Salesforce-Maps-Accredited-Professional resources - Salesforce Maps Accredited Professional Updated: 2024

In today’s business world, using a top CRM software is no longer optional; it’s critical for success. A good customer relationship management (CRM) software will help you expedite your business growth by streamlining your workflows, boosting sales and improving customer engagement.

However, given the plethora of options available, choosing the right tool can be hard. In this article, we will dive into a detailed comparison of two popular CRM platforms, which we’ve covered extensively in our Salesforce CRM review and monday Sales CRM review. This guide offers helpful insights so you can make an informed choice that best suits your business needs.

Co-founder and CTO Parker Harris wanted to shun consultants 20 years ago. Now he tells them they are essential to Salesforce's growth strategy and delivering successful customer engagements

Soon after founding Salesforce, CTO Parker Harris forcefully argued to CEO Marc Benioff that the new company should avoid building a channel.

"Marc, whatever you do, we do not want consultants," Harris said he told his co-founder twenty years ago.

Harris wanted the innovative cloud-based CRM to be a no-code platform, and systems integrators and consultants would ruin that vision, "because people are going to write code."

Thankfully, Benioff rejected his bad advice, Salesforce's CTO told thousands of ecosystem partners attending a keynote Tuesday at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.

[Related: Salesforce Dreamforce Keynote: AI, Integration, Alicia Keys And Protestors]

"We need you," Harris told those consultants he once hoped to shun.

Harris now sees partners who "speak the language of the customer" as vital to the company's strategy of extending into industry verticals. And Salesforce especially needs SIs as it leverages its MuleSoft platform to bring in data from Oracle and SAP ERPs, enabling implementation of a "single source of truth" concept presented through the Customer Truth 360 tooling unveiled earlier that day.

As the CRM leader chases Benioff's ambitious goal to double the business over the next few years, recruiting new partners, enabling existing ones to scale, and encouraging startups to form is a larger priority than ever before. The company has previously said it's aiming to build a channel of 250,000 services partners.

To that end, Salesforce channel leaders outlined specific initiatives Tuesday around enhanced advisory services, a new Architect Certification Program, expanded partner learning, and new resources to help customers identify implementation partners best-suited to their aims.

Tyler Prince, Salesforce's executive vice president of industries, innovation and partners, told representatives of the consultancies, digital agencies and ISVs attending the partner keynote that Salesforce is focused on helping them meet the increasing demands of customers in an era of rapid disruption.

"Salesforce is a different kind of company. I hope we're a different kind of partner to you as well," Prince said.

The opportunity for Salesforce's channel is massive, Prince noted, citing an IDC report that predicts by 2024 the Salesforce ecosystem will generate six times more revenue than Salesforce itself.

"Most of that is represented by solutions and services you provide," Prince told partners.

Kai Hsiung, chief growth officer at Silverline, was one of those in attendance, as he's been for every Dreamforce partner keynote.

To eventually enable the 250,000 partners needed to support Benioff's $28 billion revenue target, "the partner program will have to grow and adjust based on the different partner types out there," Hsiung told CRN.

Salesforce is making a valiant effort to that, Hsiung said.

"The next step is to figure out how to rightsize the enablement based on partner size, industry focus, product focus, geographic focus," Hsiung said. And "they are very much in tune with the feedback partners like Silverline are providing them."

That's why this year Salesforce has introduced so many new partner programs and initiatives, while also ending programs that became less relevant, he added.

Lori Steele, Salesforce's executive vice president for global customer success and professional services, earned a round of applause when telling the keynote's attendees: "our purpose as an organization is not to compete with the partner ecosystem, but to work together, to collaborate and bring the best of Salesforce to our customers."

Currently, half of Salesforce professional services are delivered through partners. "That's good, but it's not good enough," Steele said.

Customers are "really looking for us to come together with shared goals, shared measures," she said.

To deliver more value through its channel, Salesforce is implementing a new engagement model through which Salesforce's advisory services arm looks to collaborate closer with the channel. Salesforce will bring partners into engagements at critical junctures in the customer lifecycle and work closely with them to ensure challenging integration projects are successful, Steele said.

