Historical data is only useful insofar as to tell us a story of what happened at that time. It doesn’t…
Are all hacks bad? Sometimes ‘short cuts’ are a necessary evil, especially when time is of the essence. When you’re…
I couldn’t believe my eyes. 😯The previous PM had left, and I had just taken over the project and it…
Ok I know things are rarely that simple. 😬 That’s why it isn’t a great idea to ‘outsource’ your data…
#DataQuality is everything.Especially with regards to a #CRM such as #Salesforce or #MicrosoftDynamics365. De-dupe.Merge.Clean.Delete.Enrich. A system is only as good as it’s data, and a lot…
Estimating #Discovery becomes easier with experience. There are times when we get it wrong, and we need more time to discuss items…
Do you remember when you first figured out how to ride a bike?Or made that dish that was not only…
The #Salesforce Discovery Dream Team.There are a few key roles that are necessary to run a proper Discovery. Broadly, the role categories…
#PreparePreparePrepareI think it’s better to over-prepare, than to under-prepare – as much as you can within the time that you…
There is only one scenario where it would be logical to… – have your sales team fill in 9 pages…
The Consulting #SalesProcess – it’s actually quite straightforward. As Delivery (as in part of the Project team that delivers projects) it pays…
Preparing for a new #Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟭𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 I think it’s quite a simple but incredibly important tip…
Preparing for a new #Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟵 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 I reckon that expenses won’t be as big a chore…
Preparing for a new Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟴 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁 As a consultant, you’ll have to do timesheets.…
Preparing for a new Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟳 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 This is the £64m question, and one that…
Preparing for a new Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟲 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 Just so you know, all PMs…
Preparing for a new Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 I wrote down the 12 tips that anyone…
Imagine being the Mistress of the skies for over 20 years. Grumpy passengers? Easily managed. 👍🏻Medical Emergencies? No problem. 👌🏻Unexpected…
Many of the larger Salesforce Partners had in-house training programme in place for their consultants, but there was nothing out…
The weeks preceding Go-Live are always so nerve wracking.– Deployment checks– Test scripts– Dress rehearsals– Data migration tests– Functional Testsetc…
“What? You want me to enter EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY?”“What do you mean I’ve got to keep them up to date?”“Every…
I hadn’t realised how much fun I’d have in doing #podcast interviews. What an amazing conversation I had with Chris Pearson, Salesforce Director…
I had a crush on McGyver. 😍Along with The Hoff in Knight Rider and that dude in Airwolf. There was…
Domain Excellence is the first element in my SaConJa* Skills Framework (sounds better than “Cog of Doom” doesn’t it?). This…
Cog of doom.Wheel of death. It’s the last time I ask Husband to help me name diagrams and stuff. 😑…
I’m doing this Thing on Thursday evening at 6pm BST.Kids will have to get their own dinner or eat each…
“How to be a Ninja Consultant in a #Salesforce Discovery.” It’s actually “How to run Discoveries really reallly well” – but that…
Help! Been invited to speak on 9 Sept and need help deciding on the topic! Paul Harris, founder of Coacto |…
I miss in-person #Discovery workshops. It’s an immersive experience, as we are there with the end users, the people who works the…
When a Salesforce Discovery isn’t done right by the Partner, it signals a very rocky project implementation. Here are a…
You need to go the extra mile to break into the Salesforce Ecosystem. Wise words from Justin Greenberg, #Salesforce BA/Product Owner/ Project Manager/…
“Here’s what I want – go forth and build.” Consulting engagements doesn’t really work that way. When clients engage a…
I have a graph of my cholesterol reading for the last 20 years, 📈although the data collection and graphing had…
Product champions – did they come first in a 3-legged product race? Nope, they help an organisation leverage its business…
How do you know when you’ve completed a user story?When– functionality has been built in sandbox?– test classes completed at…
It is inevitable that sales can sometimes paint a picture that is a little too beautiful, too bright and too…
Nuance and context is so important.Nowhere more so, than when having an intensively emotional conversation about life and death, as…
How long will you take to learn how to make donuts with only your feet? 👣Uhh … whut? Estimating #Salesforce…
“So talk to me about how you worked out your project estimates.” My ex-colleague, T, had just joined a company…
“So how many sandboxes will you have? Whaaaaat? 😱“Why do I need more than one?” “If you want to replace…
The speaker schedule is out WOOOOOT! Join my session at London’s Calling Ltd on 19th March 2021. You’ll hear how mastering Active…
The new IT Director showed me his CBAR-Cost Benefit Analysis Report.My right eyebrow went so far back it joined my…
