Sales Team Tips: Getting Started with Salesforce

There are a hundred different CRM options available today. Chances are your team hasn’t worked with all of them. One of the most popular solutions in today’s market is Salesforce, a cloud-based CRM solution that allows for full customization regardless of company size.

If your company is using, or going to be implementing, Salesforce, here are a few tips for onboarding employees quickly and easily.

Salesforce training

The most obvious first step is setting up Salesforce training sessions for your team members. There’s no right or wrong answer for training, and there are plenty of solutions out there. However, most training sessions are more than your team needs to get started. Find one that works for what you need by determining what your team will be doing each day. 

Make your team members start with training sessions that match their daily responsibilities. While you may have sales team members move into more of a marketing role, starting as a sales user will allow them to jump in faster. Broader courses can be added over time and completed as the person becomes more familiar with the platform.

Try courses such as Trailhead’s Sell Lightning Fast with Sales Cloud. This course is designed to help sales reps learn the basics of the platform so they can start selling. Or, try Udemy’s Complete Salesforce & Salesforce1 New User Training Course. Udemy’s course takes new users through the ins and outs of Salesforce and customizing your install.

Check out this compilation of Salesforce training opportunities if neither of these options fit your needs.

Document your processes

Write. Stuff. Down.

Develop standard processes and flows for your Salesforce install. Then, make sure they’re documented and easily accessible across departments using the tool.

Document the steps necessary to complete repeatable tasks. These can include activities such as creating a lead, converting a contact, making an opportunity. By doing so you can ensure data consistency across the platform. When processes are documented, every person knows the exact series of actions required to complete an action. Everyone on your team can access those documents at any time should they have questions, and team members will be consistent when asked for assistance.

Develop a standard training repository for all of your tools, including Salesforce. Doing so can improve productivity and performance. With access to guides or training help, team members can get answers to the questions they need in a self-service method. This will improve morale through autonomy. Furthermore, it will allow Managers or Admins to focus their energies elsewhere.

Finally, as a best practice, create a training repository for all of your tools and programs, not just your CRM.

Salesforce can be a powerful tool if used correctly. Put your best foot forward and set your team up for success. With these two, simple tips you’ll be well on your way.