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

7.13. Play #87: Edit an Overarching Outlook

It was not long before we exploded in Australia. The Australians appreciate a spirit of irreverence, and customers liked the disruptive model we were selling—and the audacious way we were doing it. The free trial, the messaging we had already honed, and the tactics we had previously perfected all worked beautifully in Australia.

It was time to extend into Asia. The region provided an exciting opportunity. More than half of the world's population is there, and the area holds vast promise for growth. At the same time, this region—with its diverse markets, distinct political systems, and myriad cultural barriers—presented giant challenges. As companies before us had found, these markets were diabolically ...