Salesforce wants to leverage the capabilities of partners and complement their skills, while "doing the right thing for customers at the right time," she told Dreamforce attendees.

Enablement is another important component of that vision, she said, and the company is doing "brilliant things with Trailhead."

That Salesforce learning platform isn't just about training, but also bringing best practices to partners and offering them opportunities to shadow Salesforce engineers in the field.

Randy Davis, a partner at Chicago-based Salesforce consultancy Sikich, said Salesforce execs delivered "an inspiring message to the whole partner community" at the keynote.

That message is reflected in an increased investment in partner programs, Davis told CRN.

"As they grow, they need to rely on partners more," Davis said. "It's extremely important partners are enabled with the right training and resources to make customers successful."

Earlier this year, Salesforce launched Trailhead for Partners, a learning system aiming to help consultants develop the talent they need to fuel their growth. Building upon that, a Partner Learning Camp was introduced at this year's Dreamforce, powered by the customized myTrailhead platform.

Prince also suggested to partners they familiarize themselves with innovations on the AppExchange marketplace.

"At a rapid rate, customers are going on the AppExchange not only to find cool apps, but to find a consultant," Prince said. "Use this to your advantage."

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise offers a more powerful accounting alternative to the popular QuickBooks Online. It’s stuffed with accounting features that bigger businesses need ― along with the support and education materials to help your business take advantage of your new software. Plus, businesses like contractors, manufacturers and wholesale retailers can get an extra boost with QuickBooks’s industry-tailored editions.

Still, QuickBooks isn’t as powerful as other enterprise accounting tools, so large businesses may prefer a more scalable alternative instead.

Jump to:

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise’s pricing

Intuit offers three QuickBooks Enterprise plans: Gold, Platinum and Diamond. So while the software starts at a little under $2,000 per year, your Quickbooks Desktop Enterprise cost will depend on how many features you need. Some features, like cloud access and payment processing, have extra fees above your plan cost.

Fortunately, QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial, so you can test out all the features for yourself. Plus, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Gold

For the cheapest QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise pricing, you’ll want the Gold plan. It starts at $1,830 per year, with annual billing only. (That may seem a little steep if you’re used to accounting software for small business, but it’s perfectly normal for enterprise software.)

You can have up to 30 users on your Gold plan, and you’ll get core QuickBooks features like built-in payroll and reporting. Even on this lowest-tier plan, you can use QuickBooks Enterprise Desktop to manage multiple companies.

Platinum

The next tier up, Platinum, starts at $2,250 per year. Like the Gold plan, the QuickBooks Enterprise Platinum plan lets you add up to 30 users, and it gives you payroll and reporting.

Of course, Platinum gives you extra features too ― like automation through advanced inventory and advanced pricing. You also get workflow approvals for bills and purchase orders

$2,250 per year. Not all businesses will need these features, but manufacturing, retail and wholesale businesses will likely find them worth the extra cost over Gold.

Diamond

For the most QuickBooks Enterprise features, you can pick the Diamond plan. This one starts at $4,400 per year, but unlike the other plans, it has monthly (rather than annual) billing.

This plan gives you extra automation features through assisted payroll. It also gives you the option to add time tracking and the Salesforce CRM Connector ― but keep in mind that these features have extra per-employee fees. So while this plan does offer the most features, it may be too pricey for most businesses.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise’s key features

Accounting tools

As you might expect, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise has a very comprehensive set of accounting features. So comprehensive, in fact, that it includes all the features we look for as we evaluate accounting software.

For instance, QuickBooks includes built-in payroll, so you won’t have to mess around with integrating with a different payroll software. It has a thorough set of ready-to-go reports, along with the ability to create new reports.

You’ll also find tools for receipt scanning, mileage tracking and payment acceptance ― not to mention tools for taxes, inventory and forecasting.

