Some of the business challenges that your company faces may differ from other companies, but each must answer the question of how to sell products or services. Big software companies like Dropbox and Salesforce differ on the approach to sales and gaining new users. Dropbox relies on a word-of-mouth approach, while Salesforce targets enterprise-level sales. Each style has its benefit.
Acquiring sales through word-of-mouth involves a great deal of customer service, marketing and providing a quality product/service. Dropbox believes that once enough employees at a company are using the software on their own, higher level managers and executives will choose to implement the software company-wide. Providing a good service to the individual leads to larger enterprise sales organically.
On the other hand, Salesforce targets larger enterprise customers and “has historically spent nearly half of its revenue on sales and marketing every year,” according to Business Insider. Their high spend, high yield model mirrors the plan that Dropbox has laid out. Salesforce targets the higher level customers and focuses on a top down approach.
Finding the right sales approach for your business is key to long term success and growth. Each method involves differing levels of marketing, email campaigns, lead generation, and sales support.
