Approaching 10 years at Salesforce, Virginia reflects on her career as a successful executive cloud leader. She describes her beginnings in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) sales and the importance of getting out of her comfort zone. With significant experience in the ISV (Independent Software Vendor) market, Virginia is at the forefront of the pioneering Salesforce ecosystem and its many ‘Ecopreneurs’. As she shares, the Salesforce AppExchange has more than 3,000 apps, 10 million downloads and the total Salesforce Economy will create 9.3 million jobs and $1.6 trillion in new business revenues by 2026.
Despite the success of the World’s #1 CRM company, the organisation has not been immune to the major industry shifts that we have seen over the past few months. As Dominic and Virginia discuss, the layoffs that have hit companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Spotify, have also impacted Salesforce. With global challenges, from the pandemic to international conflict, the entire tech industry finds itself in unprecedented times.
Candidly, Virginia emphasises how important transparency is during this time period, as she talks about the over-hiring that happened during the pandemic, and how that became unsustainable.
From these challenges, we’ve seen fresh opportunities arise from within the Salesforce ecosystem. As many of us have witnessed across social media, company alumni and colleagues alike have pulled together to provide an outpouring of support for those affected and a desire to help wherever they can. The podcast delves into this emotional aspect of the decision to lay off employees, while also providing fresh insights and recommendations for those adapting to recent changes in the industry.
To hear more about Virginia and Dominic’s experiences, their unique perspectives and advice for the ecosystem, watch the full podcast below. Or, to listen on the go, you can subscribe to the series at Anchor (by Spotify) and all other popular podcast platforms.