Microsoft Sharepoint’s popularity is no secret. Over 17,000 companies- including General Mills, Starbucks and Viacom- use the software. Even in today’s rough economy, sales for Sharepoint continues to exceed $1 billion dollars.
If you look at the reasons behind Sharepoint’s success, you can start to see a trend in what really drives sales. As a small business, such powerful influence isn’t easily available, but it’s still worthwhile to learn and implement similar tactics.
Here are a few strategies that seem to have worked well for Sharepoint:

• Numerous applications are bundled into one package – providing customers with a one-stop solution is a great way to boost appeal.
• Ease of use – you don’t have to be tech-savvy to use Sharepoint’s most basic features. This is a good example of why it’s important to keep it simple. You’re more likely to appeal to a wider audience that way.
• Offers users all the benefits of cloud-based services, without the security risks – more and more services are being offered online, but the security risk remains a point of concern. If you can reassure customers that your product is secure, you’re that much closer to closing a sale.
• Integration with Office and Outlook – take advantage of what your customers already use and integrate your products into that. It’s much easier than trying to start carte blanche.

This list is FAR from extensive, so please feel free to add any comments or tips.