The Salesforce System Integrator Ecosystem in the Pandemic World

I’ll confess to a sense of relief when I heard Dreamforce 2020 (as an in-person event) was canceled. First of all, the thought of preparing for a decadent tech conference when so many are suffering: physically, financially, and emotionally is hard to bear. We all know someone or know someone who knows someone who has gotten sick. We see our neighborhood stores and restaurants empty (unless you are in Sweden, apparently). And no matter if you’ve been affected directly or not, we’re all emotionally worn out.

Aside from the very real health concerns such a large gathering will entail now: the thought of rock bands, boxed vegan meals, over-priced hotels, and endless branded tchotchkes seems too much to take right now. Dreamforce needed canceling, and even though I probably would not have gone this year (more on that later,) it is for the best.

Life without an in-person Dreamforce.

After a very long, socially-distanced walk I started to feel sad that Dreamforce 2020 was canceled. There is nostalgia: my first day at Appirio, my first day in the Salesforce ecosystem, was at Dreamforce 2008. Yes, that week included being in the front row of the Foo Fighters and Benioff meeting with our whole team. Typical first week at work, yeah?

After the nostalgia wore off, I thought about the people I only see there. OId friends whom I might meet at Blue Bottle coffee, or meeting people I only know from Twitter. There is nothing like Dreamforce to bring people together.

Then I thought about business. The Salesforce ecosystem has been blessed for a long time with huge growth, so it’s good to keep things in perspective. But still, things are bad now. Firms are struggling, and talented people who were ignoring pesky recruiters a couple of months ago may be wondering how they are going to pay their mortgage.

When will things get better? One thing is clear: nobody knows and predicting the future is futile. But from a pure business-minded point of view, Dreamforce in early November seemed like an oasis for SIs. If they could hold on with enough (paying) clients and key employees until then, Dreamforce is a place to regain momentum. From my time in marketing, I know the massive boost to the sales pipeline that comes from Dreamforce. It often made the year. Sure, Dreamforce will go on as a virtual event. There is no doubt with Salesforce’s marketing prowess it will be fantastic. But still, there is no way Dreamforce as a marketing opportunity for SIs can be replicated.

What Salesforce Ecosystem SIs can do.

• Be crystal clear about who you are.

Every SI needs to be able to articulate with maximum clarity who they are to employees, prospective customers, and most importantly, to Salesforce itself. Focus is the key: limit the industries, the clouds, the types of projects worked on. When things are tight, the temptation for firms is to be everything to everyone. Firms that are clear about who they are will map to the right customers.  

• Be transparent with employees.

Anyone from a dysfunctional family can tell you how poisonous secrecy is when things are bad. Employees, or at least the ones you want to keep, will get it - it’s better to know what the team is dealing with, however difficult, than not. Leadership needs to lay out why they are making the decisions they are making. To build trust, employees need to hear the reasoning behind decisions.

• Get Content marketing going.

It’s easy to understand the value of content, but producing good content is hard. Good content is the most economic way to reach the market as well as do the first thing I mentioned in this list (be crystal clear about who you are.) 

SIs need to think about their voice in the market. They should also not mistake content marketing with advertising. Advertising has its place, but nobody will read a blog that’s a thinly disguised infomercial. Produce content that enlightens and entertains. Produce content that is a gift to the reader, and they will reciprocate with loyalty.

Hang in there.

The Salesforce ecosystem is a special place. There are few segments of the economy filled with people who love their work and also want to help the world. The SIs in the Salesforce space, from global giants to tiny boutiques, should be proud of what they’ve accomplished and excited for the future. Hang in there: you got this.