Salesforce-Process-Automation-Accredited-Professional learn - Salesforce Process Automation Accredited Professional Updated: 2024

• Salesforce helps teams across departments stay organized with a central source of data to serve customers better.
• Salesforce has a wide range of CRM products, features and tools designed to help small businesses sell smarter and grow.
• Salesforce includes AI-powered tools with effective algorithms to help you serve the best deals to the right customers at the perfect time.
• This review is for small business owners who are interested in implementing Salesforce as their CRM. 

Salesforce is among the earliest and best-known cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. The software service provider has an expansive collection of CRM products for sales, service, marketing, commerce, sustainability, safety and experiences. In addition to its variety of need-based software solutions, Salesforce offers custom packages for businesses of every size to connect marketing, sales, commerce, service and IT teams with a unified solution for every phase of their customers’ journeys. 

In our review, we focused on what Salesforce has defined as its Small Business Solutions: the Starter, Sales Professional, Service Professional and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement editions. Our Professional edition demo account was built for a sales team at a small business with fewer than 20 employees who need user accounts.

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."

Workforce Readiness

Education at Work Granted $500,000 from Salesforce to Help Students Earn While They Learn

• By Kate Lucariello
• 11/20/23

The nonprofit organization Education at Work (EAW) has received a $500,000 grant from customer relationship management company Salesforce's charitable Salesforce Foundation to develop a hybrid "learn and earn" program to help students across the U.S. work part-time for Fortune 500 companies, learn new skills, and pay for college.

EAW will also build a new facility at Salesforce Tower in Indianapolis to provide opportunities for 200 area students by 2025 to learn and earn with major companies.

The work-based learning nonprofit allows students to earn up to $5,250 in tuition assistance while gaining valuable on-the-job skills. Recruitment and hiring of local students is currently in process during the last months of 2023, the organization said.

EAW will also design and build a technology platform for companies to hire and manage students remotely, it said. This will deliver students with tech skills opportunities to work part time on a flexible schedule.

"The traditional way that students earn money to pay for college is broken," said Jane Swift, Education at Work president and former Massachusetts governor. "We've found a way to flip the script by bringing employers to the table, helping to dramatically boost student earnings and significantly reduce financial barriers to college completion. This generous grant will accelerate our impact and help more students access flexible work experiences and earn money to offset the total cost of college attendance — all while developing transferable skill sets that will help them succeed in the workplace long after graduation."

In its decade of existence, EAW said it has funded over $100 million in combined wages and tuition assistance for almost 8,000 students, saving them nearly $15,000 in debt by the end of their college careers. Its campus-based partnerships include Arizona State University, Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Utah.

"Eighty-six percent of graduates are employed full time within 90 days post-graduation in comparison to a national trial of college graduates (69%)," the organization said.

"Empowering our students to become the workforce of tomorrow isn't just about imparting knowledge — it's also about increasing financial access to education and fostering opportunities for professional growth and connection," said Becky Ferguson, Salesforce Foundation CEO. "The Salesforce Foundation is proud to support Education at Work as they work to expand these pathways for student success."

Founder of Buzzworthy Brands. Follow me on LinkedIn for daily personal branding insights.

In the past few years, there's been a quiet revolution taking form, led not by corporations with deep pockets but by solopreneurs. These solopreneurs are nimble, savvy and armed with the most potent weapon in modern marketing: personal branding.

This revolution isn't just changing the game; it's redefining it. It's a David versus Goliath scenario, but in this modern rendition, David wields a smartphone and a compelling narrative. Here are the things business leaders can learn from solopreneurs' success.

Redefining Engagement With Mixed Content

Success for solopreneurs isn't just about being visible; it’s about engaging authentically with your audience. The secret sauce? A cocktail of content that educates, entertains, inspires and promotes.

While the world is getting cluttered with ads and corporate jargon, this diverse approach can cut through the noise. But it’s about striking the right balance—sharing valuable insights, weaving in your personal story and occasionally promoting your services.

