Essay 1
BUSI 431
Sam Taylor
Liberty University
In all companies, specific materials, tools, and products are needed to create their own
product or service. This is how businesses kind of bounce off each other. Everyone is always
looking for something to purchase whether it be to expedite the process of how something is
made or if it saves money by cutting down on labor costs. Everything has a value and companies
spend large amounts of money to make things click better for their specific brand.
In my own words I would say the first thing to consider regarding the buying process is a
company recognizing a need. Say something small like a printer is not working, that begs the
need to purchase a new printer. Or say a part is missing in a crucial section of a conveyer that
needs to be bought so the speed of the operation can return. These are needs that need to be
recognized among countless of other things. In sales many times it comes down to who provides
the best quality service or part for the cheapest price. After the need is recognized, there needs to
be a search party for the best deal. This requires searching, making calls or just “knowing a guy”
that has the item you demand. After searching a purchaser then needs to weigh their options.
Who has the better price? Does the more expensive option have valid reason for costing more? Is
it durable? Etc. Finally, after all the options are weighed the purchaser(s) need to finalize a plan
and make a deal for a purchase. When it comes to big purchases it is most always top-level
executives, or a board that will make these decisions as they carry much more weight than say
new desk chairs. However, all purchases are passed down and approved by higher authority
before begin company purchased.
The company I chose to research is Salesforce. I have heard the name, but I have never
really understood what they did or why they have such a massive force in the business world.
Upon my research I have found that Salesforce sells a CRM (Customer relationship
management) platform to companies looking to “Unite [their] marketing, sales, commerce,
service, and IT teams from anywhere.” (Salesforce) Basically a modern version similar to SAP.
Since its inception in 1999 out of San Francisco, Salesforce has gone on to provide over 150,000
companies with their CRM platform.
Like all companies, salesforce has needs. Since it is a tech giant, most of those needs will
probably involve software upgrades or technical parts that will help them run smoother. If I were
a salesperson, say pushing to sell Salesforce a new software that will elevate their CRM to the
next level I would have to know a lot of things. I would have to be comfortable and
knowledgeable to make a pitch that would convince Salesforce to buy my software. For starters,
I would research the main competitor and explain why this software would help them gain and
edge over that specific company. In this case, that company would be Oracle. A massive CRM
company that even garners the arena name for the Golden State Warriors (Oracle Arena) for
good reason after they boasted, “$39.9 billion in expected revenues for 2020.” (Forbes 2020) By
looking into what Oracle does and how they do it I could then build my pitch to Salesforce
around that idea making it much more of an incentive to purchase our software and create a
business advantage. Now, I am not familiar with any of the ins and outs of CRM platforms but
say this software allowed Salesforce to store more data, just a thought. My goal as a salesperson
would be to get the actual numbers and provide real quantitative data that shows how our
software can help their platform store X amount of data compared to Y which in turn gives to
you these options. That would sound like a much more convincing pitch to the top-level
executives than going in blind just stating it can store more data.
When it comes to decision makers in the company or influencers, they play a massive
role, if not the biggest role, in a developing the pitchers sales plan. The pitch could go fantastic,
the numbers show the advantage in your product, the whole nine yards, but if you don’t have the
main decision makers support, or if you haven’t worked on building a relationship, outside of the
sales deal with that person in power. It might be your demise. The relationship aspect of the deal
is probably the most important part when it comes to sealing the deal and developing a sale. That
starts at the beginning, before even the sales pitch itself. Introducing yourself, being genuine,
treating him or her like a real human being not just a money sign that is interested in your
product.
You could be the best sales pitcher in the world. You could have me convinced and
everyone around you convinced that it is a much better option and I should give you my money
based off the data and the pitch. However, if I do not see a genuine relationship between myself
and the greatest salesmen of all time then a lot of times the only thing that was exchanged was a
bunch of numbers and what ifs. Gaining the good side in a real authentic way is the best way to
develop a sales plan and this is for everyone. Even though the decision makers, influencers etc.
have the most say in a big purchase that you are trying to sell. Maybe the decision maker sees
you greet the receptionist warmly and genuinely and that is the interaction that ultimately
allowed him or her to trust you and make the purchase. Bottom line is the top-level’s play a
massive role in developing the sales plan, but there are many factors excluding those few titles
that play a part in a sale.
References
Team, Trefis. “Will Oracle See Top Line Growth In FY 2020?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21
Jan. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/01/21/will-oracle-see-top-
line- growth-in-fy-2020/#1241ddf1321b.
“What Is Salesforce?” Salesforce.com, www.salesforce.com/products/what-is-salesforce/.
