What I Talked About at Dreamforce 2014

If you missed my speech at Dreamforce, here is what I said:

I told the audience at Dreamforce that they have to create a higher level of value if they want their dream clients to find them compelling. I told them creating a higher level of value is a differentiator. I showed them how to create Level 4 Value. Then I showed them a list of behaviors that make you transactional (every phone was lifted up to capture that single slide for future reference).

I explained how most salespeople (and as many sales organizations) don’t really understand their business strategy. Since they don’t know, they compete on price–even when that’s not their competitive advantage.

I shared with the salespeople, sales managers, and sales leaders that they have a moral imperative to create more value, as well as the equally important charge of capturing some of the value that they create as profit. That profit is what allows you to deliver the outcomes that you sell, and it allows you to innovate and create new, higher levels of value.

I shared the idea that many salespeople and sales organizations are allowing their dream clients to underinvest, never disabusing them of the big lie that they can produce the outcomes of better and faster while also being cheaper.

One person asked the question as to what they should do if their dream client doesn’t have the money. I told him that they do have the money. They have the money for everything that they believe is critically important, things that are tied to their strategic outcomes. But if I am wrong, he should help them with whatever budget they have and then build the future projects with them, delivering the outcomes they need over time.

Salesforce is doing a lot to build a great sales conference. I was honored to be a part of it, and thrilled to once again share the stage with my good friend, Mark Hunter.