With Salesforce looking to add an additional 3.3M jobs to the Salesforce ecosystem by 2022, the demand for talent has never been higher. More & more bright college graduates are looking to enter the space, and everyone is wondering how to become a Salesforce expert overnight. This post looks to explore the essential Salesforce skills which are required to become a Salesforce power user & collates useful advice from current professionals who are already at the top of their game. As with anything, there are no shortcuts to achieving success with Salesforce – it often comes down to hard work, desire & a little bit of ingenuity. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most in-demand Salesforce skills which can help you on your journey.
Visualising Customer Problems
It all starts with the customer. No matter what your exact Salesforce role is, one of the most prominent habits of successful Salesforce users is being able to slip into the shoes of the customer – understanding their requirements in minute detail. Whether you are a Salesforce Administrator, Sales Representative or Salesforce Architect, the customer should always be put first. This is especially true for the roles which are responsible for building out new processes & workflows in Salesforce. Customers may not be directly involved during this construction phase, but every single Salesforce user who uses these new systems and processes may be doing so whilst serving customers. Therefore, one of the best Salesforce personality traits is being able to see potential solutions from the vantage point of others.
A Thirst For Knowledge
Potentially the most in-demand Salesforce skill is technical knowledge, organisations rely heavily on their Salesforce experts knowing the platform inside out. The best Salesforce experts need to know all the features of the platform, but importantly need to be able to tie those capabilities to the long term objectives of their organisation. All of this comes down to re-education and development, with continuous learning being one of the habits of successful Salesforce users. Salesforce is always changing, so users need to be honest with themselves and realise that they may not know everything – with this mindset it’s much easier to pencil time in for continued learning. You should also dedicate time to understanding the wider technologies that surround Salesforce and if you do learn something new, which could be hugely beneficial to your organisation, then the next step is always to share that information.
Master The Follow-Up Question
Undoubtedly one of the essential Salesforce skills displayed by Salesforce power users is the humble follow-up. Salesforce leaders are always walking a tightrope between adopting best practices in the Salesforce platform and ensuring the most business value is extracted from the end-user. When managing stakeholder requested changes, it’s vital to understand the exact nature of the request and to get all the necessary information needed before any implementation takes place. The most seasoned Salesforce power users are able to pre-empt problems which may arise, probe individuals for deeper levels of detail & challenge areas which they may fundamentally disagree with.
Becoming Influential When Liaising With People
Strong people skills are essential for Salesforce power users and required to keep the whole team on track and signing from the same hymn sheet. As an expert you are likely to hold in-depth conversations with people throughout all levels of the organisation, from C-Level executives through to IT departments and administrative users. When dealing with different sets of people it’s important to be able to adapt your style, be assertive & communicate effectively to keep the different types of stakeholders happy. Displaying high levels of empathy is one of the best personality traits Salesforce leaders can display, as it shows individuals that you are on their level & thinking about concerns relating to their roles. As you move higher-up the organisational chart, showcasing strong negotiating skills with senior figureheads is also critical – as these are likely to be the people who sign-off any major upgrades to the existing Salesforce infrastructure.
We hope you enjoyed our latest blog on the most in-demand Salesforce skills organisations are looking to see from their senior hires. If you’re pondering how to become a Salesforce expert or need some professional external expertise within your organisation, then feel free to get in touch with the team at Ortoo. We offer a full Salesforce consultancy service, just fill out the contact form on our Contact page and mention some of the brief details surrounding your project.