Plus, QuickBooks Desktop integrates with over 200 third-party apps, so you can add extra accounting functionality that way too.

Now, QuickBooks’s tools may not always be the most advanced. It offers some accounting automation, for example, but other software like NetSuite has far more powerful automation. Even so, the sheer breadth of features QuickBooks offers makes it a competitive enterprise accounting software.

Industry-specific solutions

Along with everyday accounting tools, QuickBooks Enterprise Desktop offers industry-specific  editions with extra features. Accountants, contractors, manufacturers, non-profits, professional services and retail and wholesale businesses can all enjoy an industry-tailored QuickBooks experience.

Take the accountant edition. Along with the normal accounting tools, it offers accountant-specific features like version control and batch transactions — making it a great accounting software for multiple businesses. Or consider the wholesale edition, which lets you calculate landed cost, offers multi-location inventory and includes extra reports like open sales orders.

Likewise, a non-profit can save time by using nine tailored reports ― like contribution summaries ― instead of setting those up manually. And the professional services edition lets you analyze profitability by customer, geography and other factors, helping you make informed business decisions. It also eliminates the need for other software by allowing you to track customer prepayments and create customizable proposals.

These extra features elevate QuickBooks above one-size-fits-all accounting software. So if you happen to work in one of the supported industries, a specific edition of QuickBooks Desktop could save you time and fit seamlessly into your workflow.

Learning and support

Like any enterprise software, QuickBooks Desktop can feel overwhelming at first. But unlike full-fledged ERPs like NetSuite, QuickBooks still focuses on accessibility and ease of use ― which becomes apparent when you look at its extensive knowledge and support features.

For starters, all Enterprise plans come with QuickBooks Priority Circle. This premium customer support plan gives you 24/7 phone and chat help. It also includes perks like call-backs (to save you time) and screen sharing (to save you frustration), making it better than run-of-the-mill accounting support.

QuickBooks Priority Circle also gives you access to training courses and webinars, so you can learn best practices for QuickBooks Enterprise and accounting as a whole.

Throw in in-depth guides and demos, and you and your team should have no problem learning the ins and outs of QuickBooks. That makes QuickBooks Enterprise an accounting product you can actually use from the get-go ― which can make it more appealing than more complex options.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise pros

• 24/7 Priority Circle customer support with all Enterprise plans.
• 30-day free trial along with 60-day money-back guarantee.
• Over 200 app integrations.
• Full-featured accounting with multi-currency support, receipt scanning and more.
• Free accountant access on all plans.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise cons

• Concerns over ongoing product support.
• Far fewer automation tools than cloud accounting software.
• Longer setup process than QuickBooks Online.
• Poor reviews for mobile app.

If QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise isn’t ideal for you, check out these alternatives

Sage

While QuickBooks Desktop is fairly user-friendly, it’s hard to beat the ease of using Sage Intacct. This enterprise accounting software features an AI-powered general ledger, which means you can get more work done with much less effort. Likewise, Sage Intacct has much more powerful automation tools than QuickBooks Desktop, so you can spend less time on repetitive tasks.

In other words, if you want to save time on day-to-day accounting, Sage Intacct offers more value than QuickBooks Desktop.

NetSuite

Oracle NetSuite is our favorite enterprise accounting software, beating out QuickBooks Enterprise and other competitors. While QuickBooks Desktop offers a full suite of accounting tools, Oracle NetSuite includes far more features in its ERP. Think customer management, ecommerce and more. So NetSuite can replace more of your software ― and scale to work for much larger businesses.

If you worry about QuickBooks Desktop having enough oomph for your business, NetSuite could be a better alternative.

QuickBooks Online

If, on the other hand, you’re not sure you need all the tools QuickBooks Desktop includes, you may want to stick with a small-business accounting software like QuickBooks online. It tops our list of the best accounting apps thanks to its variety of plans, excellent invoicing tools and solid accounting tools. You don’t get all the power of QuickBooks Desktop, but QuickBooks Online costs much less ― and it includes features like cloud access at no extra cost.

