Social Networks are places where people congregate; making them great sources of Market Research and Revenue. As a result, Social networks are looking for new revenue streams. The latest revenue channel for them is E-commerce.

Facebook is partnering with Shopify to launch Facebook shops. The social network is the latest to get in on the E-Commerce business.

Last year at SMX East, Google and YouTube shared how they are allowing people to shop online for products. Google also shared people’s buying behavior. I have included parts of the article below.

In Google’s Keynote, I learned how businesses can get an edge during the holidays. I also learned of Google’s plan to use Google Images and YouTube for E-Commerce. Google is also allowing businesses to use location-based Ads in Google Maps.

The key insights of the presentation were:

1. According to Google most shopping visits start online.

2. When diners search for a great place to eat the searches are probably happening on a smartphone.

3. When people are online in cars, more than half of them are searching for information on a mobile device making localization and targeting important.

4. 2/3’s of shoppers say that online video has given them insight and inspiration to make purchases.

5. Shoppers use at least 3 channels or more when shopping.

6. Brands need to provide an omnichannel channel experience all year, especially during the holidays.

7. Sales are happening online and offline. As a result of this shift, Brands need to serve customers on the channels of their choice.

Would you shop on a Social Network? Share your thoughts.

Salesforce Launches Agentforce Operations to End Back-Office Bottlenecks

I covered Salesforce Agentforce in New York this past month. This event was organized to showcase Salesforce’s Agentforce. Agentforce is DIY AI in action. Agentforce is a customer service agent built by Salesforce customers and integrated across industries and across the customer journey.

In the keynote, Patrick Stokes, President and CMO, Salesforce, announced the launch of Agentforce Operations.

Agentforce Operations uses AI to turn manual and outdated back-office processes into clear tasks so that Agents can do the work instead of humans. Agentforce Operations can automate tasks such as process coordination, data verification, ensuring compliance, obtaining approvals, and more.

Using Agentforce Operations pays big dividends with cycle times reduced by 50 to 70 percent, improved accuracy, and manual data entry cut by 80 percent. This leads to better outcomes and experiences. With Agentforce Operations, Agents complete work beyond organizing tasks for completion. 

Salesforce also announced the creation of a Slack workspace and Slackbot, which is being offered free to every new Salesforce customer. Sales and Service Teams can use AI and Apps across their tech stack, moving from Slack to Microsoft Teams, Gmail, and more, to increase their productivity. Slackbots can turn customer conversations into records, capturing updates and keeping data current. 

I saw demos for use cases across industry verticals and the customer journey in Sales, Service, and Marketing functions with Canada Goose, Engine, and Dell.

Leah McGowen-Hare, SVP at ‪Salesforce‬ , Demos How Canada Goose is an Agentic Retailer using Salesforce and Data 360

Rob Seaman, SVP & GM ‪Slack‬ shows how Engine became an Agentic Travel Company using ‪Salesforce‬

MaryAnn Patel SVP, at ‪@salesforce‬ , shares how Dell is an Agentic Enterprise W/Agentforce Operations

There were panel discussions, and leaders discussed Agentforce Operations. Panelists also shared how they would like Agentforce and DIY AI to evolve to improve productivity and outcomes.

Hayley Advokat, MPS, Head of AI Product & Executive Communications at Salesforce, led the Agentforce Operations Deep Dive with Sanjna Parulekar, SVP of Product Marketing at Salesforce.

Maha Neouchy, Director of Communications at Salesforce, moderated the panel discussion with Muddu Sudhakar, SVP and GM of Salesforce IT Service and HR Service, and CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, who discussed how Salesforce is transforming front-office operations in HR and IT, improving the employee experience with Slack and Teams.

I built AI Agents with Agentforce, Vibes, and Claude Code, using them to start building Sales and Marketing analytics and strategy. 

Agentforce Tour was a great event. I learned a lot about AI Agents, DIY AI, and how it can transform the worker and customer experience.

If you want to be on the cutting edge of DIY AI, attend Agentforce in your city.

Have you used Agentforce?

Share your experience in the comments.

Additional pictures can be found on Instagram.

What You Don’t Think about when you Start in Outside Sales-Sales Logistics

Before you start selling, you need to do sales planning. This includes market research, understanding territory geography, and product knowledge and objection handling through sales training.

Here is what you don’t think of. 

How long will your sales process take? 

How long will each sales call last? 

How long does it take to go from one appointment to another? Mapping can help, but you won’t know until you do it regularly. Knowing how often to call on prospects and customers to be top of mind, without irritating them, because everyone is different. 

How cold calls on prospects will go. 

Cold calls are a great way to hone your objection-handling skills and gain new business.

The emotional roller coaster of the highs of making the sale, mixed with the depths of being rejected. 

The uncertainty of how much you will earn for your efforts. 

If you are truly cut out for a career in Sales. 

That you are not alone, even though you are in the field by yourself. 

Where to find a bathroom you can use in relation to your location. 

Dealing with the weather.

Sales can teach you a lot about business and enable you to earn a great living, but it is not for everyone. Everyone should try sales at least once in their career. 

What surprised you when you started in Outside Sales?

Share your thoughts in the comments.