Salesforce CRM implementation guide

Lewis Fogel, President and CEO of FL Sales Consultants Inc, made a interesting analogy between painting a house and hiring a Salesforce Consultant firm to implement your CRM. He stated that before beginning any CRM implementation project, an organization must first plan and prepare for the “painting of the house”.

It’s the work we do on the front end that makes it all look good when we sit back and admire our job – and enjoy what we have accomplished, knowing that all the prep work has paid off.

Businesses must set goals, timeline, resources and budget to ensure a successful rollout.

Lewis’ analogy struck such a cord that it compelled us to put together a “painters checklist“ to help companies start their Salesforce CRM implementation planning.

Tips to help you get professional results:

Set a timeline and goals so that you don’t leave any walls half painted. Establish deliverables for each week to ensure progress and continuity.

Work with your Salesforce Consulting Partner to approach your CRM implementation as a strategic investment, not just as must use contact management database.

Get “quick-wins” by breaking up your project into smaller mini-projects. This will create internal support for the project while also increasing adoption

Select quality solutions from established CRM technology vendors and seek the assistance of reputable CRM implementation consultants. There are many CRM software options to choose from, you get what you pay for.

Make certain you have enough contingency in your project plan to address any project unknowns so that you don’t run out of resources while you are completing your project.

When using CRM plug-ins make sure that you evaluate and test them before you buy them.

Work with a CRM implementation partner to help you fill in gaps in expertise. This will ensure that you get the best coverage and return on investment.

To prevent surprises make sure that you communicate and communicate early to the steering committee and CRM Project Sponsors.