Marc Benioff Quotes & Sayings

There are a lot of politicians who are just obstructionists. — Marc Benioff

I'm amazed by the potential of more companies employing integrated philanthropic initiatives at earlier stages in their life cycle. What if this were done on an even more massive scale? Consider what would happen if a top-tier venture-capital firm required the companies in which it invested to place 1% of their equity into a foundation serving the communities in which they do business. — Marc Benioff

Presentation skills are key. People who work for you represent your brand. You want them to present themselves - and represent you - in a certain way. — Marc Benioff

90% of the world's data was created in the last two years — Marc Benioff

Our focus was directed at developing the best possible and easiest to use product, and this is where we invested our time. Realize that you won't be able to bring the same focus to everything in the beginning. There won't be enough people or enough hours in the day. So, focus on the 20 percent that makes 80 percent of the difference. — Marc Benioff

When I explain our company values and the foundation to prospective employees, they realize that they have an opportunity to do much more than change the way businesses manage and share information. When you take a workforce of smart, creative, dedicated people and say "take this company time to serve your community, and bring along your coworkers, customers, and partners" great things happen. — Marc Benioff

You must always be able to predict what's next and then have the flexibility to evolve. — Marc Benioff

In school all I wanted to do was build technology. That's what I loved. — Marc Benioff

In business, we say that people overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a decade. This is true in philanthropy as well. — Marc Benioff

I have failed a lot in my philanthropy, where I will make philanthropic contributions and they just won't be effective. — Marc Benioff

The only constant in the technology industry is change. — Marc Benioff

Nothing is going to make you happier in your life than giving — Marc Benioff

Social embedded business processes that solve concrete needs are key to enterprise social collaboration. — Marc Benioff

The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world. — Marc Benioff

One problem we discovered, for example, was that our "create a new account" button was in the wrong place ... By simply moving it to the left side, mirroring the way people read, we saw a huge improvement in the way people used the site. — Marc Benioff

You can do things in every part of the world. You can do things in every discipline. You can do large things, you can do small things. But it takes a while to figure out what you actually want to do. And it changes. As you change your interests and desires in philanthropy change, I think you have to be open to that change. — Marc Benioff

You need to get to the future, ahead of your customers, and be ready to greet them when they arrive. — Marc Benioff

The concept that I like the most, and the one that I've taken most to heart, is the belief that people can't be united or focused unless they share a common philosophy-a philosophy that gives their effort a greater meaning. — Marc Benioff

We believe in the art of war. We are trying to get our competition to attack us with angry, virulent energy, so we can transform that into larger market share. — Marc Benioff

The elites - or managers in companies - no longer control the conversation. This is how insurrections start. — Marc Benioff

Although I loved working on technology - I've always been a computer geek at heart - my professors encouraged me to get a real-world job working with customers. — Marc Benioff

The CMO is expected to spend more on technology than the CIO by 2017. — Marc Benioff

My approach to politics is that I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm an American and I always support candidates I think are great for the country. — Marc Benioff

Journalists immediately think of me as a resource for a quote or comment because they know that I will be available to offer fresh insight and meet their deadlines. — Marc Benioff

The world is being re-shaped by the convergence of social, mobile, cloud, big data, community and other powerful forces. The combination of these technologies unlocks an incredible opportunity to connect everything together in a new way and is dramatically transforming the way we live and work. — Marc Benioff

One idea alone is a tactic, but if it can be executed a number of different ways, it becomes a great strategy. — Marc Benioff

I've seen how important this concept is in business. To be truly successful, companies need to have a corporate mission that is bigger than making a profit. We try to follow that at salesforce, where we give 1% of our equity, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our employees' time to the community. By integrating philanthropy into our business model our employees feel that they do much more than just work at our company. By sharing a common and important mission, we are united and focused, and have found a secret weapon that ensures we always win. — Marc Benioff

If someone asks me what cloud computing is, I try not to get bogged down with definitions. I tell them that, simply put, cloud computing is a better way to run your business. — Marc Benioff

I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I started my own software company in high school and went to college to study entrepreneurship. — Marc Benioff

I also think that employees these days expect less of a separation of work and personal life. That doesn't mean that work tasks should encroach upon our personal time, but it does mean that employees today expect more from the companies for whom they work. Why shouldn't your workplace reflect your values? Why is "giving back" not a part of our jobs? The answer for us is to integrate philanthropy with work. — Marc Benioff

As we talk about devices, you should never forget that behind every one there is a person - a customer. Its not the Internet of Things, but the Internet of People - of customers. We are moving to one-to-one relationships. — Marc Benioff

Learning to code at a young age opened my eyes to the incredibly exciting world of technology and entrepreneurship. Our youth deserve the opportunity to learn the skills that will enable them to succeed in our connected world. — Marc Benioff

If there wasn't any competition, I'd be very worried, because it would mean we were not doing very well. — Marc Benioff

Philanthropy isn't just about big gifts; it's about participation. It is about the grace that comes from working together. — Marc Benioff

There is no finish line when it comes to system reliability and availability, and our efforts to improve performance never cease. — Marc Benioff

We strive always to have a beginner's mind. — Marc Benioff

I love software and I love technology. — Marc Benioff

Don't forget to do something for other people. — Marc Benioff

Most of all, I discovered that in order to succeed with a product you must truly get to know your customers and build something for them. — Marc Benioff

I think a critical part of being successful in our industry is having a beginner's mind — Marc Benioff

Learning how to interact with customers is something that anyone starting any business must master. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to learn the ropes at an established company and then employ your expertise at your own company. — Marc Benioff

The real joy in life comes from giving. It comes from service. It comes from doing things for other people. That is what is so powerful about this. Nothing will make you happier than giving. — Marc Benioff

You need to have a beginner's mind to create bold innovation. — Marc Benioff

Life grows relative to one's investment in it. — Marc Benioff

Philanthropy can be integrated into business. I believe strongly that companies can be incredible agents of good in the world. — Marc Benioff

The cloud services companies of all sizes; the cloud is for everyone. The cloud is a democracy. — Marc Benioff

I think the most surprising thing about giving is it takes a while to find out what you're really interested in and what you really want to do. — Marc Benioff

The future of communicating with customers rests in engaging with them through every possible channel: phone, e-mail, chat, Web, and social networks. Customers are discussing a company's products and brand in real time. Companies need to join the conversation. — Marc Benioff