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2022 | Book

Introduction to the Salesforce Ecosystem Read chapter Read first chapter

The Salesforce Consultant’s Guide

Tools to Implement or Improve Your Client’s Salesforce Solution

Author: Heather Negley

Publisher: Apress

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

Break down the art and science of Salesforce consulting. This book will help you refine your consulting skills on the Salesforce platform. Author Heather Negley, a seasoned consultant who has completed over 30 Salesforce delivery projects in the past nine years, equips Salesforce professionals with detailed explanations on the stages of a project and the skills you need for each stage. You will learn the type of roles on a project, so that you can plan your career path.

If you need help managing clients, this book teaches you how to effectively work with and advise people. You will go through the following main sections to round out your skills and service offerings:

The best learning and community resources, including mentoring programsTips on how to get job experienceThe evolution of software developmentProject rolesThe parts of a projectConsulting skills

The consulting skills section of the book breaks down each skill and explains the parts of the project to which you should apply your skills and real-world examples. Topics include client management, communication, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and avoiding cognitive biases.

What You Will Learn

Identify patterns in your projects through archetype identificationWatch out for specific risks common to project typesChoose the best consulting tool from your toolbox, depending on the problem that you encounter

Who This Book Is For

People who work as Salesforce administrators for their industry and want to make a move into consulting. It is an excellent choice for someone who is interested in project work and likes to work with people to help them make decisions.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter

Where to Start

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction to the Salesforce Ecosystem
Abstract
This book was written for people who are Salesforce consultants and for people who would like to become Salesforce consultants—whether you are just starting your career, you are a stay-at-home parent thinking of going back to work, or you have already had one career and would like to try something new. I found Salesforce in the middle of my career and would like to share with you the knowledge that I have gathered from being a Salesforce consultant for nearly a decade on dozens of projects.
Heather Negley
Chapter 2. Salesforce Learning
Abstract
In this chapter, you will discover the best learning resources and community resources to aid your learning. Finding a mentor is an important first step, and the Trailblazer Mentorship program makes it easy to find one.
Heather Negley
Chapter 3. Salesforce Work Experience
Abstract
There are many definitions of work experience. If your goal is to be a consultant, then Salesforce work experience means something specific. If you do not have this experience, then an easy way to get it is by volunteering. There are many organizations that facilitate matching volunteers with projects. Once you have project experience, working with a recruiter can speed up the job search.
Heather Negley

Preparing for a Software Project

Frontmatter
Chapter 4. The Evolution of Software Development
Abstract
The process of creating software has gone through several significant incarnations that are important to understand if you want to advise clients on the best way to develop software. The activity of writing software for computers began in the middle of the 20th century using tools and techniques that would be unfamiliar to most people today. Automation led to digital modernization strategies with priorities from companies to make changes to software more and more often. Newer project management methodologies such as Agile and Scrum incorporated the concept of continuous feedback to accommodate the pace of change. The software development lifecycle emerged as the need to create efficiency around the process of creating software intensified. At first, project management methodologies such as Waterfall were sufficient, but gradually other methodologies emerged to keep up with the accelerating need for software changes.
Heather Negley
Chapter 5. Common Project Roles
Abstract
When you work on a Salesforce project, you can be a functional or technical consultant. A role is a specific job. Functional roles include project management and roles that directly interface with the client. Technical roles include developer and architect, but there is overlap, and oftentimes these roles also interact with the client. Usually, the interaction is more about the solution and not the terms of the contract. There are many resources created by successful Salesforce professionals that can be useful to reference depending on your role.
Heather Negley
Chapter 6. Sales and Staffing
Abstract
The activities before the sale of the project are called presales. The people in these roles are not considered consultants as they are not part of the implementation team; however, they are still part of the Ohana community. Some of them include contract review and resourcing planning, which you will learn more about in this chapter. Consultants are often involved in presales activities and can offer critical advice to set up a project for success. Once a project is sold, the account executive will hold a sales handoff meeting to explain the background of the project, as well as the scope, timeline, and budget. Sales handoffs are a good time for you to ask specific questions about the sales cycles so that you can learn about the personality of the client as well as other project expectations and assumptions.
Heather Negley

Stages of a Project

Frontmatter
Chapter 7. Ramp-Up
Abstract
In the beginning of a phase of a Salesforce project, there is a lot of preparation required to get the project off to a good start. Whether you are traveling to the client site for the first client meeting or working from home, there are travel resources that help you save time, increase efficiency, and reduce stress. If you are not traveling, then spending time on properly setting up your workspace setup is not something to skip. A proper workstation setup can help avoid potential injury.
Heather Negley
Chapter 8. Kickoff and Discovery
Abstract
The kickoff meeting is one of the most important meetings on a project. It is the time that the team makes the all-important first impression and talks to the client about their goals for the project. The project methodology is also taught to the client.
Heather Negley
Chapter 9. Build, Test, Deploy
Abstract
The development or build, test, and deploy phases of a project are the parts of the project that contain several Agile ceremonies. Each ceremony contributes to the project structure and has purposes that if followed will help teams have a more successful project. The ceremonies include backlog refinement, sprint planning, and daily stand-ups and reviews.
Heather Negley

Consulting Skills

Frontmatter
Chapter 10. Client Management
Abstract
As a Salesforce consultant, you will need refined soft skills in order to help clients achieve project success. Practicing soft skills or consulting skills is something that is never complete. The more you practice them, the better you become. Important soft skills for Salesforce consulting include client management, communication, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. These skills are so important that I am dedicating a chapter for each one.
Heather Negley
Chapter 11. Communication
Abstract
Besides the willingness to learn, knowing how to effectively communicate is the most important skill to possess as a Salesforce consultant Choosing a communication method is such an important aspect to what we do in our lives that taking the time to select the right medium is critical to effectively communicate. You have to be willing to really listen in order to exchange meaningful messages to teach and learn from one another. It is a mutual exchange. Public speaking and writing are other key elements to master. Slack is a new way to communicate at work and is an important medium to understand.
Heather Negley
Chapter 12. Emotional Intelligence
Abstract
Emotional intelligence is a paramount component of personal and professional success. We all have emotions. We are emotional beings. We cannot avoid having emotions. It is part of who we are. So, it is important to understand the difference between a thought and feeling. It is also critical to recognize the type of feelings that you are having as well as to try to practice empathy for others so that you can try to surmise their perspective and emotions in order to better relate and communicate with them.
Heather Negley
Chapter 13. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
Abstract
Critical thinking is a type of systematic thinking that is used to solve problems using logic. The first step is to gather the information needed to help you solve your problem. You start by analyzing and evaluating sources for authority to give you the best shot at finding something truthful and unbiased. Watch Out For information overload. Access to information is easier than ever these days, and it is easy to get overwhelmed by it all. As you conduct your research, keep your information organized by filtering, synthesizing, and distilling it. And keep your effort timeboxed. Start broad enough to obtain a wide berth, like a fisherman casting a large net into an ocean. This helps find multiple points of view. But don’t spend more time than necessary. Practicing collecting what is sufficient to answer your questions.
Heather Negley
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
The Salesforce Consultant’s Guide
Author
Heather Negley
Copyright Year
2022
Publisher
Apress
Electronic ISBN
978-1-4842-7960-1
Print ISBN
978-1-4842-7959-5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-7960-1

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