Siemens PLM Software Deploys Salesforce Partners to Drive Channel Sales Success

SAN FRANCISCO - September 11, 2008 - Salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the market and technology leader in Software-as-a-Service (Saas) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), today announced that Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, is using Salesforce Partners to increase its channel partners' productivity and profitability with a custom branded partner sales portal. In addition to rolling out Salesforce Partners to more than 1,200 partner sales representatives, Siemens PLM Software also deployed Salesforce SFA for more than 1,000 internal sales staff, and now has a single, centralized global solution which helps it effectively manage both direct and indirect sales.

Siemens PLM Software is one of the 47,700 companies of all sizes, industries and geographies that comprised the salesforce.com customer base as of July 31, 2008. Revenue and subscribers will be recognized as the service is delivered.

"Making it easy for our partners to do business with us increases their productivity and profitability, supporting joint success," said Kerry Grimes, vice president, Mid-market and Global Channel Sales, Siemens PLM Software.  "It is our goal to provide our partners the same resources and support that we provide our own sales teams and with Salesforce, we were able to create a single global solution that provides both our direct and indirect sales representatives with quick and easy access to information."

Working with salesforce.com professional services, Siemens PLM Software deployed Salesforce SFA and Salesforce Partners to more than 2,000 users in 60 countries around the world in less than 100 days.  Salesforce Partners support for 15 languages and 27 currencies provides full localization support for most partner users.  The company used the Force.com Platform-as-a-Service to further customize its Salesforce solution for its particular business needs - adding functionality for managing channel contracts, plans and objectives, MDF training and certifications, and quoting.

The Siemens PLM Software partner sales portal allows partners to have access to valuable sales and marketing information.  Sales and marketing materials can be accessed directly from the opportunity or account record which improves account and opportunity collaboration and further supports deal registration.  They also developed custom import/export functionality for partners to work off-line with leads and opportunities when integrating with their own contact management or CRM systems.

Siemens PLM Software also leveraged the Force.com platform to integrate Salesforce with its existing applications, including their existing partner portal as well as the pricing and quoting tools, through a single sign on.  Now the company has a single view into every aspect of its global sales, regardless of channel, and can use this information to refine its business strategy and continually drive toward higher revenues and profitability. 

"The beauty of Salesforce is that we were able to get it up and running quickly, and focus on making it meet our business needs.  Now we have a consistent and effective way to collaborate with our partners and manage both our direct and indirect channel sales," added Grimes.