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Choosing a Salesforce Consulting Partner: A Step-By-Step Guide

Approximately 1/3 of CRM projects fail. This isn’t due to the platform itself, or even the people using it. Instead, it’s a lack of implementation and proper change management.

That’s where a Salesforce consulting partner comes in. When you choose the right Salesforce consulting services, you have a built-in expert to configure the platform for your needs, answer your questions, and troubleshoot issues that arise.

That’s why we’ve assembled a step-by-step guide to choosing a Salesforce consulting partner. You’ll be able to save time, money, and resources—and ensure that you’re getting max benefits from your CRM platform.

Do Your Research

There are countless Salesforce consultants out there. If you ask your Salesforce account executive, they will likely be able to make a solid recommendation.

Hopefully, these recommendations will be unbiased. It’s important to do your own homework, though. No matter how knowledgeable your Salesforce account executive is, no one knows your organization’s needs as you do.

You also might not have the time or energy to sit through multiple matchmaking sessions to try to find the right partner. If you do your own research first, you’ll be less overwhelmed and confused when it’s time to chat with potential consultants.

When doing your research, there are a few primary factors that you should look out for. Start by assessing what you actually want to do with Salesforce.

As a full-stack platform, there are so many different facets of Salesforce. Some features may be bread and butter for your organization. Others will go untouched.

That’s why it’s important to develop a statement that covers your needs for the platform. Different consultants will have different specialties, and it’s important that those two things match up. Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud … which suits your needs?

What Credentials Do They Have?

There’s no need for your organization to be a new consultant’s guinea pig. If you want to get the most value for your dollars, look for an experienced consultant that has credentials and testimonials to support their work.

Start by investigating what companies they have partnered with. Many Salesforce consultant partners have a page on their site where they display logos of companies they’ve worked with. It’s like a trophy wall.

Consultants are proud of achieving fantastic results for the company they partner with. If a Salesforce consulting partner has paired up with brand names that you know and love, that’s always a good sign.

It’s also important to check out testimonials. Using Salesforce has a massive impact on your business results, whether good or bad. That’s the kind of thing that people tend to chat about online.

Do your homework and see what testimonials are available from real companies that have partnered with this consultant partner. Some brands will display testimonials on the website.

Google reviews, LinkedIn chatter, AppExchange reviews, and other third-party marketplace testimonials are the place to look for hot gossip involving Salesforce Consulting services.

Check Their Credentials

Of course, word-of-mouth isn’t everything. It’s like conducting a job interview for an employee. Glowing references from past managers are great, and these testimonials bode well for the future. But it’s also important to consider what educational experience they have.

Salesforce offers different statuses for accredited partners. These statuses are based on a Partner Value Score, which is often abbreviated as PVS. These statuses are:

Global Strategic
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Registered

When seeking a Salesforce consulting partner, it’s crucial to focus on ones that are certified. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and grief that way.

What Does Their Team Look Like?

Salesforce consulting firms work with lots of different clients. This provides them with a broad range of strengths and experiences. However, it’s important to ensure that you’ll receive tailored, one-on-one service that’s created for your business.

With that in mind, does your potential consulting partner have the team structure to support you? A complex, holistic CRM like Salesforce requires a mix of team members.

You’ll need people to complete admin tasks and perform quality assurance. You’ll also need business analysts and consultants. All of these facets should be present on your consulting team.

Think of your Salesforce consulting partner as 24/7 customer service. Will they be available 24/7? If your core team isn’t around (due to vacations, weekends, or time zone differences), who will be around to support you? Who will troubleshoot issues during off hours?

It’s important to have a solid team at your side. Otherwise, there’s no point in hiring a Salesforce consulting partner in the first place.

Check Their Work

It’s also a good idea to ask your new potential team to show their work. Even if they seem like a great team, your new potential partner should have the data to prove themselves.

Most successful Salesforce partners have case studies to back up their successful implementations. By assessing their case studies and past implementations, you’ll be able to get a sense of their technical expertise.

It’s also important to consider Salesforce consulting rates. Everyone wants to save money. This means that you may be tempted by a low quote or one that seems too good to be true. Remember the old adage: if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

A firm is charging for its expertise and past successes in the industry. You’re paying for quality. If their Salesforce consulting rates are too low or too high, then listen to your gut.

Understand that the total cost of ownership, the specific type of implementation, and data migration costs will all factor into the end price. Make sure to do your homework to get the most value out of your dollars.