At Dreamforce ‘13,  we launched the first annual Sales Surfboard Awards program, recognizing 18 customers who had the most outstanding stories of innovation and sales success. Our three overall award winners were: 

Best Overall Enterprise Business: Netapp Jane Vaillancourt, VP WW Sales

Best Overall Commercial Business: Standard Register, Joe Morgan, President & CEO

Best Overall Small to Medium Business: Advanceit, Peter Mazoff, President

Below are five tips from their Dreamforce breakout session, Sales Transformation and Innovation.

 1. Build the foundation first

When implementing Salesforce, start with one business goal in mind and execute well on the core functionality. It may require leadership support in order to stay focused, but once the foundation is set, it will be easier to build the cool stuff.

2. Collaborate on building and implementing salesforce

It goes without saying that you will look at the ROI. What is the impact to profit? What is the revenue opportunity? But, don’t forget to look at the impact on time savings and productivity.

Engage other teams to help prioritize what functionality to build, and hold them accountable for the actual usage of that feature. The added bonus is the creation of champions within the business units to help with adoption.

3. Empower your team to use salesforce everyday

Show Salesforce users a better way. For example, explain how Salesforce makes it easier for your reps to sell by saving them time on clerical work.

Help ensure users are using Salesforce in the way you intended them to use it. Provide a top 10 list of actions that are the best, must-do activities in Salesforce.

Users must be willing to transform with the company. Tie users’ ability to manage change to their performance review so they feel part of the transformation.

4. Make Salesforce collaborative

Get set up with Chatter when you start using Salesforce from day one. That way it’s a more natural implementation and can be incorporated into every part of the sales process. The real value that organizations have seen from Salesforce is the ability to sell collaboratively.

5. The sky’s the limit

Think about your company’s business objectives. Use Salesforce to tie the functionality to your goals. “You are only limited by your imagination with Salesforce,” says Peter Mazoff, President of Advanceit

 Of course, start with the foundation first.

We thank our overall winners for sharing their inspirational stories and best practices. If you are interested in hearing more from our Sales Surfboard Overall Award winners, check out the full DF’13 Session Recording.

Do you have an amazing story to share about how salesforce has transformed your company? Email me at jchan@salesforce.com.

For more information on implementing Salesforce, download the free ebook, A Sneak Peek at the Salesforce App, below.