As Dreamforce approaches (it’s November, and that means there are only 17 days left!), we’ve finalized our booth design, have finally all agreed on what we’re going to wear, and have our giveaways ready to go. We’re preparing for a GREAT show.
What we’re most excited about, though, are our breakout sessions. This year, we have two—one with Cisco’s Charlie Treadwell and Evan Escobedo, and the other with QTS’s Chris Oberkfell. They’ll discuss how big data insights are helping their sales and marketing teams drive growth.
Charlie and Evan will be talking about how Cisco is using FirstRain’s Market Insights to develop and implement their go-to-market strategy. They’ll discuss some of the challenges their organization faced, the goal it’s trying to achieve, as well as the characteristics that were important to them when they were trying to find a solution.
Chris, on the other hand, will be speaking to Customer Insights, and how it’s helped his entire sales organization replicate the behaviors of the top salespeople—and why having deep insight into your customer’s business is essential to compete in a fast-moving, constantly changing market.
We hope to see you there! To get more information on our sessions, click here. You can also enter to win a Fitbit Flex!
So, what are you waiting for?
We recently did a post on good bars for dates with clients. However, we’re hoping that you out-of-towners will have some time to visit the amazing city itself. I’m a born-and-raised San Franciscan, so I’m a little biased; however, I still think it’s the best city in the world (and I’ve lived on the East Coast and abroad—that’s why I came back for good!). Here are my picks for things you must see.
When discussing San Francisco, it’s easiest to talk about the neighborhoods. I like to say that San Francisco isn’t a city with a lot of attractions, per se, but it’s a great place to explore. Of course, it’s got its sights to see (think the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Lombard St.), but the real character is in its extremely varied—and very colorful—neighborhoods. That being said, take some time to sit and people-watch; you won’t be disappointed.
Word to the wise: It’s California, but it’s COLD! San Francisco is known for its fog, and that’s no joke. When planning what to bring with you, think 55 and foggy. Seriously. Layers are your friend.
My first choice for tourists would be North Beach, the Italian quarter. It’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and is chock-full of delicious restaurants and historic bars (check out Vesuvio—an amazing saloon located next to the famous City Lights bookstore).
As a post-dinner activity, I would also HIGHLY recommend getting tickets for Beach Blanket Babylon. It’s the longest-running musical show in America, and is constantly changing based on current events. It’s an incredible atmosphere, the costumes are outrageous—it’s one-of-a-kind and should NOT be missed if you can help it.
Columbus St. is North Beach’s main drag, and runs all the way from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Financial District. You can start at either end and get an equally good feeling for the neighborhood. Lombard St. (“the crookedest street in the world”) and Coit Tower (atop Telegraph Hill) are within walking distance—but they’re in opposite directions.
Next up is Haight-Ashbury. The home in the 60s to the hippie/counterculture movement, it is STILL the home to the hippie/counterculture movement. There aren’t any attractions, but it’s a great place to wander, again with awesome food and bars (one of my favorite spots in the whole city is here: Magnolia Gastropub). The street is full of secondhand clothing stores and smoke shops, and you can still see lots of tie-dye. The original Amoeba Records store sits at one end, and you can also see the home of Jerry Garcia.
It’s a little bit of a hike from SOMA or the Embarcadero, but well worth it. It’s also situated right next to Golden Gate Park, which is just fabulous.
I would also encourage you to check out Chinatown (always interesting, and the biggest one outside of Asia); The Castro (even if you’re straight, the vibe is really fun—and quintessentially San Francisco); and The Mission (my old stomping grounds and a neighborhood that is decidedly non-touristy. Valencia St., Dolores Park and the world-famous Bi-Rite Ice Creamery).
One last note about the Fisherman’s Wharf area: I honestly think it’s one big tourist trap. However, I wrote this blog posts for tourists, so I will give it a mention. Things that are actually worthwhile to see and do there are: eating chowder in a bread bowl in Fisherman’s Wharf (ok, truth be told, there’s no better place to get seafood in the city); watching the sea lions on Pier 39 (but avoid the rest of Pier 39—it really is purely a tourist trap); getting chocolate at Ghirardelli Square (delicious!).
Have fun exploring the City by the Bay!
