Salesoft Case Report

SaleSoft, Inc. (A)

Harvard Business School Short Case Report

What is your plan? Do you plan to continue with PROCEED or will you introduce the TH product? Provide support for your plan.

A comprehensive look at the company’s capabilities and customer demand is required of this company if SaleSoft is to thrive. This look would most likely result in the realization that the Trojan Horse (TH) product would match their current company resources and customer requirements. I would develop and introduce the TH product to capitalize on PROCEED as a long term venture. The PROCEED system is very comprehensive but is not fully developed and the potential is not yet internalized by the clients therefore the demand is not being realized. Currently the company does not have enough revenue to devote the tremendous sales and marketing effort required to establish PROCEED. By providing TH to the customers, they would see the usefulness of the system and be able to provide their own ample justification to embark on the comprehensive approach. TH could be an excellent teaser to the full product.

A tremendous expense and effort is also being expended on PROCEED’s 2-3 year sales cycle which is an incredible burden on SaleSoft. By reducing this cycle time tremendously, it not only allows for more immediate revenue influx, but can help fuel the development of its comprehensive product. The PROCEED product is a great opportunity; it isn’t providing sufficient revenue currently. With such long cycle times, there should be concern that a larger company with more resources can quickly make the product obsolete before the product is highly profitable. TH provides the company an opportunity to become more profitable while keeping their long range PROCEED product in the production pipeline. TH would accomplish the goal of developing a portion of the PROCEED product not yet developed as well as having stable income.

The TH product is in demand now and they can sell to a willing customer...