Selling the Cloud : A Playbook for Success in Cloud Software and Enterprise Sales

by Mark Petruzzi, Paul Melchiorre

Mark Petruzzi, an innovator in enterprise and cloud software product and services sales, channel/alliances strategy, and M&A deal advisory, and Paul Melchiorre, a vanguard leader in enterprise software product sales, pioneered the innovative strategies that have made enterprise-level cloud software sales a holy grail of B2B selling. In Selling the Cloud, the pair share the key methods they developed, refined, and applied for the past twenty-five years to become enterprise cloud software sales leaders. These concepts are designed for enterprise cloud software sales leaders and reps, but they are a solid reference for anyone involved in any type of B2B sales. Mark and Paul both came from modest means, attended college as first-generation college graduates, and went on to forge unique paths in software sales leadership. Over 25 years later, the two have been on every side of enterprise software sales and have learned the fundamental principles that set top performers apart. In Selling the Cloud, Mark and Paul share practical lessons and key characteristics needed to succeed in the sales climate of passion, velocity, grit, empathy, authenticity, creativity, resilience, trust, strategic thinking, and technology leverage. Throughout the book you will hear not only from Mark and Paul, but also from well-known titans of software sales from companies like Salesforce, Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Zoom, SAP, and DocuSign. The book brims with strategies individuals and organizations can apply to boost sales performance, help customers succeed, and grow careers and businesses. The fusion of enterprise software service sales, product sales, and executive leadership expertise in this book delivers a unique distillation of proven strategies to thrive in not only software sales but in sales at large. Former #1 Amazon New Release in Sales and Sales Management.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2020

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Most people do not grow up dreaming that they will one day work in sales. In fact, ‘sales’ is a deterrent word for many,” write Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre in their new book, Selling the Cloud: A Playbook for Success in Cloud Software and Enterprise Sales. “People shy away from the career path because they correlate it with smarmy used car salesmen, impersonal spam emails, and unsolicited phone calls. But the sales stereotypes of yesterday are evolving. Rather than being associated with disingenuous tactics, sales is increasingly associated with drive, determination, and high emotional intelligence levels. Success in sales requires a certain level of natural inclination, resilience, and—perhaps most importantly—passion.” Then, they add: “Throughout this book, you will hear stories from (our) seasoned experience in sales and business. The lessons in these stories clearly impart the importance of passion and emotional intelligence in sales. Not only that, you will hear lessons from colleagues and friends they grew up with in cloud software sales. Those friends just happen to be some of the most successful and respected technology leaders on the planet, from companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Zoom, SAP, and DocuSign. A common thread you will see among them is their focus on doing what is right for the people they serve and maintaining the passion to continue innovating along the way. The powerful thing about passion is that it is contagious…The future demands salespeople who are resilient, passionate, and genuinely invested in serving their customers. The enterprise software sales organizations that will thrive in the future will not be bare-minimum organizations. They will be those who develop and nurture a genuine passion for serving their customers and offering an excellent solution—such as the organizations our sales titans, featured throughout this book, lead. So, how do you develop, embrace, and nurture a passion for sales?”

It’s through this kind of occasional fourth wall-breaking, plus informal, conversationalist tone that Petruzzi and Melchiorre break through the ice. They manage to engage an objectively wide reading base courtesy of their willingness to curb their house style, never resorting to being verbose or pedantic in place of remaining communicatively sound, cohesive, and compact. This is particularly pertinent to the introduction of the concept of titular ‘Cloud Software’, and all it can do for the digital consumer. “Cloud software sales is a wonderful way to live a great life and make a great living. Especially now, in our post-COVID-19 world. People embrace technology more readily than ever before, and stocks of successful cloud software companies like Salesforce, Workday and Adobe are trading for 11-18 times revenue. That’s revenue, not earnings,” Petruzzi and Melchiorre write, in a passage christened Keep the Spark Alive. “We were taught in business school that stocks should trade at 11-18 earnings, not revenue, but the ticker doesn’t lie. Opportunity for financial gains in this industry have never been higher…The importance of keeping the spark alive doesn’t stop with your relationship with your sales career. It also applies to keeping the fire burning in your relationships with prospects and colleagues. Sales gives us the wonderful gift of a network of lasting relationships. It also gives us the opportunity to help our customers and colleagues succeed.”

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for not only cloud centric salespeople, but anyone in sales. I particularly enjoyed the use of the "cloud titans" at the end of the chapters. Hearing stories from some of the most successful people in the industry is a fantastic add-in. This playbook is packed with tons of valuable content, hands down one of the best post-covid pocketbooks.

[Thailyia Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. As someone entering the b2b and Saas world, I have gained a lot of insight from not only the authors but also many industry leaders that are included in the book. Great read.

[Viacheslav Bessonov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say that this particular book gave a lot of insights but it's a good start for someone starting a sales career in the SaaS world.

[Henry Oberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selling the Cloud is packed with lots of valuable information. Petruzzi and Melchiorre have over 25 years of experience in the field. Take notes from this playbook and you'll learn a lot.

[Katherine Lowel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read--I enjoyed how this book was written post covid, it was raw and honest which I appreciated.

[Conner Chesson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a great base level understanding of tech sales. Straight forward and helpful.

[L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vague, unhelpful.