It has long been accepted wisdom that technology purchases are controlled by CIOs and their IT departments. Not any more, says one of the world’s best-performing technology companies, backed by the latest research. In their Q4 2016 earnings call, top Salesforce.com executives credited their blockbuster growth and best-ever performance to a shift in sales efforts that target CEOs.
“There is definitely a transformation going on at Salesforce…. I was at Oracle 13 years, I never made a sales call on a CEO,” said Salesforce founder and CEO Mark Benioff. “Never [was the] CEO buying product, being that chief digital officer himself or herself.”
But today, everything has changed. Salesforce recognizes that CEOs are central to buying decisions.
“CEO’s are all about transformation, and in many ways have become the chief transformation officers for [their] companies.”
“The world has turned,” explains Keith Bloch, Salesforce vice chairman, president, COO and former Oracle executive. “CEO’s are all about transformation, and in many ways they have become the chief transformation officers for [their] companies. They are personally involved, they are personally engaged, and they want to talk to us and they are very interested in us playing the role of trusted advisor. They’re interested in our thought leadership.”
“In the last three weeks, I’ve had more conversations with CEOs around transformation than in my entire career over 30-plus years,” adds Block.
“I look at the large transactions we did with the largest banks in the world, the largest insurance companies in the world, the largest media companies in the world, the largest technology companies in the world,” says Benioff. “Every single transaction was done with the Chief Executive Officer.”
Independent research confirms the increasing importance of CEOs in tech decisions. In the IDG study, Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker, large enterprise IT pros (11,639 average employees) say that no one in their organization surpasses the CEO when it comes to authorizing and approving IT purchases, with 55% involvement. Further, 44% agree that CEOs determine the business need for IT purchases, statistically tied with CIO/top IT executives and line-of-business management.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
