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

7.12. Play #86: Handle Global Disputes with Diplomacy (aka Light and Love)

Salesforce.com always considered Japan a unique market, not a launch pad to the rest of Asia. In fact, our entry in the rest of Asia didn't start in Asia at all, but in Australia. Many U.S. companies use Australia as a gateway. The demographics are similar to those in the United States, the market is made up of early adopters, and the similar time zone and close proximity to Asia make it easy to do business with the rest of the region.

By the time San Francisco-based executive Doug Farber approached me with a business plan outlining a formal foray into Australia and then Asia, we had already won several Australian customers, including one of the country's leading telecom ...