When recruiting a Salesforce CRM consultant, it’s very tempting for project managers in organizations to equate this individual with the contractors they’ve hired to do other jobs, such as installing a new roof. After all, both the Salesforce consultant and the roofer require a very specific skill set to do their jobs well, take on a certain set of risks, and probably cost more than one might originally expect.
Salesforce consultants know the feeling all too well that their bids and proposals are reviewed as if they were simply quotes for a new roof. And it sounds fair on the surface, if you believe that Salesforce consulting equals a one-off home repair project.
If you’re in the shoes of an organization evaluating a consulting proposal for your Salesforce CRM and find yourself struggling with the question of how to evaluate consultants, consider the following points.
A roofer doesn’t need to know the details of what’s inside your home.
When a contractor installs a new roof, their primary objective is to choose the right roof, put together a great crew to put it in place, make sure it’s done well, and do it all for a fair price. They will not come inside and chat with you about what the interior of your house looks like, discuss your carpet choices, or offer alternatives to your kitchen layout.
Not so with your Salesforce CRM consultant. As a consultant who strives to fully understand your organization’s business processes and data structures, your Salesforce consultant will need to know everything about your database.A good Salesforce CRM consultant will ask prodding questions, and take the time to look under the covers of your database to better understand the foundation before making any changes to your system.
A Salesforce consultant knows better than to suddenly start changing the details of your system, or adding something in without carefully considering the implications, as doing so is asking for trouble down the road.
You only need one roof.
The roof of your house is a crucial piece of the construction and you can’t live without a roof, but you’ll only ever need one roof every 30 years. Your roof will not grow or change, and may even outlast the interior wall structures of your home. Not so with your Salesforce CRM.
Salesforce is a living system that is constantly changing. Not just because your business needs change, but because the platform evolves continuously. The consultant you hire will know how to work in this changing context, and will be able to provide you guidance and solutions that adapt to change.
It’s important to keep in mind scalability when customizing or changing a Salesforce CRM, and the risks associated with this change. A low quote on Salesforce consulting proposal, or a proposal with a path of action that leaves no room to adjust to your organization’s changing needs could mean that your consultant is not prepared to stand by you and your organization as you move into the future.
Do you want a LONG-TERM working relationship with your roofer?
How many times have you talked to your roofer after they finished the job? Assuming they did the job right, chances are you’ve never spoken to them again. When you evaluate a Salesforce CRM consultant you might think that all you need is to get this one project done and then send the consultant on their way. If your organization has sufficient in-house Salesforce expertise, then that would make sense. After all, it would be just as if you knew that you could go up on the roof occasionally and replace a couple of shingles here and there if needed.
Many other organizations, however, find that even after a consulting project has ended, their team wants to do more, or wants to adopt new features or apps. If they’ve approached their relationship with their Salesforce consultant as a one-off contractor job, then they may find that they need to spend additional resources once again looking for consulting services when the time comes.
That’s where a long-term, trusting relationship with your Salesforce CRM consultant can save you time and money as your organization evolves. A consultant who is already familiar with your system can much more quickly evaluate any changes, or tell you if the new app or feature you are considering will fit with the rest of your database.
Would you like to learn more?
Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can help you and your team get the most out of Salesforce to grow your impact.
DaizyLogik 