That makes QuickBooks Online a good alternative for businesses that aren’t quite ready for QuickBooks Enterprise yet.

Review methodology

Our accounting software experts graded QuickBooks Enterprise on over 30 factors across five categories ― including pricing, accounting features, ease of use, customer experience and more. Then we used our standardized rubric to calculate how QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise compares to other enterprise and small-business accounting solutions.

Unless you’ve been asleep since the last Bush administration, you’re probably aware that employers are having a hard time finding qualified talent for jobs which demand tech skills. Qualified talent means having the requisite skills and – increasingly – relevant experience, which is turning the concept of an entry-level job into something of an oxymoron. The tech skills in question span way beyond coding. As the vast majority of good jobs now utilize software platforms for some or most functions, coding is the least of employers’ worries. Companies want talent that knows how to implement, integrate, configure, and run thousands of software platforms used to run 21^st century businesses.

As I’ve chronicled America’s skills and talent gap, I’ve focused on hot areas like cybersecurity and data science, new software platforms like Salesforce and Workday, and hundreds of other software-as-a-service companies providing digital functionality for specific industries or job functions e.g., finance hospitals (Epic), insurance agents (Applied Epic), home care (WellSky), construction (Procore), pharma (Veeva), sales and marketing (Hubspot), customer service (Zendesk), software development (Atlassian), low-code app development (Pega), cloud computing (AWS), and digital transformation itself (ServiceNow).

But Salesforce and Workday aren’t the most widely used software platforms – not even close. The platforms with the most users are enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like SAP and Oracle. One reason is that they’re much older; SAP and Oracle were founded in the 1970s. Another is that ERP systems were designed to handle the full suite of business functions, including accounting, budgeting, project management, and supply chain management. As a result, most large companies and organizations adopted ERP long before Salesforce was even a gleam in Marc Benioff’s eye; SAP has more than 425,000 clients across 180 countries – nearly 3x the number served by Salesforce.

SAP clients have always needed SAP certified talent on hand to maintain, adapt, and enhance their on-prem ERP platforms – SAP currently offers 145 certifications, many of which are specific to individual modules. But the need for SAP talent is growing dramatically due to a major shift. Due in part to companies like Salesforce, businesses now buy and consume software differently. Rather than installing and hosting on-prem instances, SAP is migrating clients to the cloud via its S/4HANA platform. The benefits to clients of running ERP in the cloud are many including scalability, feature availability, security, and cost savings. But migrating an entire ERP to the cloud is no small matter.

As SAP’s 2027 deadline for migrating legacy ERP systems to S/4HANA is fast approaching, clients have some major decisions to make. While S/4HANA works both on prem and in the cloud, the advantages of cloud adoption are steadily increasing, and clients who delay too long may face challenges with outdated infrastructure. So for most clients, the S/4HANA migration is synonymous with moving to the cloud.

All this requires talent. Back in 2020, a survey by the Americas SAP User Group found that only a fraction of SAP consultants were trained and prepared for the coming tsunami of S/4HANA work. SAP has since responded with the Partner Talent Initiative, offering training curricula 2-3-week-long free online bootcamps to SAP partners and aspiring consultants. But the talent gap is still massive. New research from the Americas SAP User Group found a 25% of users said the talent gap was holding up projects overall and 49% reported a lack of S/4HANA talent.

It's not only clients. According to the SAP User Group, the SAP talent gap is hitting SAP partners like systems integrators and consultancies at least as much as clients. As Geoff Scott, the CEO of the Americas SAP User Group told The Register:

We are going to feel the pinch of that skill gap. My word of caution is that as you think about moving to S/4 if you have not already, the ability for you to plan that migration may hit some turbulence related to skill gaps with your external partners. That's something that you absolutely positively should consider.

Thomas Michael, founder and CEO of Michael Management, a leading provider of SAP training, agrees:

According to our surveys of 1000s of SAP professionals, 4 out of 10 say they have not received enough SAP training to perform their job duties. This not only highlights a critical gap in professional development but also presents an opportunity for organizations to rethink their training strategies. The future of SAP lies in empowering professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to embark on the S/4HANA upgrade journey.