Dreamforce brings together salesforce.com users and partner companies from around the world. You’ll meet a ton of great people, be exposed to solutions you never knew existed, and hopefully be able to apply all of that knowledge when you get back to work after the show. But how can Salesforce help you while you’re at Dreamforce?
You can get trained—or certified—on salesforce.com at Dreamforce
You can take one- or two-day, in-depth salesforce.com training classes from the experts (and who better to train you than Salesforce employees?). Class topics range from an introduction to salesforce.com, to moving to the sales cloud, to Apex programming for non-developers.
Also, check out the Campground for the latest and greatest from Salesforce, as well as the best ways to sell, service, market, innovate and succeed.
You can also get salesforce.com certified while at the show! They have 7 certificates to choose from. exams will take place on Monday, November 18, 2013, at the Hilton Union Square.
Click here for more information on how to get trained and certified!
Learn Best Practices
There will be a number of sessions at Dreamforce about best practices on the implementation of salesforce.com for your business—and how you can use it to solve a whole host of problems. For example:
Discover New Apps for your Business
Besides using the #AppThat hashtag to put your app (pipe)dreams out there, someone might have already addressed some (or all) of them! Wander around the Cloud Expo and the AppExchange Partner Zone and learn about what’s available (like FirstRain’s business insight solutions! Booth N1924).
After the Show
You’ve met more people in 5 days than you have in the last quarter. You’ve learned a lot. Now go home and put what you know into action. Upload all those contacts, send out some emails, purchase and implement that product you decided you really need—and get selling!
Dreamforce just keeps getting closer, doesn’t it? And the closer it gets, the more things get added to its agenda. Do you know what sessions you’re going to attend yet… or maybe you’ve started by picking your “extra-curricular activities” first (don’t worry, we won’t judge).
To help you get started, here’s a list of sessions, people and activities we’re excited about!
1. The Dreamforce Tweet-Up: Monday, 11/18
Meet people that you’ve gotten to know in the Twittersphere—in real life! Hope you don’t get catfished.
2. Breakout Session—AppExchange Fast & Furious: 30 Apps in 30 Minutes
Who doesn’t want to be on the cutting edge? SFDC will be showcasing some of the latest and greatest apps—we bet you’ll find one your company can use (we sure hope we will)! Maybe you’ll even find an idea to #appthat.
3. App Bash @ The Metreon: Wednesday, 11/20
Party your app off at the Dreamforce-sponsored party! It’s on the top floor of the Metreon, with amazing views of the city… and probably a lot of fun people. I also heard that DocuSign throws an awesome party, and they’re doing it again in 2013.
4. Volunteering: Monday-Wednesday in the Plaza
Do good this year at Dreamforce and give back to the community.
5. Breakout Session—Getting US Soccer Ready for the World Cup with Salesforce
We have a lot of soccer fans at FirstRain. We also have a lot of Salesforce fans. Perfect.
6. And anything Girly Geeks!
Did we mention we’re going to the Grace Hopper Celebration this year?
Women in Tech: Sunday, 11/17
Women in the Dev Zone: Tuesday, 11/19
Girly Geeks Do Good: see #4
If you’re going to any of these, let us know! We’d love to meet you (you can also stop by Booth #N1924). And if you have others to suggest, tweet us @FirstRain. We already know Alec Baldwin will be there 
We are extremely excited to announce that our intrepid CEO, Penny Herscher, will lead a panel discussion about on the role of women in technological advancements in manufacturing at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.
The Grace Hopper Conference is nearly 20 years old, and is the largest technical conference for women in the world. It’s designed to support and showcase the contributions of women in computing. Conference presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industry, academia and government. Since promoting women in the technology is a cause that is near and dear to Penny (she’s even on the board of the Anita Borg Foundation, the organizers of GHC), we are incredibly excited to attend.
Our Panel: “The New Industrial Revolution: How Advanced Manufacturing is Creating Disruptive Opportunities for Women.”
This panel will discuss and explore the effects of exciting new technologies—from 3D printing to desktop design and fabrication—that have the potential to enable a new generation of female entrepreneurs. The panel will explore how these innovations have already begun changing the world of inventing and manufacturing, impacting the evolution and democratization of global manufacturing and defining the new role these technologies can play in the economic empowerment of women. Penny will be joined by Christine Furstoss (GE), Jennifer Lawton (MakerBot) and Kristen Turner (Ponoko).
