How to Futureproof Your Skills as a Salesforce Consultant

The world is moving fast, faster than ever – every day, new technologies bring us new things to learn and master. If we don’t, we risk becoming outdated. The same applies to us, Salesforce Consultants. I still remember back in 2014, when I started in the Salesforce world; this was my reality:

• Wearing a suit every day, with a proper tie and a company pin.
• Working from 9 until… late.
• Using Salesforce Classic.
• Using change sets for deployments.
• The main needs of customers were how to move from paper-based/Excel to CRM.

And in just 10 years, so many things have changed that sometimes it’s hard to keep pace. Now we can work from anywhere (including the couch!) and we’re more flexible with our schedules – more responsibility-based. We have Trailhead to learn from, we do more point-and-click than ever, and we don’t have to use change sets anymore (I don’t miss the little fish turning red – old consultant joke).

With all these changes, we consultants also need to adapt and make sure we stay up to date with these new trends. Improving our skills ensures we can meet our customers’ evolving needs – especially with this new wave of AI shaping the future.

So, my goal here is to illustrate which skills are needed, which tools Salesforce Consultants can use in this new, speedy world, and how to build a strong profile in the age of AI.

Old Skills vs. New Skills

Old Skillset

• Strong skills in analysing Excel and visualizing the Salesforce Data Model.
• Deep knowledge of Classic Salesforce.
• Manual deployment processes (change sets, etc.).
• Heavy reliance code for more complex activities.
• Waterfall project delivery with on-site consulting.

New Skillset

• Lightning and AI Readiness: Familiarity with Lightning Experience and the generative AI capabilities within Einstein.
• Agile and Remote Collaboration: Comfort working from anywhere, using tools like Slack, Teams, Zoom, and Agile project management.
• DevOps and Automation: Understanding modern DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and solutions like Copado or Gearset.
• No-Code Mindeset: Proficiency in Salesforce Flow for automation.
• Data Analytics: Ability to slice and dice data using Tableau (or CRM Analytics), dashboards, and reporting to offer data-driven insights.
• AI and Machine Learning Basics: Understanding how AI is being embedded into Salesforce and how it can elevate customer experiences.
• Value: Translate customer data into real improvements leveraged by AI tooling.

Essential Skills for Modern Business Analysts and Consultants

• Business Analysis and Strategy:
  • Translating complex requirements into clear user stories.
  • Managing stakeholder expectations by learning to say no at the right moment.
  • Designing scalable processes that leverage Salesforce AI capabilities.
  • Live by the rule of time, budget, and scope.
• Technical Awareness:
  • Knowing when to leverage clicks (Flows) vs. custom code.
  • Understanding integrations, APIs, and platform limits.
  • Ability to configure and manage security, sharing, and identity features.
• Data Literacy:
  • Ability to design a data management strategy.
  • Ability to define data models that drive meaningful insights.
  • Familiarity with analytics tools – everything from basic reports to advanced dashboards.
  • Comfortable using machine learning outputs (like AI-driven recommendations)
• Design Thinking and User Experience:
  • Skill in prototyping user experiences with modern tooling (e.g. Lightning App Builder, Figma).
  • Prioritizing end-user adoption through design simplicity.
• Change Management:
  • Communicating the ‘why’ behind new processes or AI enhancements.
  • Training end users and driving adoption in a digital-first environment.
  • Train end users on the importance of data quality.

