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With the NFL Draft just around the corner this Thursday, I find myself drawing parallels between the process of building a Salesforce team.
Born and raised in South Florida, I’ve always been a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan. The '72 Dolphins didn’t just give us the only perfect season in NFL history; they gave us something to bring up every season, no matter how the team performs. That taste of historic success keeps us loyally watching and hoping year after year.
Like any true Dolphins fan, I've witnessed my share of what happens when team dynamics falter—whether due to a poorly timed trade or those heartbreaking injuries. So, when building a Salesforce team, the goal is to recreate that '72 magic: flawless execution and unbeatable performance.
Understanding Key Roles in Salesforce Implementation
The Quarterback - Salesforce Project Manager
The project manager is like your team's quarterback. This person calls the shots and steers the project toward its goals. Just as a great quarterback can lead a team to victory, a skilled Salesforce project manager organizes tasks, mitigates risks, and ensures all stakeholders are on the same page. If this role isn’t filled with the right person, the whole project can end up like a season without a reliable quarterback—disorganized and failing to reach its potential.
The Offensive Line - Salesforce Developers
Salesforce developers are your team's offensive line, laying down the technical groundwork and protecting the project from potential threats (like buggy code or integration issues). Without a solid line of developers, your Salesforce environment might end up vulnerable, like a quarterback with no one to protect him. We’ve all seen games where the line crumbles—suddenly, everyone’s on edge, and not even the best plays can save the game.
The Running Back - Salesforce Administrators
Salesforce administrators are versatile running backs, handling numerous tasks that keep your system functioning smoothly. They tweak, customize, and manage daily operations like a running back who finds holes and gains yards wherever possible. Neglect this role, and your project might find itself losing ground fast—similar to a game where the running game never gets off the ground, leaving the team’s strategy one-dimensional.
Scouting and Drafting the Right Team
Identifying Talent
Just as any Dolphins scout looks for players who can handle the heat (both literally and figuratively), picking the right Salesforce team members requires a keen eye for talent that fits your company’s culture and project needs. Misjudging this can lead to a mismatch as glaring as an offseason trade that everyone regrets by Week 1.
Assessing Fit and Potential
Finding the right fit for your team is like the NFL Combine, where prospects show off their skills. Seeing potential team members in action is crucial—how do they handle pressure? Are they adaptable? Getting this wrong might mean your team doesn’t gel, much like a star player who can’t sync with the rest of the squad.
Training and Development
Onboarding and Initial Training
Imagine rookies at training camp; those are your new Salesforce team members during onboarding. They must learn the playbook—your business processes and Salesforce setup—to play effectively. Skimp on this training, and you send them onto the field without a helmet.
Ongoing Development and Upskilling
Continuous improvement is key in football and Salesforce alike. As players train off-season to stay sharp, your team should keep up with Salesforce updates and best practices. Without this ongoing development, your team might lose a competitive edge reminiscent of a team still running plays from the '90s.
Measuring Success and Making Adjustments
Performance Metrics
Setting clear performance metrics is like keeping stats in football. They help you understand what’s working and what’s not. Imagine a coach not reviewing game tapes after a loss. Without metrics, you can’t hope to improve your game (or your project).
Review and Adjust
Flexibility and the ability to pivot are crucial. If a play isn’t working, the coach needs to call an audible—similarly, if part of your Salesforce strategy isn’t working, be ready to adjust. This is where your project manager and your quarterback earn their stripes. And much like a football season, every implementation has its highs and lows. Success isn’t just about having a solid start; it's about adapting and persevering through challenges.
Resilience and adaptability are essential. We don't abandon our team when the going gets tough; instead, we regroup, retrain, and come back stronger. In your Salesforce projects, this same spirit applies. By continuously refining your team's strategy and ensuring everyone is in top form, you set the stage for ongoing success.
When the First Pick Doesn’t Pan Out - Adjusting Your Salesforce Strategy
Not every first-round draft pick turns into a Hall of Famer, and sometimes that player you had high hopes for ends up sidelined or doesn't quite mesh with the team. It's a tough break, but it’s not the end of the game—not by a long shot. In the world of Salesforce implementations, the same principle applies.
It happens. You’ve scouted, drafted, and trained, but your star player—the Salesforce administrator you thought would revolutionize your CRM—just isn’t meeting expectations. Perhaps they’re not adapting well to the company culture or system. What now?
First, don’t panic. Like a coach with an underperforming player, you look at your options. Can they be trained further? Do they need a different position where their skills can shine? Is it a matter of fit, and could a trade—perhaps moving them to another department—benefit everyone?
In some cases, you might need to cut your losses, which, while never easy, is part of the game. Having a contingency plan is critical, just like NFL teams have backup players ready to step in. Ensuring you have depth in your Salesforce team means you’re prepared to handle these changes without losing momentum. You reevaluate, reassess, and execute the next play with the same passion and precision.
Lastly, it's essential to learn from these experiences. As coaches analyze game footage to prevent future errors, take the time to understand what went wrong. Was it the onboarding process? Did the team dynamic play a role? Use this knowledge to refine your drafting strategy—your recruitment and hiring process—to better select candidates for future Salesforce roles.
Much like how Dolphins fans stick by our team through thick and thin, loyalty to the process and belief in your strategy are paramount in the Salesforce arena. You might encounter setbacks, but it's about the comeback, not the setback. You keep scouting for talent, training your players, and refining your plays. And when things don’t go as planned, you make the necessary adjustments, always with an eye towards that championship goal.
So, as you plan your Salesforce implementation, remember the lessons from the gridiron: draft wisely, train passionately, and adjust strategically.
Ready to see your Salesforce team shine? Evaluate your lineup and ensure you have the right players in the correct positions. Better yet, contact us, and let’s craft a winning strategy together.