If you’re going (and/or if this topic interests you), let us know by tweeting us at @FirstRain or write on our Facebook wall!
Conference and presentation details:
Who:
Penny Herscher, FirstRain CEO with Christine Furstoss, Jenny Lawton and Kristen Turner
Where:
Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), Room 200 D-G
When:
3:45 – 4:45 pm on Thursday, October 3, 2013
Dreamforce 2013 is getting FirstRain pretty worked up… but how can we help it when so many exciting things happen on the conference floor? Our very own Daniela Barbosa (@danielabarbosa) gives a reading of 50 Shades of Dreamforce you won’t soon forget.
Did you like our Dreamforce Is On (Cups Song) video? This is one video that will definitely make you spill your cup.
It seems like Dreamforce ’12 took people by surprise. Refrains of “It’s massive!” popped up all. over. the web.
We obviously now know to expect that Dreamforce ’13 will be just as giant. But what else did we learn last year that will influence how we all exhibit this year?
Side note: if you consider yourself a FirstRain competitor, please ignore this post. In fact, please do the opposite.
1. A successful business is a social business
I bet that if, for some reason, your company hadn’t embraced social media last year, that was the first thing you did when you got back from Dreamforce. How could you not, especially after Sir Richard Branson called you out on it? “For a business to not embrace social media … you’ve clearly got your head in the sand.”
Being on social media not only gives you an easy channel to engage more and different people, it allows you to really connect with people on a more personal level. Nowadays, people appreciate seeing the human side of corporations—and the corporations realized that at DF12.
This year, I expect WAY more traffic on Twitter (and Facebook, and LinkedIn…) and an effort to be more personable and, dare I say, casual—and, hopefully, some very cool ideas coming out of it.
Which happens to segue nicely to my next point:
2. If you want to stand out, you need to get creative
Dreamforce is huge. We’ve established this. So what can you do to make sure to get foot traffic at your booth, which is a tiny (but I’m sure very lovely) island in the Moscone Sea?
We just talked about how people like to see the clever, human side to a business. So if you want to get noticed, you need to get creative with how you promote your company in the run-up to Dreamforce. Recognizing this, for the second year in a row, we at FirstRain have made a Dreamforce-themed video, which is getting a lot of love, and a funny Dreamforce-themed Tumblr (check them out—you won’t be sorry!). We’ve seen other creative videos and Tweets pop up here and there, too (and we love it!).
Make sure you have the material to impress once people want to know more—but getting people to know your name in the first place is half the battle.
3. There are more apps out there than anyone knows what to do with
My prediction: at Dreamforce ’13, there will still be more apps than anyone knows what to do with. And there might be even more than that. Because people have now seen that being able to provide a quick and easy solution to any sort of business need, isn’t just nice—it’s what people expect. Oh, and if they don’t currently have your solution, the only way they’ll consider buying it is if it’s compatible with the solutions they already do use.
Expect to see an explosion of integration at this year’s Dreamforce. Have we mentioned that FirstRain can be dropped in to just about any CRM or corporate platform? And it’s mobile, which is also necessary.
Come visit us at booth #N1924! We promise to have cool swag (free lesson #4).
You’re going to Dreamforce. You’re stoked. It’s only 73 days away. You’re setting up client meetings … but then you realize that you’re coming from out of town, have only been to San Francisco once—and that was 15 years ago and you really only cared about seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and eating Ghirardelli chocolate anyway.
San Francisco is world-famous for its culinary panache (and its impressive culture), so there’s naturally a lot of choice. But which places near Moscone set the best backdrop for impressing your client after a long day on the floor? Dreamforce is On–so take a few tips from FirstRain’s resident San Francisco experts and make your client—and your belly (but maybe not your liver!) happy.
Wayfare Tavern | 558 Sacramento St. @ Montgomery St.
Wayfare Tavern sits in the heart of the Financial District—a perfect location for an after-work-drinks bar. It’s also owned by Tyler Florence, so you know it’s good. The bar is totally swanky (it looks like a 1920s speakeasy meets a Parisian bistro), the appetizers are to-die-for, and if you want to stay for dinner, I’ve heard that’s pretty great too.
