics and interaction
• Chatter – collaborative social private network
• Force.com – enterprise cloud app development platform

Salesforce increased its market share in 2017 by more percentage points than the rest of the top twenty CRM vendors combined

Salesforce is also #1 in sales applications, customer service applications and marketing applications

SAN FRANCISCO— May 8, 2018—Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the global leader in CRM, today announced that for the fifth consecutive year it has been named the #1 CRM provider by International Data Corporation (IDC) in its latest Worldwide Semiannual Software Tracker.

Salesforce grew its overall market share position and increased its revenue more than any other Customer Relationship Management (CRM) vendor. In fact, Salesforce increased its market share in 2017 by more percentage points than the rest of the top twenty CRM vendors combined. Additionally, Salesforce has been named the market share leader in sales applications, customer service applications and marketing applications (see graphics at the end of this story).

“Companies of every size and industry are transforming how they operate in the digital age—and that transformation revolves around the customer,” said Keith Block, vice chairman, president and COO, Salesforce. “As the IDC report shows, companies are increasingly turning to Salesforce to accelerate their digital transformations to deliver intelligent, connected customer experiences across every touchpoint.”

Connect with Salesforce

Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://facebook.com/salesforce.

Follow @salesforce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/salesforce.

Source: IDC, Worldwide Semiannual Software Tracker, April 2018. CRM Applications market includes the following IDC-defined functional markets: Sales, Customer Service, Contact Center and Marketing Applications.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” For more information please visit https://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/stories/2018/5/050818/

Experts predict there will be more than 20 billion connected things by the year 2020. See real examples of companies creating massive value from the Internet of Things: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/trails/iot_cloud

Start your trail right away with Trailhead!

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/activity:6420984542961627136/

Every year, Dreamforce brings together Trailblazers in sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more to experience thousands of opportunities to get inspired. This year, B2C marketers will have their hands full — in a good way! — as inspirational Trailblazers guide them on a path to better know their consumer, personalize with AI, and engage across all touchpoints in the consumer journey.

As you gear up to soak in B2C marketing product innovations, strategies, tips, and tricks, here’s a glimpse at what’s to come at this year’s event:

Get inspired at the Marketing Cloud Keynote

Marketers are relational by nature, especially because customer experience is continually growing in importance. In fact, 79% of consumers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services (Source: Salesforce, “State of the Connected Customer,” June 2018). That means knowing consumers beyond simple data points, personalizing interactions that put the customer — not transactions — first, and engaging with people when, where, and how they want.

During our Marketing Cloud Keynote, you’ll experience a deep dive into modern, empowered consumers and how you can use AI and other tools to perfect customer journeys across marketing, commerce, sales, and service. Plus, you’ll learn how Trailblazers from BBVA and Ticketmaster nail customer experiences. Make sure to attend this must-see keynote on Thursday, September 27 at 1 p.m. PST in Moscone Hall D.

Join fellow marketers in 75+ sessions

Join Salesforce leaders and marketing Trailblazers for 75+ breakout and theater sessions during all four action-packed days of Dreamforce. From trends in email deliverability, to the future of data-driven marketing, to AI’s impact on consumer journeys, these sessions will prime you to reinvigorate your marketing strategies.

View all of our Marketing Cloud sessions here.

Lounge in the Lodge

A relaxing networking and lounge space is a must at Dreamforce. The Marketing, Commerce, and Retail Lodge at the Palace Hotel offers just that — and much more.

You’ll be able to experience demos that give you a first-hand glimpse at the power of Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Consumer Goods, and Retail products. Plus, hop into breakout sessions, theaters, Circles of Success, and customer activations.

Take a hike to the Campground

Marketing Cloud will be in full force across the entire Dreamforce event. Take a deep dive into immersive demos throughout our Campground, Developer Zone, and in our Trailblazer experiences. You’ll be able to test-drive the latest Salesforce products and features for marketers. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find a product expert to guide you, and you can get to know many Salesforce partners that offer innovative ways to take your marketing strategy to the next level.

Learn from Trailblazers

BBVA and Ticketmaster are two can’t-miss marketing leaders, so be sure to catch the Marketing Cloud Keynote to hear from them both. Beyond these two innovative brands, also hear from Trailblazer Kristin Bond during the Marketing Cloud Keynote. She is the Cofounder of Women of Email, a professional network promoting leadership among women in the world of email marketing.

No matter where you look for inspiration at Dreamforce, you’re sure to find something new around every corner. If you just can’t wait until September 25th to keep your marketing momentum going, take an educational hike with our “Everything Marketing” Trailmix on Trailhead — complete with five quick courses to keep you moving.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/08/dreamforce-18-b2c-marketers-sessions.html

For the 12th year in a row, Gartner has named Salesforce a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation. We are incredibly honored and we believe it’s all thanks to our customers.

Gartner evaluates vendors on their completeness of vision and ability to execute. In this report, Gartner recognized Salesforce as a Leader positioned highest for ability to execute and furthest for completeness of vision for SFA.

We believe our placement in this Magic Quadrant means that we not only understand the needs of our more than 4 million users, but continue to innovate and exceed those needs.

Download your complimentary report.

Salesforce Delivers Continuous Innovation
Salesforce was the first to take customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation (SFA) to the cloud. For the first time companies could access all of their customer information on a website, from any device, anywhere in the world, 24/7. Almost 20 years later, we continue to innovate and define the cloud computing space with:

1. Artificial Intelligence
We believe we’re not only the world’s #1 CRM, we’re also the world’s most intelligent CRM. Sales Cloud Einstein automates data entry and predictive analysis to help you make every selling moment count. For example, Einstein uses its AI to analyze your lead and opportunity history and find patterns you probably didn’t even know existed. Einstein then scores leads and opportunities, giving your reps a roadmap for productive selling.

2. Sales Platform
Sales Cloud provides a flexible, easy-to-customize platform that allows you to sell the way you want and close more deals anytime, anywhere. Customers can automate their sales processes to support their specific selling needs and extend capabilities by connecting prebuilt components and AppExchange apps — all thanks to the power of the Salesforce Platform.

3. Customer Success
As a company, customer success is our #1 benchmark. Their success is our success and their growth fuels our own. We do everything we can to help our customers achieve extraordinary things — from our free online learning program, Trailhead, to the unparalleled resources of Success Cloud. Gaining recognition for customer success in Gartner Peer Insights means the world to us.

The Gartner Peer Insights Logo is a trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc., and/or its affiliates, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation, Tad Travis, Ilona Hansen, Julian Poulter, Melissa A. Hilbert, 9 July 2018. From 2007-2014 Salesforce was recognized as salesforce.com.

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc., as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Salesforce.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/07/gartner-magic-quadrant-leader-sales-force-automation.html?d=70130000000tP4L