The role of a Salesforce Consultant is pretty unique in the Salesforce universe. Most jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem (and in general) have salary variations that change by two main factors: skill/experience and location/cost of living. Salesforce Consultants, however, are influenced by a few more factors. Consultants may be either “functional” or “technical”, and many are self-employed, setting their own hours and rates. For a detailed understanding of what a Salesforce Consultant does, check out this great article.
Keep in mind, Salesforce Consultants often work with multiple Salesforce orgs at the same time. This may be a “pro” or a “con”, depending on the type of work you’re interested in. Most companies vary in how they do business, how they use Salesforce, and what they expect from a consultant. There isn’t a lot of “consistency” in this role – so if it’s something you’re considering, be aware that you might be working with a sales team in the financial services industry one day and a support team for mechanical products the next.
Average Salesforce Consultant Salaries
The following salary figures represent the average salaries for Salesforce Consultants based on our recent survey of over 3,500 respondents across 95 countries and more than 20 industries. If you would like the full read-out for all roles – including junior, intermediate, senior, and director-level positions – please download the full report.
North America
Much like other Salesforce roles, consulting salaries in the US tend to be the highest globally, even considering international conversion rates. And with CPQ being one of the most challenging things to work with in Salesforce, it’s no surprise that an experienced Senior CPQ Consultant ranks as the top income earner – exceeding $200K in the US – even out-earning a Senior Technical Consultant.
CPQ Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US ($) | $80,000 | $112,000 | $203,000 |
| Canada (C$) | – | $115,000 | $180,000 |
Functional Consultant
A Functional Consultant mostly focuses on declarative programming in Salesforce. This includes no-code or low-code solutions, business analysis, and likely user training and enhancements.
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US ($) | $74,278 | $105,660 | $161,517 |
| Canada (C$) | $81,333 | $112,375 | $151,000 |
Technical Consultant
A Technical Consultant typically has a background in development and has likely spent more time building complex code that declarative solutions cannot accomplish.
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US ($) | $72,909 | $101,879 | $129,261 |
| Canada (C$) | – | $105,000 | – |
Europe
Similar to North America, the survey found that CPQ Consultants once again rank as the top earners along the consulting roles surveyed. Also similar to North America, Functional Consultants tend to out-earn Technical Consultants.
CPQ Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (£) | – | £50,166 | £72,000 |
Functional Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (£) | £30,000 | £46,595 | £76,124 |
| France (€) | – | €48,305 | €58,333 |
| Germany (€) | €46,800 | €67,500 | €82,158 |
| Spain (€) | – | €42,000 | €50,375 |
| Netherlands (€) | €43,100 | €51,116 | €81,771 |
Technical Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (£) | £37,500 | £48,911 | £64,651 |
| Germany (€) | – | €68,861 | €85,777 |
| Spain (€) | – | €36,600 | €73,571 |
| Netherlands (€) | – | – | €72,000 |
Asia and Oceania
We don’t have survey results in Asia and Oceania for the CPQ Consultant, but the pattern above continues to hold, with Functional Consultants consistently earning slightly more than Technical Consultants.
Functional Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (AU$) | $66,250 | $113,000 | $159,625 |
| India (INR₹) | – | ₹304,500 | – |
Technical Consultant
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (AU$) | – | $120,000 | $148,360 |
| India (INR₹) | – | ₹1,035,625 | ₹2,277,000 |
| Philippines (PHP₱) | ₱400,000 | ₱800,000 | ₱2,500,000 |
Key Factors Influencing Salesforce Consultant Salaries
Relying on a single salary figure can be misleading without context. Various factors can lead to significant differences in salaries between professionals. In this section, we’ll explore the main factors that can impact your earning potential:
- Experience (Seniority)
- Certifications
- Generalists vs. Specialists
- Location
1. Experience (Seniority)
Naturally, people with more experience in a given area tend to earn more. This is because that experience grants them the ability to have come up with solutions to similar problems in the past, have seen how those solutions have played out, and know what is most likely to be successful in the future. The type of experience one has often matters as well.
Particularly with a platform like Salesforce, which changes frequently with three releases a year, an experienced consultant will understand how past changes have impacted the way an org uses Salesforce and be better able to predict the impact of future changes to the platform.
For example, in the US, a Junior Functional Consultant surveyed at $72K per year, while an experienced Functional Consultant with over five years of experience surveyed at more than double that rate – over $200K.