Tools to Support Your Consulting Journey

• Collaboration and Productivity:
  • Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom for real-time collaboration (if you can choose, always go for Slack).
  • Trello, Jira, or Asana for Agile project tracking.
  • Notion.AI: All-in-one workspace with AI capabilities.
  • Mural: For collaboration and visualization.
  • ChatGPT, Antrophic, Gemini: Great for brainstorming, code snippets, and generating user stories or test scripts.
  • Grammarly: Improving writing quality and clarity.
  • Otter.ai: Meeting transcription and note-taking.
  • Beautiful.ai: For presentations.
• Salesforce DevOps:
  • Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), with vendors such as Gearset or Copado.
  • GitHub and VS Code: Version control and modern development environment.
  • Salesforce CLI: For those advanced tasks and automations.
• Salesforce AI and Analytics:
  • Data Cloud: Salesforce’s own customer data platform (CDP), that ingests and transforms data from the CRM, and then activates data (e.g. for marketing automation and analytics platforms).
  • Einstein: Next-level AI for generating insights and content.
  • CRM Analytics and Tableau: Advanced analytics, predictions, and data visualizations. Note that Salesforce is aiming to consolidate their analytics offerings. 
  • Agentforce: Build and manage autonomous agents for tasks across various business departments. Agentforce 2.0 is new on the scene.  
  • Prompt Builder: Build prompt templates and deploy them for users and agents to use.  
• Play and Learn:
  • Simple Demo Orgs (SDO): Try and test new products, including demoing them to your clients.

Building a Good Profile and Staying Relevant

• Salesforce Certifications:
  • Administrator and Advanced Administrator: Core knowledge base.
  • Consultant Certs (Sales, Service, Experience): Domain expertise – Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Experience Cloud.
  • Platform App Builder: Low-code capabilities, essential in the AI-driven era
  • Specialty Certs (CPQ, Account Engagement, Marketing Cloud). Stand out with specialized solutions.
  • Data Cloud Consultant: Master the Salesforce Data Orchestrator.
  • AI Associate and AI Specialist: AI-Focused.
• Soft Skills:
  • Communication and Presentation: Translating technical jargon into business language.
  • Problem-Solving: Thinking on your feet, especially when AI-driven automations don’t go as planned.
  • Adaptability: Being ready to pivot to new features, new methods, and new challenges.
• Online Presence and Learning:
  • Stay active on LinkedIn and follow the right influencers (there are many – here are just a few names):
    • Mike Gerholdt, Admin Evangelist
    • Tom Bassett, Salesforce Solution Architect
    • Aaron Crear, Salesforce Architect
    • Melissa Shepard, Salesforce CTA
    • Pei Mun Lim, Author of Salesforce Discovery 101
    • Cheryl D. Feldman, Salesforce Product Manager
    • Adam Olshansky, Salesforce Architect
    • Rakesh Gupta, Founder of Automation Champion
  • Engage in Salesforce events: Trailblazer Community events, World Tours, Dreamin’ events.
  • Follow the rights blogs:
    • Salesforce Time: Tips for Salesforce Flow and platform updates.
    • Purposeful Architect: Architect and Business analysis strategies.
    • SFApps: Tips to help admins thrive in the Salesforce environment.
    • Automation Champion: Salesforce automation with expert tutorials and training.
    • The Good Enough Consultant: Consulting advice.
    • Ashish Agarwal: Tutorials and guides to boost Salesforce administration skills.
    • CertifyCRM.com: Enhancing Salesforce setups, especially using Flow Builder.
    • SF9to5.com: Admin tips and CPQ strategies for B2B Salesforce users.
    • Unofficial Salesforce: Installed Actions and Components for Salesforce Automation products
    • And, of course, don’t forget about Salesforce Ben!
  • Keep building Trailhead badges, superbadges, and demonstrate continuous learning.

Summary

We live in an era of rapid change where AI is powering a new generation of Salesforce solutions, and it’s our responsibility as consultants to keep up. By focusing on the right mix of technical (Lightning, DevOps, AI) and soft skills (communication, design thinking, adaptability), and by leveraging the right tools (Copado, Gearset, Einstein, CRM Analytics, Agentforce), we can deliver top-notch solutions that thrill our customers.

So, embrace that inner drive to learn, stay curious, experiment with new features the moment they come out, and remember; it’s not just about keeping up – it’s about leading the way. No matter how far technology goes, projects are always made from people to people!

Any thoughts to share? Don’t forget to leave them in the comments below.