What are some options for closing the SAP talent gap? It’s unlikely that colleges and universities will come to the rescue. In an article a few years ago on Texas A&M’s effort to launch courses in cybersecurity, the Chronicle of Higher Education – American higher education’s paper of record – reached the following conclusion: “Work-force demand can lead some institutions to teach students the skills needed for today’s entry-level jobs. But those tools may well be obsolete five or ten years from now.” The implication – one that is absolutely in the mainstream of college and university thinking – is that updating curriculum to reflect near-term technology needs may not be a worthwhile pursuit because such needs will change. And even if colleges, universities, or – more likely – bootcamps did offer S/4HANA training, it wouldn’t do much to close the growing experience gap.

The most promising solution is one that delivers not only training but also experience. I’m talking about apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are jobs with built-in training and experience, allowing for the hiring of apprentices without either. As I discuss in my new book, Apprentice Nation, apprenticeships have the potential to close the talent gap across hundreds of sectors as well as to reinvigorate socioeconomic mobility. SAP is no exception.

If apprenticeships are the best solution for the SAP ecosystem, where will they come from? Don’t look at SAP clients. They’re unlikely to solve this problem themselves. In a reaction to the higher cost of bad hires and increased employee churn, employers are increasingly insisting on the perfectly qualified candidate. If job applicants don’t check all the boxes, they won’t be considered. Peter Cappelli of Wharton has observed this phenomenon: “Employers are demanding more of job candidates than ever before. They want prospective workers to be able to fill a role right away, without any training or ramp-up time. To get a job, you have to have that job already.”

My best guess is that new S/4HANA talent will come from one or more SAP partners that decide to get into the business of providing trained, proven talent to clients and other partners. By deploying newly trained talent on migration projects or directly to clients and partners via staff augmentation, enterprising SAP partners can stand out in a mature partner ecosystem, and in so doing, launch thousands of remunerative SAP careers.

Over the next few years, I expect to see SAP partners launching new initiatives to provide trained, proven S/4HANA talent to SAP partners and clients. With so many clients and partners in need of talent, the opportunity is far too vast to remain unfilled for very long.

Why is Salesforce expensive?

As part of the Salesforce subscription, a limited amount of storage is provided. There are complex limitations on storage, and many organizations will need to increase their storage, which will result in higher costs.

How many small businesses use Salesforce?

Small businesses will be convinced to throw out their spreadsheets and switch to a platform relied on by 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies by using Salesforce Essentials. The small business community shouldn't be disadvantaged any longer.

Can small companies afford Salesforce?

Salesforce Essentials is a low-cost option. Salesforce Essentials CRM is available for $25 per user/month for businesses with five or fewer employees. The cost of moving more employees over to SF CRM is $75/user/month, a price that many small businesses are willing to pay.

Can small businesses use Salesforce?

Small businesses make up a large portion of Salesforce's customer base. Salesforce started out as a small business that catered to the needs of other businesses. Some of the world's most recognizable brands rely on Salesforce, but many of its clients are small businesses and startups.

How much do companies spend on Salesforce?

ProfessionalSalesforce Sales CloudSalesforce Service CloudSalesforce Marketing Cloud$25 per user, per mo$25 per user, per mo$400 per mo$75 per user, per mo$75 per user, per mo$1,250 per mo$150 per user, per mo$150 per user, per mo$3,750 per mo

Is Salesforce affordable for small business?

For many small businesses, the Salesforce small business edition is a cost-effective solution. Annual plans cost $25 per month per user, with month-to-month plans costing a little more. It enables smaller businesses to function in the same way as larger corporations without incurring the costs of an enterprise-level solution.

What is the cheapest Salesforce license?

Can you tell me where I can get a cheap t Salesforce license? Salesforce's Sales Cloud and Service Cloud each cost $25 per user per month, making them the cheapest Salesforce licenses.

