With the holiday season quickly giving way to 2018, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the year coming to a close.
Looking back, it’s fulfilling to see what we did — and accomplished — in 2017. We conducted unprecedented research into what makes an AppExchange partner successful, and shared those findings in a published report. We hosted and appeared on multiple panels during Dreamforce in November…and put on one of the event’s signature parties. We became the first Salesforce certified PDO Master and the first US-based PDO to earn Gold consulting status. And, most importantly, we enabled our clients to launch great AppExchange products and navigate the Salesforce ecosystem efficiently to drive revenue.
Along the way, we found (just enough) time to keep our blog flush with helpful content for anyone leveraging the AppExchange — or considering it. We’ve broken down our top posts for two distinct audiences: those with AppExchange experience under their belts, and the next wave of future partners in the still-growing Salesforce ecosystem.
Consider these your must-reads to set the stage for success in 2018!
Best Blog Posts for Current Salesforce Partners
ULTIMATE LIGHTNING GUIDE: Defining the Differences in Salesforce Lightning
The buzz around Lightning was huge through the first half of 2017 — and a lot of partners had questions about what it meant for them, Among our most trafficked posts in 2018, we break down the development terms you’ll need to know to build it right. It’s like a glossary for the Lightning Experience.
Three Essential Steps to Rev Up Your Salesforce Deal Flow
We convened a star-studded panel of Salesforce-ecosystem rock stars who have found success in navigating a complex market that has huge potential to drive revenue. The goal? Share how companies can win in the ecosystem. This post shares notes and insights, slides and the recording. At a high-level, the takeaways are:
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Clearly define your company and ensure it’s messaged for the Salesforce ecosystem.
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Focus on a specific sales group and generate success in that group before casting your wide net.
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Reduce friction and reap the rewards by making life easy for the Salesforce team. Being a true team player goes a long way.
How to Sell to Salesforce: 4 Ways to Capture Salesforce AE Mindshare and Keep It
You have a killer app but can’t seem to connect with the Salesforce AEs. What can you do? Actually, a lot. These 4 proven steps will help get you the mindshare and results you desire. When properly aligned, you can leverage the AEs to close more new business through the AppExchange — it takes work and there isn’t a magic pill, but time and time again we see it pay off.
CodeScience Releases First Annual ‘The State of AppExchange Partners’ Report at Dreamforce
This report is rich with data on what’s working for current, successful Salesforce partners. We learned a ton about their product, growth, technology, channel utilization and investment through 100+ responses from decision-makers, and brought in a data expert to find the top trends for 2018. This is a manual for understanding how to drive pipeline through the AppExchange.
The Top Five Things to Think About When Partnering with Other AppExchange Companies
The Salesforce partner ecosystem is an excellent example of a thriving channel SaaS companies can utilize to drive competitive advantages, deepen customer value, and grow revenue. It’s also an ideal resource for identifying your future partners. What makes a good partner, though? This lays out the ways to tell if a company could align with yours for a successful partnership.
Best Blog Posts for Future Salesforce Partners
Get Onboard with the AppExchange | Part 1: Choose Your Path
This still-unfolding series walks first-timers through the onboarding process when building on the AppExchange. Featuring Salesforce Manager of ISV Sales Ryan Gibney, you’ll learn about different members of the Salesforce AppExchange team you can expect to interface with throughout onboarding, and how to best work with them at each stage. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about any part of the process, this does a great job of simplifying the roles and steps that’ll get you headed in the right direction.
7 Reasons Why a Salesforce API Integration Isn’t Enough
Salesforce APIs help organizations bridge the gap between tools living within the Salesforce ecosystem and other apps or resources. This allows for communication between separate platforms. So with basic API functionality available as an option, is there reason to do any more?
Yes, definitely. There are many reasons why you should develop a full product, and these 7 should be enough to convince you why it’s crucial to driving adoption and revenue.
Demystifying the AppExchange for Partners – Insider Tips for Success
At a time when an AppExchange app is installed every minute, and 83% of all Salesforce customers use at least one AppExchange product, it’s crucial for SaaS businesses to understand how to succeed in this potentially foreign territory. If you’re looking to get up to speed on working with Salesforce and on the AppExchange, you’ll want to hear from this SaaStr Annual 2017 panel of partners making significant inroads into the Salesforce ecosystem.
6 Reasons Why Time to Market Matters on the AppExchange
Time to market is arguably one of the most vital aspects of business success, and high upon the list of priorities for SaaS companies. And, the clock is ticking. Read the article for our full list of reasons and explanations, but start with these considerations:
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Customer acquisition
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Customer retention
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Revenue
The Best Moments of Dreamforce ‘17 — According to Us
If you’ve never been to Dreamforce, it is a HUGE Salesforce event that facilitates connections with thought leaders, decision-makers…and prospects in the market for the next great solution. Did we mention the speakers and panels, or the parties? Here’s our best attempt to distill all of the good stuff from San Francisco into a single post.
We’re looking forward to doing more great things in 2018, and helping companies improve their business outcomes by leveraging the AppExchange. If you or someone you know could use an experienced developer, feel free to drop us a line and we’ll start the conversation. Here’s to another year of building great products together!