Waterbar | 399 The Embarcadero @ Folsom
Exactly a mile away from Moscone, Waterbar is an upscale San Francisco classic, sitting right on the Embarcadero with a gorgeous view of the Bay and the Bay Bridge. Though the food is fabulous, they’re best known for their extensive oyster bar… so you can throw back more than just their drinks. It’s not silent, but the noise level is on the quieter side—perfect for doing business.
Prospect | 300 Spear St. @ Folsom
Focused more on food than on drinks (but with a full bar, don’t worry!), Prospect is less than a mile from the Moscone Center, and is a classy, modern spot—but the attitude is relaxed and low-key. Their cocktail menu is outstanding, as are their appetizers (word on the street is: try the Wagyu beef tartare) and desserts to sweeten the deal.
Rye | 688 Geary St. @ Leavenworth
Venture slightly further afield to Rye, which is Prospect’s partner of Newton’s Law (nerd alert! opposite but equal): it’s more bar than restaurant. This means a little louder ambiance, but the wide-open décor is awesome and the drinks delicious. Special shout-outs go to the Basil Gimlet and the Dark & Stormy … so you can have your cocktail without worrying about any unprofessional umbrellas in your glass.
The View | 55 4th St. @ Mission
Last but not least: this bar might just have the best views in all of San Francisco. Situated at the very top of the Marriott Marquis on Union Square, you can take in 270° of SF. They do have food if you get hungry, but this is the perfect place for a happy-hour/post-work drink—especially if you’re trying to impress out-of-towners.
Cheers!
P.S. If you really just want to get a beer or three, check out 21st Amendment Brewery. It’s not “business casual” by any means—but it’s awesome!
Love the Cups song? Love Dreamforce? So do we.
By Nora Weintraub
You’ve probably already been hearing (and getting excited!) about salesforce.com’s upcoming Dreamforce 2013 conference. The theme this year is “Join the Customer Company Revolution”—but what does that actually mean? To get everyone ready for the largest vendor-led tech conference, salesforce.com has been streaming live conversations with experts about the conference, but before you head to San Francisco in November, you must understand the key aspects of customer companies.
A customer company is completely obsessed with its clients and able to collaborate with them to create a strong brand. By being centered on its customer, the company develops a bond with them based on trust. How can your company do all of this? Now, we’re not going to give away all the insider secrets before Dreamforce, but here’s a few tips to help you become customer-obsessed, customer-collaborative and customer-trusted to truly start understanding your customers before the conference.
1. Customer-Obsessed
If you’re not 100% committed to your customer, what’re you left with? Most likely, a struggling business that just can’t find its market niche—and is suffering for it. Being a customer company means being completely infatuated with your client. This means constantly researching your customers to stay up to date on their business lines, what’s going on in their market and what their customers need. Being customer-obsessed requires your constant focus on providing your customer with the best experience with your company possible.
Doing this doesn’t have to be too difficult. Your company can realign its mission to officially make the business customer-centered and gather customer insights to get started. According to Customer Care News, your company can follow the likes of Apple and Starbucks to become an “experience maker.” Every time you connect with a customer, your company can be focused on creating a great experience.
2. Customer-Collaborative
Part of developing a wonderful customer experience is making sure your customer is able to tell you their opinion or concerns so you have the information to improve the experience. According to the blog Get Satisfaction, customer companies are able to turn negative interactions into positive ones by showing that the company truly understands the customer’s needs and is ready to work on providing them with solutions. This is where customer insights become vital—if you don’t have the knowledge to create that intelligent conversation with the customer, you can’t sell your solution or product. Customers want to feel as if you understand their concerns and can listen to their questions. If your company doesn’t use their feedback—or, even worse, doesn’t value it—your customers may not feel they can trust you.
3. Customer-Trusted
The marketplace is more competitive than ever before, so your business needs to create a positive relationship with your customer to keep their business. Yet you can’t gain your client’s trust if you don’t know them and aren’t able to create an intelligent conversation. It’s because of this growing need to truly understand your customers that the customer company revolution began in the first place. Building trust requires a strong foundation that only customer-focused companies can provide.
Being a customer-centered business is vital to keeping your top enterprise accounts. If you’re not invested in your customer, they won’t invest in you. Creating a lasting relationship with your customers and driving your revenue stream is based on discovering how your company can become customer-focused. Dreamforce 2013 will give you countless ways to do just that, but it all starts with making a commitment to being obsessed with your customer and all of their needs.
