Skip to content

Competitive Battle Card: Salesforce

Quick Reference

Competitor: Salesforce
Primary Market: Enterprise (1000+ employees)
Founded: 1999
Market Cap: ~$200B+
Customers: 150,000+
Key Strength: Market leader, ecosystem
Key Weakness: Complexity, cost, implementation time

Positioning Strategy

When You Win

  • Speed matters: Customer needs quick implementation
  • Simplicity valued: Overwhelming complexity is a concern
  • Cost conscious: TCO is a major factor
  • Mid-market focus: 100-1000 employee companies
  • Modern experience: UI/UX is a priority

When They Win

  • Enterprise requirements: 5000+ employees
  • Ecosystem needs: Require extensive third-party apps
  • IT resources: Large IT team for customization
  • Brand safety: Risk-averse, need market leader
  • Complex workflows: Highly unique processes

Head-to-Head Comparison

Criteria Us Salesforce Our Advantage
Implementation Time 2-4 weeks 6-18 months 10x faster go-live
Total Cost (3-year) $150K $500K+ 70% lower TCO
User Adoption 90% in 30 days 60% in 6 months Higher ROI faster
Training Required 2 hours 40+ hours Minimal disruption
Admin Resources 0.5 FTE 2-3 FTE Lower overhead
Time to Value 30 days 6+ months Quick wins
Mobile Experience Native, intuitive Complex, limited Field sales love it
Customer Support Dedicated CSM Tiered, paid Better relationship

Salesforce Pain Points to Exploit

1. Complexity Overwhelm

Customer Pain: "Salesforce is too complex for our needs" - Probe: "How many Salesforce features do you actually use?" - Our Solution: Purpose-built for sales, no bloat - Proof: 90% adoption vs. industry average 60%

2. Hidden Costs

Customer Pain: "The total cost keeps growing" - Probe: "What's your all-in Salesforce spend including consultants?" - Our Solution: Transparent, all-inclusive pricing - Proof: 70% lower TCO over 3 years

3. Implementation Nightmare

Customer Pain: "We're 8 months in and still not live" - Probe: "How much have you spent on implementation?" - Our Solution: 30-day implementation guarantee - Proof: Average go-live in 3 weeks

4. Poor User Experience

Customer Pain: "Our reps hate using Salesforce" - Probe: "What's your actual CRM adoption rate?" - Our Solution: Intuitive design reps love - Proof: 4.8/5 user satisfaction score

5. Forced Upgrades

Customer Pain: "They sunset features and force migrations" - Probe: "How many times have you had to re-implement?" - Our Solution: Stable platform, no forced changes - Proof: Same core experience for 5 years

Common Objections & Responses

"Salesforce is the market leader"

Response Framework: - Acknowledge: "Yes, they're the biggest..." - Redirect: "But biggest doesn't mean best fit for you" - Evidence: "50% of Salesforce customers are actively looking for alternatives" - Proof: "[Customer X] switched and reduced costs by 60% while improving adoption"

"We need Salesforce's ecosystem"

Response Framework: - Qualify: "Which specific integrations do you need?" - Challenge: "Are you using these today or aspirational?" - Alternative: "We integrate with all major platforms natively" - Value: "Without the complexity and additional costs"

"Salesforce is more secure/compliant"

Response Framework: - Match: "We have the same certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001)" - Exceed: "Plus dedicated security team, not shared" - Simplify: "Easier to maintain compliance with simpler system" - Proof: "Here's our security documentation"

"We already invested in Salesforce"

Response Framework: - Empathize: "Sunk cost fallacy is real..." - Calculate: "What's the ongoing cost of staying?" - Project: "In 2 years, switching saves $300K" - Migrate: "We'll handle the migration at no cost"

