Embrace a Transformative Career Move
Considering a Salesforce consultant role can be a transformative career move. Embrace the opportunity of being a consultant and working with industry experts and cutting-edge technology. The Salesforce ecosystem provides diverse opportunities. According to a 2021 Salesforce Talent report, a 250% YoY increase in global job demand for Salesforce consultants exists. As a consultant, you can enjoy dynamic projects, flexible work environments, and the satisfaction of driving meaningful change across industries. Salesforce offers various certification pathways, including different consultant roles from entry-level to advanced professionals.
According to research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker has up to ten different jobs before the age of fifty, which is expected to increase in the coming decades. Are you ready to take the leap?
In this article, we’ll explore the Salesforce consultant certification path, available career paths, essential qualifications, and the next steps to pursue a Salesforce consultant career.
Salesforce Consultant Career Path: Categories of Salesforce Consultants
Obtaining a Salesforce consultant certification provides globally recognized credentials. However, it can be daunting to start. With careful analysis of skill sets and the right guidance, you can identify the best consultant pathway from a wide range of roles within the Salesforce ecosystem. Salesforce offers a variety of consulting opportunities due to the size and diversity of its ecosystem. Here are the four categories of Salesforce consultants:
Salesforce Consultant Types
Business Analyst
- Identifies data-driven solutions to address customers’ business challenges.
- Facilitates effective communication between IT and business stakeholders.
- Ensures alignment and understanding between technical and business teams.
- Analyzes data to provide actionable insights.
- Bridges the gap between technology and business requirements.
Functional Consultant
- Frequently serves as the project leader during consultations.
- Collaborates with clients to identify transformative solutions using industry expertise.
- Utilizes understanding of various business operations to drive change and innovation.
- Assesses and reports on the business’s overall health, providing valuable insights and recommendations.
Technical Consultant
- Gains comprehensive knowledge of the full potential of one or more cloud solutions.
- Implements specific back-end modifications to tailor customers’ Salesforce setups.
Founder
- Starts their own Salesforce firm.
- Helps clients achieve their business goals.
- Understands clients’ business issues and provides expert advice.
Complete List of Salesforce Consultant Certifications
Let’s explore the practical steps you can take toward the Salesforce consultant certification path. Read this blog for a complete overview of available Salesforce certifications.
Typically, a Salesforce consultant takes on multiple roles. In the Salesforce consultant career path, you help firms get the most out of their Salesforce CRM to enhance customer services and organizational performance. You work with clients to analyze business, comprehend their objectives and procedures, and identify opportunities and challenges. Consultants also assist in adopting technology to implement solutions that improve performance and streamline processes.
Required Skills
A combination of technical and non-technical abilities is necessary for well-rounded consultants. To fully understand the difficulties and objectives of a client, consultants must have excellent listening skills and possess some basic project management abilities to understand the customer’s vision. Listed below are some key skills to become a Salesforce consultant:
Non-Technical Skills
- Willingness to learn
- Salesforce platform knowledge
- Applying Salesforce best practices
- Organization, communication, and openness to feedback
Technical Skills
- Business fundamentals
- Databases
- Personal portfolios
- Relationship design
- Salesforce CRM
- Salesforce Platform basics
- Salesforce user research personas
- Technical project management
- AppExchange
- User experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)
Since Salesforce consultants need to have a minimum of 6 months to 2 years of experience, depending on the profile chosen from the array of consultant roles, these technical skills are learned during this initial period of Salesforce.
How to Become a Salesforce Consultant: An Overview
One needs the right skill sets and knowledge to start a career as a Salesforce consultant. It is necessary to begin with the right study materials and guidance to pave a successful career path. Listed below are two good sources to begin with:
Salesforce Consultant Course with Trailhead
Trailhead is a self-learning platform. One can learn business and technology skills through its carefully designed ‘Trailmix’ modules. It offers specialized learning paths for professions such as Business Analyst, Salesforce Consultant, Sales, Marketing, Salesforce Administrator, Salesforce Developer, and many more! Trailhead offers its guided learning platform for free to everyone. However, Trailhead Academy provides some paid courses, offering bootcamps and courses taught by specialists.
Important Study Links by Salesforce’s Trailhead
- Business Analyst Trailmix
- Functional Consultant Trailmix
- Technical Consultant Trailmix
- Founder Trailmix
Accessing Trailhead
Trailhead is available through the Trailhead GO mobile app (iOS and Android) and its website. Aspiring learners can create a free Trailhead account at trailhead.salesforce.com or via the app, no Salesforce CRM account is needed.
Salesforce Consultant Course with Udemy
Udemy is an online learning platform and teaching marketplace. It provides practical training, preparatory and certification courses, and specialized courses for developers, business managers, consultants, admins, and more. It offers a variety of Salesforce courses, ranging in difficulty from basic to advanced, and grants certificates of completion.
Schedule Your Salesforce Consultant Certification Exam
Please read this blog for a snapshot of available Salesforce certifications and their cost.
- Decide which certification among consultants best suits your professional objectives on the Trailhead website.
- Click on ‘Schedule Now,’ which takes you to the ‘Webassessor’ window.
- Login and schedule as per convenience.
Why Become a Salesforce Consultant
Working as a Salesforce consultant offers numerous benefits, making it an advantageous career choice. Here are some key advantages:
- High-Paying Jobs: Salesforce consultants earn handsome salaries. According to a report by Payscale, in 2024, Salesforce consultants earned around the $91,497 median base salary in the US.
- High Demand: Salesforce consultants are in high demand, ensuring job security and numerous opportunities.
- Diverse Projects: Work on varied projects across different industries. Gain collaborative work experience by working on various assignments simultaneously with in-depth knowledge of the Salesforce Platform.
- Career Growth: Salesforce career paths have abundant opportunities for advancement and professional development.
- Skill Development: Gain expertise in Salesforce and other related technologies, enhancing your skill set.
- Impactful Work: Help businesses transform and improve their processes.
- Networking: Build connections with professionals and companies worldwide.
Salesforce Data Protection with CloudAlly
Successful certification requires preparation. CloudAlly’s expertly designed courses take care of everything. Check out the CloudAlly Academy Course List to broaden your knowledge base and discover possible job options.
Robust data security is essential in this digital age to prevent breaches of sensitive information, guarantee privacy, and uphold confidence. Protect your data to maintain compliance and resilience. The flagship course offered by CloudAlly Academy is “Principles of Salesforce SaaS Data Protection,” taught by eight-time Salesforce MVP and Hall of Fame inductee Francis Pindar. The nuances of data protection, particularly regarding Salesforce SaaS systems, are covered in detail. Francis Pindar, with years of experience in the field, offers significant insights to help you deal with data protection challenges. Start today with CloudAlly Academy and discover the secrets of Salesforce data protection. Enroll now!
