Here are the trends and takeaways from Salesforce’s annual sales conference. February 21, 2020 5 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Dreamforce is an annual Salesforce conference with keynotes on the latest trends and developments in marketing, communications, technology, and — of course— customer relationship management (CRM).  The latest conference saw over 171,000 attendees from 120+ countries. Keynote talks included topics from AI and 5G to the value of improv skills in the workplace. As an annual attendee, I think there’s a lot that happened this year worth noting. Related: What Is a Sales Funnel? The…

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Most business owners love what they do. Unfortunately, much of the world doesn’t necessarily care, as reflected in the high failure rate among startups. Unless entrepreneurs convince people that what they’re selling is absolutely special, consumers will simply choose alternatives that are more widely available. Entrepreneurs, therefore, must reiterate their company’s value proposition, i.e. a feature or attribute that makes a product or service appealing to customers. Secondly, people’s attention spans have become extremely monetizable, especially online. More than half of business professionals said a great story captures their focus and keeps…

Despite the slump in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have continued to invest in India. Since the time the finance ministry took a number of measures to provide an impetus to the economy’s growth rate, they have engaged in spirited buying. But retail investors need to bear in mind that a strategy that works for FPIs may not be suitable for them. Reforms such as the Goods & Services Tax (GST), Bankruptcy Code, Digital India, Start-up India, Make in India, skill development, affordable housing, and steps like a timely boost…

Investors pumped Rs 1.2 trillion into various mutual fund schemes in January, after pulling out a massive Rs 62,000 crore in the preceding month, primarily on account of infusion in liquid and overnight schemes. Mutual fund inflows will gather further momentum in the coming months, Union Asset Management Company CEO G Pradeepkumar said. According to data by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), net inflow of Rs 1.2 trillion was witnessed in mutual fund schemes last month as compared to an outflow of Rs 61,810 crore in December. …

One of the major changes proposed by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her second Union Budget relates to the taxation of dividends. The Budget has proposed to abolish the Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT), and moving to the classical system of taxing dividend in the hands of individuals. Current situation: Currently, a domestic company is required to pay DDT at the rate of 15 per cent (plus applicable surcharge and health and education cess) on the dividends. Further, dividend income from a domestic company is tax-free up to Rs 10 lakh. Dividend in excess of Rs 10…

Turnover of S&P BSE Sensex futures and options touched a record high of Rs 7,591 crore on Tuesday, according to a release. The previous high of Rs 5,251 crore was recorded on February 20. “The implementation of interoperability clubbed with active participation from the members have led to increase in equity derivatives turnover on BSE. We thank all the members and look forward to constantly receiving their support,” BSE Chief Business Officer Sameer Patil was quoted as saying in the release. PFC, IGIAT sign agreement to provide financial assistance…

The initial public offer (IPO) of SBI Cards & Payments Services, India’s second largest credit card issuer, will open on March 2. The price band, according to reports, of the offer has been set at Rs 750-755 per equity share. The offer comprises a fresh issue worth Rs 500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 130,526,798 equity shares. The bid lot for the offer has been finalised to be 19 equity shares and in multiples of 19 equity shares thereafter. Here’re the details and offer break-up you need to know: …

Buy Marico Limited Last Close: Rs 305.95 Initiation range: Rs 303-306 Target: Rs 325 Stop loss: Rs 296 MARICO has been witnessing correction for the last five months and is currently hovering around the support zone of the long-term moving average of 200 EMA on the weekly chart. Indications are in the favor of marginal consolidation followed by steady rebound ahead. We advise accumulating fresh longs as per the given levels. Buy Ujjivan Financial Services Limited Last Close: Rs 374.90 Initiation range: Rs 368-372 Target: Rs…