Moving away from one-dimensional promotional content, I push others to create a strategy that embraces a mix that looks to educate, entertain, inspire and promote. This not only elevates engagement but also humanizes your brand, making it more relatable and approachable.

Genuine Connections Through Social Media

Consumers today crave genuineness from the brands they support, and solopreneurs are uniquely positioned to deliver this authenticity. A whopping 90% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support.

Social media has become a cornerstone for building personal brands. Solopreneurs are using these platforms not just to showcase products or services but to share their stories. And platforms like LinkedIn are offering more and more the right stage for growing a brand that focuses on deeper connections and authenticity.

'Edutainment': The New Content Paradigm

It's not just what you create; it's how you present it. Engaging content—a blend of educational and entertaining—is key. The fusion of education and entertainment in content creation has proven more than effective in engaging audiences.

Many solopreneurs are adopting this "edutainment" strategy to stand out. Whether through insightful blog posts or engaging video content, it's important to find innovative ways to deliver value while keeping your audience captivated. This approach is particularly potent in today's landscape, where there are so many changes that business leaders need to adapt to.

Video marketing is one of these methods, and it is here to stay. There were an estimated 3.5 billion internet users consuming video content in 2023. It's also important to take note of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for marketing purposes, for these have already taken the main stage, with more than 50% of professional marketers using tools like ChatGPT in their marketing efforts.

Beyond Buzzwords: Crafting A Unique Value Proposition

For solopreneurs, a unique value proposition is much more than a marketing tactic; it's the core of their brand story. A well-defined unique value proposition (UVP) encapsulates not only what a brand offers but also why it matters.

Solopreneurs have shown their ability to turn their personal experiences, expertise and values into compelling brand narratives that resonate with their target audiences. This narrative, as Salesforce research highlights, is crucial since almost 90% of customers value experiences as highly as products or services.

Expanding Horizons Through Networking And Collaboration

Collaboration and networking have become vital tools for solopreneurs to enhance their reach and impact. By partnering with other professionals and brands, they can tap into new audiences, gain fresh perspectives and explore new opportunities.

Such collaborations on sites like LinkedIn can result in a significant increase in business opportunities. These partnerships can lead to innovative projects and ideas that can significantly enhance brand visibility and appeal.

Setting New Standards In Branding

Solopreneurs are not just competing with larger marketing machines; they're setting new standards in branding. To follow their approach, you want to emphasize the importance of personal connections in a market saturated with impersonal marketing tactics.

Leveraging their unique stories and authentic voices, solopreneurs are creating brands that are not only memorable but deeply relatable.

The Future Of Branding: Personal Touches Win

The future of branding is clear: Personal touches win. While consumers are bombarded with impersonal marketing, the personal touch of a solopreneur can cut through the noise.

It's no longer about competing with the colossal budgets of big marketing; it's about outsmarting them through personal connections, authentic storytelling and strategic online engagements. It's about leveraging the power of personal branding to create a connection that resonates with the audience on a deeper level.

As we look ahead, it's exciting to see the trajectory and potential lessons from solopreneurs. A new standard is being set in marketing.

The branding revolution is here, and solopreneurs are leading the charge, proving that when it comes to making a lasting impact, story-driven marketing and the personal touch are not just effective—they're proving to be revolutionary.

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Dr. Karina Ochis | Gen Z Expert | Professor Of Leadership and Management | Executive Consultant | Speaker | Author.

The AI revolution in leadership is transforming industries and reshaping the way we work. As a leadership professor, I observed the profound impact of AI on leadership styles. In the rapidly evolving landscape of modern business, leaders continually seek innovative tools to stay ahead of the curve. AI acts as a trusted ally, augmenting leadership skills rather than replacing them.

How The Giants Use AI

Leading global businesses have embraced AI, recognizing its potential to drive innovation and enhance operational efficiency. One example is IBM, a pioneer in integrating AI into leadership strategies. IBM's Watson, a cognitive computing system, empowers leaders with data-driven insights, enabling them to anticipate market trends, identify opportunities and mitigate risks.

