How do you know which companies use Salesforce?

So you’re looking to get started with Salesforce Freelancing and Consulting. The problem is that how do you know who to reach out to? Who is looking for help? It’s very straight forward to create a website with a contact us form and wait for the leads to pour in, but the reality of it is that unless you’re ready to shell out a lot of money for inbound marketing strategies, you’re more than likely will need to take time and go on the offensive. Welcome to outbound prospecting.

But how can you find people to reach out to (and those who are seeking help)? In our ongoing series, Bradley Rice and I take on one of the great methods of outbound prospecting. Check out below:

Searching for those organizations using Salesforce

One great way to start is to look at job postings in many different websites, such as LinkedIn. And yes, unless you’re looking for a full-time job, you will need to reach out and make the case for them to consider an independent consultant such as yourself. It takes a few precision moves to get where you are looking for, but if executed correctly, you will almost certainly land your first client.

Most websites for job posters will share several ways to save some searches. Feel free to create a few and try to check in on them every day. Remember your strength: Hiring takes time, it’s painful. An independent consultant can cut through a lot of red tape and get started, many times without them even having to stop searching for a full-time hire. This will buy you time to make your case and perhaps convince them that a body in a seat isn’t needed. Smaller companies struggle to know exactly what they need, and many times giving them an extra option

Get your foot in the door

Once you find your jobs, what next? Well, I wouldn’t recommend you to submit a resume saying I’m a full-time consultant seeking a consultant role. That’s not what they want. If you’ve read the post above, you may have even realized that they may not even know what they want, but the point is that you need to play ball and get in front of someone that would be working/managing this Salesforce expert they are looking to hire.

I personally believe many smaller companies (running 50 users or less) may not know what they need in Salesforce, and they are pulling the trigger for a Salesforce Administrator without 100% certainty if that’s what they really need. They googled one or two things before putting a job post together, and voila! A job posting is published on LinkedIn.

As Bradley comments, take the time to write a good resume, and submit it. Smaller companies also have easier orgs and simpler requirements, so your resume may stand out due to your experience in comparison to those who may be applying. Remember that the main point is to speak to someone who you would be working with in that company.

The Interview for the Salesforce Job

Now it’s time to be upfront and not waste anyone’s time. You have their attention, and it’s time to make your case and justify why. Take the time to go through them and remember the key strengths of an independent consultant vs a full-time administrator. Common examples as to why a Salesforce consultant may be better are the following:

• Your experience would help them make sure they always use best practices
• You can get started right away (it’s much easier to hire a contractor than an employee)
• It would cost the same (if not a lot cheaper, remember they don’t have to pay benefits, taxes, etc) to work with a part-time independent consultant at the end of the day

“I don’t know, that’s not what we are looking for”

Get your surprise face ready, because that one is probably coming. Why would they trust you? Their gut feeling is that a body in a seat is the better bet. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, time to explain why they should trust you. Because at that point, at least one side of the table will be on the defensive, surprised by the fact that this was not that they originally intended to do for their Salesforce needs. Which brings me to the most important tool in a freelancer’s arguments.

Are you ready? Get ready to practice this one in front of the mirror a few times, because here’s where you absolutely need your game face on.

Turn to them and say “Well, I understand that may not be what you were originally looking for. But here’s what we can do: we can do a two-three week trial. Keep the job posting going for the time being just in case this doesn’t work out. But at least we can get you guys going on a few requests and start getting a few things in order with your Salesforce org. That way I can show you how valuable I am”

What have you just done?

• You’ve broken down most of their worries
• You’ve given them a low-risk alternative (offer a lower rate for the trial or offer the trial for free)
• You give them the option to keep their Plan A active, just in case. Which they won’t need (because you will do such an awesome job for them)

And you may not know this, but large Salesforce consulting firms do the same exact thing to companies when trying to earn their business. Building free proof of concepts, doing blueprinting sessions for free, anything to try to get an advance over a competitor to earn the customer’s bid. Now, this may take a few attempts, so get ready. This will likely not work on the first attempt. But do this a couple of times and it’ll be almost certain you’ll get a call back. You’ve made your impression and some of them may come back afterwards if they can’t find a good candidate to hire (or if they realize what they were willing to pay in salary wasn’t enough to hire who they are looking for).

So best of luck out there, and remember that we believe in you!  

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