If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered how a startup launched in a tiny one-bedroom apartment managed to survive the dot-com crash and become a global leader?
- What’s the secret to using unconventional "guerrilla marketing" tactics to disrupt a multi-billion dollar industry dominated by corporate giants?
- Did you know that the key to Salesforce's massive success wasn't just the technology, but a radical new model for corporate culture and philanthropy?
Listen to Behind the Cloud — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from Behind the Cloud
- Discover why you must trust your unique ideas and have the courage to build your vision independently, even when established industry leaders doubt your potential.
- Learn how to attract top talent by thinking big and pitching a revolutionary vision, just as Salesforce did by declaring the 'end of software.'
- Understand the power of aggressive early marketing and how picking a highly public fight with industry giants can generate invaluable media buzz.
- Master the art of maximizing sales conversions by celebrating your end-users and replacing expensive product demos with cost-effective networking events.
- Find out how to put the customer at the heart of your business by offering risk-free trials and establishing direct feedback loops to rapidly improve your product.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Behind the Cloud
Mind Map
Behind the Cloud
Vision & Product Strategy
The Big Idea
Product Development
Marketing & Positioning
Aggressive Differentiation
Public Relations
Events & Sales Tactics
Customer-Centric Events
Frictionless Sales
Customer Centricity & Survival
Direct Feedback Loop
Crisis Management
Global Expansion
Strategic Logistics
Cultural Tailoring
Finance & Growth
Alternative Funding
Scaling for IPO
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 7
How did Marc Benioff position his vision for Salesforce.com to attract top-tier engineers?
Behind the Cloud — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Stick with your idea and think big if you aim to build a fast-growing company.
Chapter 3: Promote your product assertively from the start.
Chapter 4: Leverage public events to attract media coverage.
Chapter 5: It’s vital to keep the customer at the center of your business.
Chapter 6: Focus on perfecting one product at a time, not many done simultaneously.
Chapter 7: Consider cultural differences if you intend to expand your business to different countries.
Chapter 8: When handling capital and finance, merge unconventional thinking with prudent and sensible accounting methods throughout.
Behind the Cloud Summary & Overview
Behind the Cloud (2009) details the rise of Salesforce.com from a one-room apartment start-up to a prosperous global company. Using often unconventional methods, Marc Benioff – the founder and CEO of Salesforce.com – steered his company through financial problems and the dot-com bubble burst, and came out on top.
Who Should Listen to Behind the Cloud?
- Business owners
- Salesforce.com users
- Rising entrepreneurs
Books Similar to Behind the Cloud
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
Startupland
★ 3.9 / 5 • 32 ratingsHow Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business
To Pixar and Beyond
★ 4.6 / 5 • 54 ratingsMy Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History
Working Backwards
★ 4.4 / 5 • 158 ratingsAnd Other Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon
Play Nice But Win
★ 3.8 / 5 • 198 ratingsA CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader