As someone who has never used Salesforce nor hubspot. What are the core features that has people using these services? Is it just the integration between all the different areas where customer data lives?
It’s like a lot of these big SaaS platforms that lock people in to big contracts. They promise the world with all sorts of features and integrations but most customers don’t use that and get locked into buying a very expensive solution to a very simple problem (in this case tracking sales pipelines).
Where customers do use the features and integrations it’s often a giant mess that needs a whole separate ecosystem of consultants and “partners” to get the thing working and maintaining it.
But mostly it's a mix of the integration network effects you mention, cost of reimplementation if you want to leave, and the good old "nobody gets fired for buying IBM" dynamic.
Integration and reconciliation between arbitrary data sources (from SFTP+CSV files to connecting to data warehouse like snowflakes, potentially through vpn tunnels).
Data querying for creating marketing campaign audiences or generating some reporting reporting.
Little development for landing pages, forms, or custom integrations.
Multiple channels (SMS, push, email) & message templating.
And many marketing stuff like AB testing/fatigue, etc
cmiles8 · · focus · HN ↗
Please VCs stop with the AI FOMO and find a few good startups to just go destroy Salesforce and give folks a simple inexpensive replacement.
sschueller · · focus · HN ↗
cmiles8 · · focus · HN ↗
Where customers do use the features and integrations it’s often a giant mess that needs a whole separate ecosystem of consultants and “partners” to get the thing working and maintaining it.
yfontana · · focus · HN ↗
Salesforce does a lot more than that
IneffablePigeon · · focus · HN ↗
But mostly it's a mix of the integration network effects you mention, cost of reimplementation if you want to leave, and the good old "nobody gets fired for buying IBM" dynamic.
kakwa_ · · focus · HN ↗
Data querying for creating marketing campaign audiences or generating some reporting reporting.
Little development for landing pages, forms, or custom integrations.
Multiple channels (SMS, push, email) & message templating.
And many marketing stuff like AB testing/fatigue, etc
dd8601fn · · focus · HN ↗
Those just, obviously, can’t do almost any of the forty million serious things that Salesforce does, and real businesses do need.
stefanfisk · · focus · HN ↗
bobsmooth · · focus · HN ↗
stefanfisk · · focus · HN ↗
bobsmooth · · focus · HN ↗