What would step number one be if you want to learn more about Salesforce.com?

Well, step number one would be to maybe consider getting the book:
Salesforce.com for Dummies. It describes the basics of Salesforce, such as Accounts, Contacts, etc how they interact and also gives a lot of details on how to customize Salesforce for your particular needs.

If you sign up for a test account on Salesforce.com here you can get the book for free in the mail!
Or, another option is to buy it off Amazon.com

Buy it/review it at Amazon