Becoming a Salesforce consultant may seem like a great opportunity to grow in a popular market. You may be entrepreneurial and looking for your next adventure but being a consultant is not for those who are afraid of a lot of hard work and long hours. If you’re unsure about making the jump into consulting for Salesforce, keep reading to see if this path is right for you.
Healthy Fear
A successful SFDC consultant has a healthy fear of not only losing their job, but also not having enough experience to be hired at a company regardless of the number of certifications they have. This fear is what drives them to work harder and be relentless in order to win clients and gain notoriety in the industry. Fear is a powerful motivator that pushes the truly driven SFDC consultant to go above and beyond for clients in order to deliver quality products and services again and again.
Reasons to Avoid This Career Path
This career path is not for everyone and in fact, it takes a specific personality to be successful in this career. Don’t become a Salesforce consultant if…
YOU THINK YOU DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Salesforce consultants know that in order to get anything in this business, they need to work for it. Nothing will be handed to you so it’s up to you to do what it takes get it.
YOU CAN’T HANDLE STRESS
If the stress of multiple iterations, unreasonable requests, thankless work, constant demands and unclear directives brings you sleepless nights, then do not pursue this path. Given the nature of this fast-paced, shifting industry, consultants need to be equipped to handle new challenges each day.
YOU CAN’T WORK UNTRADITIONAL HOURS
If the thought of taking your computer home every evening and weekend in order to continue to work on that workflow, complete a solution document, or to finish your tasks sounds unreasonable, this career is not for you.
YOU DON’T LIKE PEOPLE
If you struggle with talking to people, engaging with potential clients, and networking, you might want to pursue a different path.
YOU LACK A PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY
If technology is something you could take or leave, or can’t be bothered to understand, this industry probably isn’t a good fit for you.
COMPETITION UNNERVES YOU
The workforce in general is a place of competition. Working in technology is equally so, if not more competitive. Tech workers love to be recognized for their solutions and your suggested solution may lose out to a co-worker’s recommendation. If this is hard to live with or your response is to attack your co-worker, this is not for you.
YOU’RE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH OLDER TECH THAN IMPLEMENTING NEW
Likewise, if you don’t feel the need to update your technology or implement the latest tech, this career is not for you.
YOU HAVE NO CONSIDERATION FOR STANDARDS
Salesforce consultants are constantly utilizing best practices and working to meet their high standards. If that doesn’t sound like you, it may be a good idea to reevaluate what career path you want.
YOU ARE NOT A GOOD LISTENER
If you only hear instead of listen, this career is definitely not for you. A salesforce consultant needs to be able to actively listen to their client’s needs and then create solutions based on what the situation calls for. If you find yourself spending more time talking your clients in or out of things and less time listening to what they need, you should seek a different career path.
YOU CAN’T HANDLE WHEN USER ERROR IS YOUR FAULT
If you are uncomfortable with accepting blame when your actions warrant it, a career in SFDC consultancy might not be right for you. Successful consultants in this career understand that it is inevitable that they will make mistakes and make clients unhappy. That’s part of learning. But if you can’t handle your faults, you won’t be the consultant a client will fight to have on their side.
YOU GIVE UP ON PROBLEMS TOO QUICKLY
Finally, if you give up too quickly when a project is tough, this is not the right choice for you. At Salesforce, consultants deal with difficult projects all the time and need to be prepared to fail before they can succeed. Because of that, if you want to be a consultant you need to be determined and resilient.
Make the Leap
The above list is not meant to discourage readers but rather to emphasize the hard work that goes into being a consultant. So, if any of the reasons stated did not turn you away from embarking on this career path, you might just be ready to become a Salesforce consultant. Congratulations and welcome to the family! Being a Salesforce consultant is a rewarding career path and a great opportunity to make waves in a fast-growing industry as an entrepreneur.
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