2. Certifications
Certifications can be a hot topic among experienced Salesforce Admins, Consultants, and Developers alike. There’s one camp that favors the opinion that certifications only validate that a person can memorize data, and other segments that feel that certifications can be helpful in teaching and confirming skills. Anecdotally, however, most people find that certifications are helpful for those with less hands-on work experience. This can demonstrate to a potential employer that you have the skills and knowledge, even if you may not have as much experience.
Survey results in terms of certifications for consultants are particularly interesting. While nearly 70% of consultants surveyed felt that having certifications enhanced their salary, the actual results showed that the number of certifications and type of consulting made a significant difference. Functional Consultants with zero certifications had an average salary of $91K, but with certifications, their salary did not exceed that amount until they had ten or more certifications.
Technical Consultants differed drastically. Technical Consultants with no certifications surveyed at $54K, but when they achieved even one certification, their salary exceeded $70K.
CPQ Consultants’ survey data was the most interesting – the highest salary was reported among consultants with just one to three certifications, with the salary dropping as the number of certifications increased.
3. Generalists vs. Specialists
Specializing in one particular area can be lucrative for Consultants. Our survey results found that CPQ Consultants were the highest earners across the board, likely because CPQ can be considered a challenging tool to work with and can take years for people to become truly proficient. There are many other areas in which a Salesforce Consultant could choose to specialize, including Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and other third-party applications.
4. Location
North America (and the US in particular) generally has the highest salaries globally. But even within the US, location matters quite a bit. For example, salaries in places like New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area tend to be higher than in the Midwest. Self-employed consultants may have more success setting a higher rate if they live in a high cost of living area, compared to a consulting firm that may have rates based on the company’s location. Familiarize yourself with the typical salaries in your area so that you can best negotiate a salary that compensates you fairly for your skill level.
How to Increase Your Salesforce Consultant Salary
If you want to increase your salary, this section is for you. Here are six ways to increase your salary:
1. Progress in Your Current Role
One of the most traditional ways to increase your salary is by progressing upwards in your company’s hierarchy. This doesn’t apply to self-employed consultants, of course, but if you’re at an agency, consider moving up to manage a team of consultants or projects.
2. Work in the Right Role and Team
Finding a team you work well with is just as important as finding a job you enjoy. You might find a great job but be part of a team that doesn’t work well together. Or perhaps you’ve found a great team, but the role isn’t the right fit for you. Finding both can be difficult, but it’s important to identify the kind of team dynamics you want to be part of. This will help you narrow down what to look for and find a manager who supports your professional growth.
3. Become a Specialist
It’s all about CPQ – our survey showed that’s where the money is. But that’s likely not the only specialization that can be lucrative. Salesforce offers many different ‘flavors’ and connected applications, and customers can struggle to find someone who is skilled in both Salesforce and another specific tool or app. And this may change over time – apps and tools come and go, companies get acquired, and older tools can be shut down.
If you can be the specialist who knows exactly what the customer needs, that can be an invaluable skill. However, be sure to keep your career path flexible. Specializing can be lucrative, but if your area of specialization becomes obsolete, you could be out of a job quickly. So, keep your skill up by staying aware of changes in the market and maintaining a basic knowledge of a few other tools and apps as well.
4. Nurture ‘In-Demand’ Skills
As I mentioned above, specializing is great, but it may leave you in a lurch if what you specialize in suddenly disappears. Knowing what is in demand right now (hello, AI!) can help you maximize your salary potential by giving you the ability to pivot to new skills that may become more lucrative as market demands shift over time.
5. Get Certified
Depending on the type of role or salary you’re aiming for, certifications may or may not be valuable to you. The general consensus is that certifications never hurt your chances and are usually either neutral or helpful. If you’re a newer consultant with not much experience, a certification can help demonstrate that you have the skills for a particular role. Or, if you’re trying to justify a salary increase, a certification can show your dedication to learning a new skill in the Salesforce environment.
6. Change Company Type or Industry
Aside from a promotion, changing jobs is probably one of the most common ways to increase your salary – especially if you’re moving into a higher-paying industry. For example, both the education and technology industries have common uses for Salesforce. However, the education sector typically pays much lower salaries than the tech industry – even for the same job in the same city.
Summary
The Salesforce Consultant role has so much variation within the role itself and it can be hard to quantify exactly what to expect in terms of salary. Hopefully, this survey provides the data you need to better understand typical Salesforce Consultant salaries in your area and based on your level of expertise.
Are you a Salesforce Consultant, or have you ever worked with one? What factors make a consultant stand out to you, and what do you think justifies a higher salary for a Salesforce Consultant? Let us know in the comments below!
