Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company—and Revolutionized an Industry

4.6. Play #42: Don't Dis Your First Product with a Discount

Many of our sales reps who came from the enterprise software industry were accustomed to offering a discount. The discount had become their closing strategy when they had to make their targets. I didn't think we needed that motivator, and I believed that our service was fairly priced. Discounts, I thought, were tied to perceived risk. Offering deals would compromise the service's value.

Most important, by keeping the price the same for everyone, we kept the costs low for everyone. It was the most democratic way. Unlike the rest of the industry, we charged the same per seat, whether someone wanted two licenses or two hundred. Why should someone pay less just because his or her company ...