Highlights from Dreamforce 2017: Playmaking, AI Revolution, CRM Evolution, Giving Back
Since 2003, Dreamforce has experienced explosive growth from 1,300 attendees to 170,000 participants over a four-day event. The dialogues emerging over the past week’s event about the sales process, CRM, sales strategies and giving back have been key to this successful conference.
Of the messages that have resonated from this year’s Dreamforce, I’ve been most compelled by the following four:
CRM is declining.
I’ve written and presented extensively about the paradigm of CRM. Customer Relationship Management software simply isn’t enough anymore. It is necessary as a system of records, but salespeople now look to other technologies to improve their sales productivity and efficiency.
AI, The #FourthIndustrialRevolution
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff spoke at length about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which technologies such as mobile, artificial technology and nano technology are converging. Artificial Intelligence will create, by his estimate, 3.3 million jobs and $859 billion of additional GDP by 2022.
AI is changing the nature of work, and this will have a profound impact on many within the current workforce.
Playmakers Are Everywhere
Playmakers use data, science and smart applications to win at the sales game and to achieve more revenue and career progression. They don’t take guesses, but take strategic actions to increase and accelerate their conversations with ideal sales leads.
AI-recommended sales data is crucial to this process. At Dreamforce, XANT launched the ground of our newest features for sales acceleration. Playbooks now have AI features available for every sales rep.
Giving Back
This was the focus of my own presentation and of several others as well, including the Marc Benioff keynote presentation on Day 1. It is vital that every organization know to craft and execute a successful giving back strategy.
Read the full article on Forbes Magazine to see all my takeaways from the Dreamforce conference.