Dreamforce 2021: Building a Trusted Enterprise

As with so many events, Dreamforce was virtual again this year, but it remained a continuation of rich traditions. As ever, the event brought Salesforce users across the world together, allowing the company’s global community to share and exchange ideas and learn from each other as we endeavor to navigate the unchartered territory that is the post-pandemic landscape.  

With a wealth of knowledge sharing and sessions across the event, there was a lot to takeaway and apply to business strategies in the coming months. With that in mind, we’ve pulled together some of our key learnings and highlights from this year’s event.

Building loyalty at scale in the new age of retail

As Salesforce put it, the new age of retail is upon us after the pandemic caused everything to go digital almost overnight. As a result, retailers got inventive, looking for the best ways to serve new customer behaviors, and now they must turn their attention to meeting customers wherever they are with personalization. 

More than ever, the customer must be at the center of everything.

Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights and the Chair of the Client Advisory Board for Retail, Salesforce

So, retailers’ ability to keep pace and succeed will be dictated by their agility to adapt to the changing customer. We loved the metaphor Salesforce used, explaining how rich customer information is trapped within the siloed walls of retailers. We concur that it has never been more important to break down those walls and create a single source of truth – something we endeavor to help our customers achieve.

Sales is arguably more science than art than ever before.

John Carney, Managing Director at Accenture

John delivered an insightful talk, recognizing, as many of us now do, that B2B Sales has changed dramatically, and it is the responsibility of sales teams to change with it.

While in person events used to be the main form of selling in many cases, John explained how the digital world we now find ourselves in has rapidly changed that. Companies are having to rely on partners and digital tools more than ever before. As they become more used to this new way of working, sales leaders are eager to get back to growing and filling their leads funnel. According to John, implementing an AI assistant will be key in doing so, helping to provide today’s digital customer with exactly what they need. 

Selling is now about connecting 

It’s always worth hearing advice from someone who’s achieved phenomenal success in their field – thankfully, Dreamforce welcomed Mark Cuban to the stage, and we loved his insights into how personal connections are the true magic of SMBs and are key to sales success.  

According to Mark, “Being nice pays”. He said that “It offers such incredible dividends for every salesperson in the universe.” It echoes something we’ve been saying for a long time – the human touch counts and is something that should never be forgotten.

A gradual process

Building the trusted enterprise that Marc Benioff discussed during his Dreamforce opening, isn’t an overnight process, it will take time. But by providing your customer-facing teams with the right digital tools, by putting the customer first, by breaking down silos to release crucial customer insights, and by making real connections with your customers, there’s no doubting a company can become the trusted business they strive to be.