“Hiring #Salesforce Functional Consultants – currently remote (so you can zoom with your pyjama bottoms). However, when all of us…
Salesforce has changed the way they are certifying their #SalesforcePartners and this is their definition of an Implementation Expert: A…
“The Functional Consultant role is 100% remote – how effective will I be when doing workshops?” M had gone through…
Who’s the most effective #CRM executive champion/sponsor? A. Finance Director B. CEO C. Marketing Director D. Sales Director E. Ops…
Do you build your CRM platform yourself or do you get someone to help you? Buying software that can be…
“I’m only being paid a fraction of what I’m billed out at. It’s not fair. I can run my own…
“We can do it all ourselves. It’s cheaper than getting a Consultant Partner to do it. How hard can it…
“Yes – you can name your variable ‘bob’ if you want to, but no – you shouldn’t.” Ninja #2 is…
It gives me goosebumps and shivers down my spine! No, it’s not my lovely Husband attempting to woo me with…
Which grabs your attention? I’m submitting a few topics to London’s Calling’s Call for Presentation/Speakers in March and What topic…
“You must try this restaurant, it’s got the most delicious pad thai – they even made me a non-peanut version…
Funky new features is not a good reason to get Salesforce. Although I admit, there are some features that are…
A beautiful new swimming pool in a hotel is not successful if no one is using it. “It’s too cold.”…
“So I’m calling to thank you for guiding me through the Consulting Masterclass – it helped so much during the…
Hot potato. Some partners treat their clients like hot potato when the organisational culture doesn’t promote cohesive behaviour. Sales will…
What do you call a consulting partner who misrepresents their internal capability and competency to the client and signs them…
2020 has been utterly crap for so many people. Job losses, financial insecurity, illness, death. There are so many LinkedIn…
Data Migration can be quite a complex and deserves to be treated as its own project. However, it’s generally an…
Bidding for new projects are tough, especially if it’s for Project implementation and not Discoveries. Sometimes, clients prefer us to…
In software consulting, for medium and larger projects of work, there’s generally two parts to the delivery that require Statement…
What’s your super power, may not be mine, and vice versa. Everyone has strengths in different areas. Growing up, I…
I am running my 3rd free Consulting Masterclasses on 28th September where I provide training in Consulting skills, project methodology…
Building a rocket to escape Zombie Apocalypse within 12 months (before they get to your isolated sanctuary and eat your…
The last ‘unemployed’ Salesforce consultant in my free consulting training just told me she’s got a job today!! It’s more…
“Are you saying I am going to get 3 weeks of FREE training, and you’re going to get me a…
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should. Just because you can integrate two systems and sync…
No catch. I’m offering 3 weeks worth of absolutely FREE Consulting Masterclass training, covering: – Consulting Engagement & Delivery –…
Executing the process design and requirement gathering workshops remotely is much more challenging than doing it face to face. A…
Data migration on a CRM Project is a much much bigger workstream than anyone thinks. Corrupt, inaccurate, inconsistent, irrelevant or…
The two things you need to get right if you are looking to implement a CRM system. Make sure that…
There is a skill in estimating how long a Discovery will take. For mid to larger sized projects, this can…
“Here’s the list of requirements, and the team’s estimation against each item. Go and create a project plan.” There’s no…
You can’t plan life like you can plan a project. Software development projects like Microsoft CE or Salesforce or SAP……
I use the project kick-off to great effect: – Team Introduction – Project brief (as we understand it) – Critical…
When estimating requirements, you need to remember the ‘non-functional requirements’ as well, especially around testing. – End-to-end – Integration (PtP…
I saw a contract job ad for a Salesforce admin that has excellent BA skills. My experience tells me that…
I run inductions for new hires for a Tier 1 Consulting Company, and was discussing with a Programme Director the…
Consulting Partners are required to quote against a set of requirements in a Statement of Work. These are generally acquired…
Writing requirements is easy. Writing GOOD requirements, tight User Stories, detailed Design Documents that: – is easily understood – is…
I believe that Hybrid model is the most appropriate methodology for Consulting engagements. Here’s why I think so. Consulting Partners…
“Here’s what I want – go forth and build.” Consulting engagements doesn’t really work that way. When clients engage a…
Apart from a poor attempt at doing puns (I normally leave that to hubby!) that is exactly what a Salesforce…
Ok, it’s not real ‘peril’ if you ignore these elements. It’s not like you’re going to crop down a cliff edge…
I was reading an excellent article written on Vantage Consulting‘s blog yesterday: “Finding the Right Salesforce Partner for your Business“.…
4.2 million Salesforce jobs by 2024? That’s the latest from IDC Salesforce Economy Whitepaper released in October 2019. That figure…
I’ve done both, and I’ve found each to have their own merit. Consultancy projects can be quite high-octane, very dynamic…