Similarly, Google employs AI algorithms to personalize leadership development programs. By identifying individual strengths and weaknesses, Google ensures tailored development initiatives that hone leaders' skills precisely to meet their challenges. Amazon, another trailblazer, leverages AI to optimize its leadership talent pool. The company utilizes machine learning algorithms to match leaders with projects that align with their expertise, fostering a dynamic and efficient organizational structure.

Salesforce employs AI-driven analytics to enhance sales leadership. Through predictive analytics, Salesforce's AI provides valuable insights into customer behavior, enabling sales leaders to refine strategies and Excellerate outcomes. Lastly, Siemens utilizes AI to cultivate a culture of innovation in leadership. The company employs AI-driven tools to streamline workflows, identify areas for improvement, and inspire a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation among its leadership teams.

These examples underscore how leading companies strategically integrate AI into their leadership frameworks, demonstrating the tangible benefits of this transformative technology. This personalized approach fosters professional growth and ensures leaders have the skills to navigate their specific challenges.

How Leaders Can Use AI

So what can you as a leader do to best use AI? Let's take a look.

1. Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making: 'The Decisive Code'

Leadership in the age of AI requires a shift toward data-driven decision-making. Embrace the power of algorithms to analyze data and extract meaningful insights. Use this information to make informed decisions that align with your organizational goals. Remember, the decisive code lies within the data; leaders who crack it can unlock a competitive edge.

2. Cultivate Emotional Intelligence: 'The AI Empathy Factor'

While AI excels in analytical tasks, it lacks the emotional intelligence that human leaders bring. Cultivate your emotional intelligence, recognizing the nuanced aspects of human interactions that AI may miss.

Lead with empathy—and understand the diverse perspectives within your team. The AI empathy factor complements data-driven decisions, fostering a holistic leadership approach.

3. Leverage AI For Talent Development: 'The Mentor In The Machine'

AI can serve as an influential mentor, providing personalized insights for leadership development. Utilize AI-driven tools to identify individual strengths and areas for improvement within your team.

Tailor leadership development programs to address these specific needs, creating a culture of continuous improvement. The mentor in the machine can guide leaders and teams toward excellence.

4. Foster A Culture Of Innovation: 'AI As The Catalyst'

Position AI as a catalyst for innovation within your organization. Encourage your team to explore new ways of leveraging AI to enhance processes, streamline workflows and drive creativity. Embrace a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation. Leaders who view AI as a dynamic force for innovation can inspire their teams to push boundaries and explore uncharted territories.

5. Become An AI Strategic Leader

AI can be a powerful tool for leaders but also requires a new mindset and skill set. Here are some leadership lessons that can help you use AI effectively and ethically:

• Be curious: AI is constantly evolving and improving, and so should you. Be curious about the latest developments and trends in AI and how they can benefit your organization and your team. Learn from the best practices and experiences of other leaders and organizations that use AI.

• Be collaborative: AI is not a substitute for human intelligence but a complement. Collaborate with your team members, peers and stakeholders, leveraging their diverse perspectives and expertise. Involve them in designing, implementing and evaluating AI solutions and ensuring they have the necessary skills and support to use AI.

• Be critical: AI is not infallible but prone to errors and biases. Be critical of AI's data, algorithms and outputs, and question their validity, reliability and fairness. Ensure AI is transparent, accountable and aligned with your values and goals.

• Be creative: AI is not a constraint but an opportunity. Be creative and experiment with new ways of using AI to solve problems, create value and achieve impact. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and try new things.

Navigating The Future Of Leadership With AI

AI is not just a buzzword; it's a paradigm shift influencing leadership in unprecedented ways. In the ever-evolving leadership landscape, AI stands as a game changer, offering outstanding opportunities for growth and innovation.

As leaders, embracing this transformative force is not just a choice; it's a necessity. The collaboration between human intuition and AI analytical prowess is the key to unlocking new dimensions of success. Leaders can confidently navigate the future by learning from global businesses, incorporating data-driven decision-making, cultivating emotional intelligence, leveraging AI for talent development and fostering a culture of innovation. The journey ahead is exciting, and those who harness the power of AI could lead the way into a new era of leadership excellence.

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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.