Competitive Wins - Talk Track

Win Story 1: Mid-Market Manufacturing

Situation: 500-employee manufacturer struggling with Salesforce complexity Challenge: 40% adoption after 1 year, $200K spent Solution: Migrated in 3 weeks, simplified processes Result: 85% adoption, 30% increase in sales velocity Quote: "We accomplished more in 1 month than 1 year with Salesforce"

Win Story 2: Growing SaaS Company

Situation: 200-employee SaaS scaling rapidly Challenge: Salesforce couldn't keep pace, too expensive Solution: Flexible platform that grows with them Result: Supported 3x growth without adding ops headcount Quote: "Finally, a CRM that scales at startup speed"

Win Story 3: Professional Services Firm

Situation: 300-person firm with project-based sales Challenge: Salesforce required extensive customization Solution: Out-of-box functionality for their workflow Result: 50% reduction in sales cycle time Quote: "It just works for businesses like ours"

Discovery Questions

Uncover Salesforce Pain

  1. "What's your current Salesforce adoption rate?"
  2. "How much do you spend annually all-in on Salesforce?"
  3. "How long did implementation actually take?"
  4. "How many admins do you need to maintain it?"
  5. "What percentage of features do you actually use?"

Qualify the Opportunity

  1. "What's driving you to evaluate alternatives?"
  2. "What would need to change to consider switching?"
  3. "Who else needs to be involved in this decision?"
  4. "What's your timeline for making a change?"
  5. "What's the cost of staying with status quo?"

Pricing & Negotiation

Salesforce Pricing Reality

  • List Price: $150-300/user/month (Enterprise)
  • Hidden Costs: Implementation, consulting, training
  • Add-ons: Every feature costs extra
  • Support: Premier support is additional 30%
  • True Cost: $400-500/user/month all-in

Our Pricing Strategy

  • Transparent: $75-150/user/month all-inclusive
  • Implementation: Included (vs. $50-200K for SF)
  • Support: Included (vs. 30% additional)
  • Training: Included (vs. $10K+ for SF)
  • Position: "Everything included, no surprises"

Migration Strategy

Migration Messaging

"We've migrated 100+ companies from Salesforce. It's our specialty."

Migration Process

  1. Week 1: Data export and mapping
  2. Week 2: Configuration and customization
  3. Week 3: Data import and validation
  4. Week 4: Training and go-live

Migration Incentives

  • Free migration services (value: $25K)
  • Salesforce contract buyout (up to 3 months)
  • Success guarantee or money back
  • Dedicated migration team

Trap-Setting Questions

Technical Traps

  • "How many custom objects do you have?" (Complexity)
  • "How often do you need Salesforce support?" (Poor service)
  • "What's your Lightning migration status?" (Forced changes)

Business Traps

  • "What's your Salesforce ROI?" (Usually negative)
  • "How many consultants have you used?" (Hidden costs)
  • "When did you last optimize licenses?" (Overpaying)

Key Differentiators to Emphasize

Speed

  • Implementation: 3 weeks vs. 6 months
  • Time to value: 30 days vs. 180 days
  • User adoption: 30 days vs. 6 months

Simplicity

  • No code required vs. developer needed
  • 2-hour training vs. 40-hour certification
  • Intuitive UI vs. complex navigation

Value

  • 70% lower TCO
  • All-inclusive pricing
  • No consultant required

Support

  • Dedicated CSM vs. call center
  • 24/7 support included vs. paid extra
  • Proactive vs. reactive

Battle Card Updates

Recent Salesforce Changes

  • Price increases (10-15% annually)
  • Forcing Lightning migration
  • Sunsetting Classic features
  • Acquiring competitors (Slack, Tableau)

Market Dynamics

  • 50% of customers evaluating alternatives
  • Mid-market moving away from enterprise tools
  • Simplicity becoming key differentiator
  • TCO increasingly important

Last Updated: 2024 Q1
Win Rate vs. Salesforce: 42%
Most Common Win Scenario: Mid-market, speed/simplicity focused
Review Cycle: Quarterly