What is Salesforce CPQ?
13 Nov, 2024
As a new or current Salesforce customer, hiring a Salesforce Administrator is a vital part of getting the CRM on its feet and becoming an integral part of the business.
Salesforce Administrators are the brains behind the organisation and customisation of the Salesforce software, and finding the right person will ensure that your CRM is on top form. But whether you’re new to Salesforce or struggling to find the right candidate for the job, your search will only be as good as the processes you have in place.
There are more things to consider when hiring a Salesforce Administrator than you may realise, so we've compiled together the steps and professional skills to look for when you start your hiring journey.
We sat down with Josh, our Delivery Manager to discuss this and how you can hire the best Salesforce Administrator for you.
Salesforce Administrators and the current market
Understanding the current recruitment market for Salesforce Administrators is the first important step to recruiting for this position.
After the United States with 47% of Salesforce’s total users of the CRM, the UK is second with 13.7% and the biggest Salesforce market in Europe, with over 1,500 Salesforce Administrators in work currently and many more on their way to becoming certified.
The recruitment market is incredibly high for this role but can vary depending on the time of year and the need for those with specific experience or skills. But when it comes to the Salesforce Administrator market, however, the demand is constant and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
“There are a lot more people coming into Salesforce due to its growth year on year, which in turn will increase the number of potential candidates.”
Speaking with Josh, he discussed why they are in such high demand and how they can be so beneficial for your business.
“Admins are those who question ‘There must be a better way how we can do this’ and then find the ways that can better enhance the Salesforce platform.”
“Any company with a substantial number of Salesforce users or size of business will need an administrator. There’ll be a point in time where a business will want to change their current usage of the platform, enhance current features, or want to improve the current process, and this is where the Salesforce Administrator comes in.”
Advice for Employers
Before you jump in and start your search for a Salesforce Administrator you need to ensure that you are fully prepared, especially if it’s your first time hiring for the role. So you have a base for your start to recruiting, Josh gave us the top three things you need to have in place for a successful hire.
Have a Roadmap Ready
“Before bringing anyone in as an administrator, you first need to understand where you want to go with it.”
Roadmaps are essential for any business that is new to or wants to get more from Salesforce, as it will guide both you and the Salesforce Administrator to ensure you’re both on the same path.
“Having a Roadmap will ensure that you know what you want to achieve with your Salesforce CRM. Plus sharing the roadmap with that potential admin is key to helping both the employer and candidate through the interview stages.”
“Don’t wait until you’ve hired someone to say, ‘We don’t know what we want from it’, as there could end up being miscommunication which can lead to the candidate leaving and the employer then not getting the most out of the platform.”
Here are some things to consider before you start your search:
- What it is you want from your CRM e.g., increased lead generation, more personalised fields, decrease in churn? etc.
- Know your short-term and long-term goals. For example, create a 6-month and 12-month plan
- Issues you and your team come across when using the platform that the Admin will be required to solve
Get your Interview Process in place
Now you know what it is you want from the Salesforce CRM and the administrator, it’s time to start thinking about interviews. But as with any stage of the hiring process, you need to plan how you will conduct the interview. But if you're not with a recruiter, then you must get the process down correctly.
“You need to figure out who's going to speak to them first, the number of stages, will you do a 30-minute or an hour cultural assessment, then will you do a technical assessment or have it the other way round?”
“From a recruiter's perspective and on the candidate's side, a cultural interview and an assessment second is best. This way the candidate gets more of a buy-in and is more likely to do a technical assessment if needed.”
Yet if you feel that you need more assistance during the interviews, Steadman Brown has partnered with InterWho, an interview platform service that brings Salesforce experts in to conduct and offer their expertise through the interview process. So, if you are unsure of how to spot the best admin for you, InterWho’s experts can help.
Know your Budget
Bringing on a Salesforce Administrator is a huge step for any business, but before you start the hiring process you need to understand what it is you want from your Salesforce Administrator. Why? Because that’ll impact not just what you get from the candidate skills-wise, but also your budget.
“Some clients we’ve spoken to wanted an admin that could do everything…But then their budget was too low, so we then advised them on a route to take which they then realised, ‘Oh we didn't know it's going to cost this much.’”
“So having a realistic budget and approach to hiring an admin is very important.”
If you’re a new Salesforce customer or haven’t used Salesforce to its full capabilities just yet, you need to be mindful that bringing on a Salesforce Administrator with years of experience may not be the best solution as it can increase your budget tenfold.
Skills to look for in an Administrator
As a leading Salesforce recruitment agency, we are experts in finding the best Salesforce talent and understanding the skills they need to succeed in the role. But you also have to know what these skills are to ensure you hire the best candidate.
Not every employer will hire someone for the same personal skills, but these are the top professional skills that Josh discussed all Salesforce Administrators will need to possess.
- Communication – Salesforce Administrators need to be able to communicate with both stakeholders and members of the business effectively so everyone can clearly understand what needs to be done. Not everyone is going to understand the technical side of Salesforce, so knowing how to translate that into layman's terms is important.
- Be Reactive – For someone to be a successful Salesforce Administrator, they need to be reactive. Do they see a problem or a process that can be fixed/improved before having to be nudged by the employer? They need to think ‘How can I automate this type of process; how can we optimise?’ and then put that into practice.
- Knows Flows - Any good admin will also have flow experience and be able to demonstrate that well. It's now standard within Salesforce, but every business will need one or use it to create a seamless process. Especially now, as you can automate a process without using code meaning Salesforce Admins can assist in that.
- Resourcefulness – Salesforce is always evolving and expanding on what it offers to its customers, and being resourceful in knowing where to find up-to-date information is key to expanding knowledge. For admins, this is important as they will be the go-to person for changes and updates to the platform and without that knowledge, they can’t implement or show users and stakeholders what these changes will do to the CRM.
Find your Administrator with Steadman Brown
The next and final step to finding the right Salesforce Administrator for your CRM is to work with those who understand the market best.
You could do the recruitment search yourself, but if you have no previous knowledge or understanding of the role whether that be skills, salaries, etc., how can you know you’re bringing on the right person?
Steadman Brown is a leading Salesforce Recruitment agency working with companies both nationwide and internationally, covering all major fields within Salesforce. We can assist with your recruitment from beginning to end, helping you find who you’re looking for, and what you need to be ready.
We’re all Salesforce trained and certified, technically screening our candidates before they come to you. We won’t send an abundance of CVs either, as we only send the applicants who are the best and most suited for your role.
Conclusion
We know you want to bring a Salesforce Administrator onto your team as soon as possible, but rushing the process without any preparation can hinder your chances greatly.
Preparing and understanding what you need to successfully hire a Salesforce Administrator (especially if you’re a new Salesforce customer) is crucial. Without either, your search can become tiresome, lead you to candidates who are not suitable, or end up leaving a sour taste in your mouth for Salesforce and administrators.
