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Behind the Cloud summary
Behind the Cloud
- Benioff left Oracle and founded Salesforce in 1999 in a San Francisco apartment.
- Salesforce sold software over the internet as a subscription.
- Its early marketing poked fun at bigger rivals and the idea of installed software.
- He started a giving model that set aside equity, product and time for charity.
- The book is organized as 111 short plays on how they built the company.
How did Marc Benioff build Salesforce?
He bet early that business software should run over the internet, so companies wouldn't need to install it themselves. He marketed hard, with stunts against bigger rivals and the slogan about the end of software. He built a sales team that sold monthly subscriptions and, from the start, set aside a share of equity, product and staff time for charity.
Actionable
- Write a one line slogan for what your company is against, and test it.
- Pick one stunt or event that could get your product talked about.
- Set aside a small share of time or product for a cause from day one.
- Listen to your first ten customers and change one thing for them.
Lessons
- A clear enemy can sharpen a message.
- Bold marketing helps a small company stand out.
- Giving can be part of the business.
- Customer feedback shapes the product.
Quick answer
Our summary of Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff with Carlye Adler (2009), in our own words.
What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.
Open 125xWho are Marc Benioff and Salesforce?
Marc Benioff founded Salesforce in 1999 after working at Oracle, and still leads it.
He wrote this book with journalist Carlye Adler about Salesforce's first ten years.
The story in 5 parts
- Leaving Oracle and finding the idea.
- Starting in an apartment.
- The end of software marketing.
- Building sales and the subscription model.
- Going public and growing worldwide.
A closer look
Benioff explains that he wrote down Salesforce's plan early, including a vision, values, methods, obstacles and measures. He says writing it down kept the team aligned as it grew.
Many plays are about marketing. Salesforce staged fake protests at a rival's conference and handed out buttons with its logo on a crossed out word. These stunts made a small company look like a real challenger.
He also covers sales. The team learned to sell to small groups inside big companies first, then grow from there. Monthly subscriptions made it easier for customers to try the product.
The giving model, which he calls 1-1-1, set aside 1% of equity, product and employee time. He says it helped hiring and built pride inside the company, and many other startups later copied it.
Business lessons from the book
- Subscription software: pay monthly, no install.
- Marketing stunts: get noticed by challenging leaders.
- Integrated giving: equity, product and time.
- Short plays: lessons in small pieces.
Who should read it
Software founders, marketers and people building a sales team.
Watch them in their own words
Hear it from Marc Benioff and the people around them in our interview summaries:
About this summary
We wrote this summary in our own words from the book and its public reviews. It follows the same layout as a 125x video summary: a verdict, 5 takeaways, the answer to the big question, and Actionable and Lessons tabs. More in entrepreneur biographies.
FAQ: questions people ask
What is Behind the Cloud about?
Marc Benioff's account of building Salesforce, in 111 short plays.
What was Salesforce's early slogan?
It centered on the end of software, meaning no software to install.
Is Behind the Cloud worth reading?
Some value given. Practical plays with some cheerleading.
Related guides
- Entrepreneur Biography Summaries: Founder Lessons
- Billionaire and Founder Interview Summaries
- Productivity and Self-Improvement Book Summaries
- Every 125x guide
125x is a web app at 125x.app that turns your YouTube subscriptions into a feed with a summary on every video, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips, so you can see what's worth opening before you spend the time.
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