A new book, The Prince of Silicon Valley, chronicles the dealmaking of the IPO king of the 1990s: Frank Quattrone. He made a fortune as he helped more than 100 tech companies go public, which included marquee names like Cisco (CSCO), Netscape and Amazon.com (AMZN).

But those days seem quaint. In fact, the tech IPO market has been a backwater for the past decade, even though there have been some big deals -- like the offerings of Google (GOOG) and Salesforce.com (CRM).

It's usually expensive to get a customer. So why not find ways to get more business from your existing base? It's certainly an effective way of building revenues. Hey, just look at the millions of customers that keep returning to businesses like Starbucks (SBUX) and McDondalds (MCD).

So how can you encourage repeat business? It takes hard work and patience. But here are some tips:

Trusted Source: I talked to someone recently who said that she has used the same travel agent for over 30 years. I said, "What about using Expedia or some other online site for your travel?"

From his apartment in 1999, Marc Benioff started a new-fangled software company, Salesforce.com (CRM). While there have been some missteps along the way, the company is a model of success. Today, Salesforce.com generates more than $1 billion in sales, is profitable and has a market cap of $9 billion.

How did Marc do it? Well, now we have a chance to find out. That is, he has written an excellent book about his experiences and strategies, called Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company -- and Revolutionized an Industry.

At this pace, the major 'hurdle' Salesforce.com (CRM) is going to face will be difficult, quarterly sales comparisons, commonly known in Wall Street circles as 'difficult comps,' but that's a good thing, which is why I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on June 18, 2009, at a price of $40.16. If you bought CRM in June, you're up an impressive 64%.

CRM's 2010 revenue should increase 20-25%. Is the recent gain in Salesforce.com's shares telegraphing something about the U.S. economic recovery? Indeed it is. Put CRM's share gain in this context: if the share gain holds, it's not a bearish sign for the U.S. economy.

It's usually tough finding the right gift for an entrepreneur. Hey, the best thing would probably be a loan or some customers, right?

OK, being realistic, there are some gifts to consider. Let's take a look:

The Cloud: It's all the rage right now -- that is, on-demand software services. The good news is that much of it is affordable. Take a look at Salesforce.com (CRM). The company has a small business edition of its customer relationship management (CRM) offering that comes to only $50 per year.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (ANN) declining same-store sales offset better-than-expected Q3 earnings.
• Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) reached a new 52-week high after Q3 results handily exceeded expectations.
• Dillard's Inc. (DDS) said that it swung to a Q3 profit due to cost cutting as revenue declined year over year.
• GameStop Corp. (GME) reported uninspiring Q3 numbers that included a slump in same-store sales.
• Home Depot Inc. (HD) lower Q3 earnings and revenue beat analysts' estimates, but shares still declined.

U.S. stock futures declined Thursday morning, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street as investors started weighing the possibility that stocks have run up too far and too fast ahead of the economy -- the economic recovery may not be as robust. The retail sector is in focus with several retailers reporting earnings. The tech sector could also experience pressure.

On Wednesday, stocks ended lower with technology shares leading the decline, and the Nasdaq composite down nearly half a percent. Results from Salesforce.com (CRM) and Autodesk (ADSK) weighed on the sector as Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Microsoft (MSFT) were among the leading decliners in the Dow.

In tech circles, you will hear lots about "cloud computing." Essentially, this means that software applications are operated through Internet connections -- and processed in huge data centers. Often, the results include lower costs and easier maintenance.

Of course, the dominant player in cloud computing is Salesforce.com (CRM). And based on its latest quarterly report, the company continues to grow and innovate.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says taking down all of software on the back of this outlook is a mistake.

And on the fifth down day, we decided that SAP's (NYSE: SAP) (Cramer's Take) butt getting kicked means the industry is faltering? This is the thought that went through my head when I saw SAP's disappointing news and its alibi that business is weak. That's why it stumbled. Of course, SAP's comments immediately took all of Europe down. Nobody said, "Hey, maybe it is SAP's fault because Oracle's (NASDAQ: ORCL) (Cramer's Take) kicking their butt." No one said, "Sure it is weak, because in the end Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) (Cramer's Take) got a better mousetrap."

There are stock plays, and then there are stock plays. Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) was expected to advance when first recommended on June 18, 2009 at a price of $40.16. Instead, CRM raced ahead, surging 47%. Accordingly, I'm Reiterating my Buy rating, but on a pull-back to $55-57.

The larger point concerns the following: is the recent gain in Salesforce.com's shares telegraphing something about the approaching U.S. economic recovery? Perhaps. Put CRM's share gain in this context: if the share gain holds, it's not a bearish sign for the U.S. economy.

"Run properly, as Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) does, a cloud computing network also offers greater security, greater reliability, and lower costs (thanks to efficiencies of scale)," explains Timothy Lutts.

In The Cabot Stock of the Month report, he suggests, "Salesforce.com is very well managed, and in our mind its leadership in cloud computing gives it a fundamental advantage that should translate into growing market share gains and steady revenue flows for years to come."

"The company was founded a decade ago by a former Oracle executive, and today it's a leading vendor of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the action that is linked to the futures markets, such as oil, is distorting rational analysis.

Maybe one day we can escape the commodity linkage and begin to trade on the fundamentals again, something that seems more distant now than any time I can recall. We are totally marching to gold, to oil, to copper, and not the fundamentals.

Throughout the era in which China has become a superpower and hedge funds have become the super arbiters or what goes up or down, we have been stuck with this fairly bogus linkage that corrupts trading and makes a mockery out of some of the most important financial analysis out there, the actual attempts to discover what's really happening at companies.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the rally hasn't been a sham, but a bigger pullback would be reasonable.

I love it! Suddenly it's S&P 900 or bust! Nothing underneath us. The rally revealed as a sham. Even better, a rally in a bear market!

Now we are talking.

A 45% rally in a bear market. Maybe China had an 85% rally in a bear market! We may have had a 7,500-point rally in a bear market since I started trading 30 years ago.

I am even thinking that we have never had a bull market!

"The term cloud computing is nothing particularly new or complicated; it simply means that instead of having software on your home, office or notebook computer, you run applications over the Internet," explains Gregg Early.

In Personal Finance says, "It's the way of the future as computing becomes increasingly mobile." Here, he looks at a trio of plays on this trend: Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), and Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX).

"I would point out that I'm writing this article on Google Docs. This document is stored on a Google server farm, not on my office computer.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) strong Q2 results beat expectations due to rising same-store sales.
• Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) Q3 earnings topped low expectations and revenue declined.
• Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) posted better-than-expected Q3 results but shares fell on weaker margins.
• Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) CEO said its new advertising efforts will boost sales over the long run.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) had a better-than-expected Q2 profit but same-store sales fell.
• BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (NYSE: BJ) reported solid Q2 numbers and raised its full-year guidance.