Share
Intro to My First Year as a Salesforce Consultant Series
The consulting space is unique– and consulting within the Salesforce ecosystem even more so. What a Salesforce Consultant looks like varies across companies, job titles, and even seasons. Everyone has different experiences which we at Solving IT have found to only further enhance our ability to serve our customers.
As Salesforce consultants gaining unique experiences which provide the opportunity to learn and grow are plentiful. That’s why we’re introducing our new blog series called “My First Year as a Salesforce Consultant.” We’ve asked several of our consultants to give a preview into their own personal journey during the first 12 months in the position- whether they had experience with Salesforce, consulting, both, or neither. Throughout the series, you’ll see what each person learned and how different each experience can depend on background, job responsibilities, and a whole host of other factors. We hope you enjoy learning about our experiences and getting to know our team!
What I Learned From My First Six Months as a Salesforce Consultant
3 years ago if someone had told me today I would be a Salesforce consultant I would not have believed them. Neither Consulting nor Salesforce was a part of my career plan, but looking back today, I’m so glad things worked out the way they did. That being said, going into this role I wasn’t sure what to expect. In many ways it was exactly (or at least close to) what I expected, but in other regards it was a complete surprise.
Here’s what I learned during my first year as a consultant –
It’s okay to not know the answer every time
When I was first staffed on projects as a participatory member of client meetings and calls, I was terrified of not having all the information. Because I was still learning the Salesforce platform as well as becoming familiar with my own role on the team, I did not feel confident in my ability to answer questions posed by clients – and unfortunately, that was obvious to everyone. Some of the first feedback I received from my manager was “You sounded nervous which isn’t a great look on a status call.” Through this experience I learned it is okay (and even normal) not to know all of the answers. With the constant growth of the Salesforce ecosystem, there is no way to know everything – there are going to be times where even the most senior consultants don’t know the answer to the problem. The important thing to realize is that even if you don’t know the answer you always can find it. Remaining confident if your ability to figure out the answer is important in building client trust and this leads into one of the next lessons that I learned.
There is always more than one solution to a problem
One of the biggest surprises from my first year as a Salesforce Consultant is how much of the role is problem solving. With that came the realization of how many ways there are to approach any given problem. The Salesforce platform allows for multiple approaches, and as a result, allows for and rewards creative thinking. Because there is always more than one solution, as consultants, we are able to offer multiple options to clients. In every project that I have been a part of, we have been able to tailor the solution to the client’s business processes and available resources (like budget, or skill set required to maintain a solution post-implementation). Salesforce doesn’t force every business into the exact same workflow. With the realization of the many different solutions out there, I realized the value of working with others and thinking outside of the box when providing solutions to our clients.
Working collaboratively yields better results
In previous roles, I’ve worked in teams. I’ve seen the powerful results that are generated when multiple individuals with different backgrounds and skill sets put their heads together. I’ve never, however, been a part a team that works as collaboratively as the one at Solving IT. Even though the team I’m on is still relatively small the depth and breadth of knowledge in our group is astounding! Each time I pose a question to my team, someone (and usually multiple individuals) problem solve on the spot and come up with a solution that I would not have begun to think of.
I am currently six months into my role, and I can’t believe the growth I’ve seen in myself. My confidence on client calls has increased, my creative problem–solving skills have sharpened, and each day I am building more trust with my team- I am excited for the future and to see where I am in another 6 months.
WRITTEN BY MYRA HOOKS