Is there a free version of Salesforce?

The CRM software provided by Salesforce does not have a free version, so it has three pricing plans users must choose from.

What percentage of companies use Salesforce?

The Salesforce platform is used by over 150,000 companies. The revenue from Salesforce was 21. In the fiscal year 2021, the budget will be $25 billion. Salesforce is ranked number 19 in the world. a market share of CRM of 8 of the CRM market of 8 of the%

What top companies use Salesforce?

• Spotify.
• Web services offered by Amazon.
• It is nationalized by the USA bank.
• Toyota.
• Macy's.
• T-Mobile.
• Aldo.
• I read The New York Post daily.

Who are Salesforce biggest clients?

Walmart Inc. is among the companies that use Salesforce CRM for Customer Relationship Management. With 2200000 employees and $559 million in revenue, is a retail company based in the United States. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, a healthcare company based in the United States with 330000 employees and $255 billion in revenue, has a market capitalization of $15 billion. 64 .

What company did Salesforce buy?

In August 2019, Salesforce completed the acquisition of Tableau Software, bringing together the #1 CRM in the world with the #1 analytics platform in the world.

Is Salesforce expensive?

Salesforce isn't overly expensive when compared to other top CRM providers, but it's also not dirt cheap. Salesforce is about average for the industry, with prices ranging from $25 per user per month to $300 per user per month, depending on the plan.

Why Salesforce is bad?

The Bad. It is expensive to use Salesforce as a comparison to other products, and small businesses will experience this the most. Too much for small teams and businesses: Smaller teams and businesses that don't require all of Salesforce's features may find the software to be overwhelming or too large to fully utilize.

Is Salesforce actually good?

The Salesforce CRM software finishes as our No. 1 pick for our Best CRM Software of 2021 list. CRM is a well known product on the market, so it makes sense that many customers, particularly those in large businesses, are attracted to it. It's best for companies that are willing to put in the effort and spend the money to get the most out of their CRM software.

Can small businesses use Salesforce?

For small businesses, Salesforce is an excellent platform for managing existing customers. With the tools provided by Salesforce, finding new customers is easy. Salesforce makes it easy for marketers to manage online and social media marketing. In addition to managing sales, Salesforce also aids small businesses with customer support.

What size companies use Salesforce?

The sales force. Companies with 10-50 employees and a revenue of $1 million to $10 million are the most common users of com CRM.

Do a lot of companies use Salesforce?

According to reports, Salesforce's software was used by 150,000 companies as of 2017, including Amazon (AMZN) - Get Amazon. com, Inc. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Report: Adidas (ADDYY) , ADP (ADP) - Get The Latest News. The American Express Company Report - Get all the details for American Express (AXP).

How much is Salesforce per month for a small business?

Salesforce Essentials lets you grow revenue, engage leads, and provide outstanding service - all from one platform - for just $25 per month*.

How much does Salesforce cost for a business?

Name	Price
Sales Essentials Edition	$25/user/month*
Professional Edition	$75/user/month*
Enterprise Edition	$150/user/month*
Unlimited Edition	$300/user/month*

How much do companies pay for Salesforce?

		Professional
Salesforce Sales Cloud	Salesforce Service Cloud	Salesforce Marketing Cloud
$25 per user, per mo	$25 per user, per mo	$400 per mo
$75 per user, per mo	$75 per user, per mo	$1,250 per mo
$150 per user, per mo	$150 per user, per mo	$3,750 per mo

How many small businesses use Salesforce?

Over 150,000 Salesforce customers thrive on our secure, scalable cloud platform, ranging from small businesses to FORTUNE 500** companies.

How many organizations use Salesforce?

Its cloud-based solutions are used by more than 150,000 organizations worldwide.

Is Salesforce for large companies?

Salesforce is a secure, scalable cloud platform used by 150,000 companies ranging from small corporations to FORTUNE 500** entities. We're the leading enterprise software company when it comes to managing customer relationships, because we do this well.

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