1. MVP Class 2018!
Shoutout to 36 new Salesforce MVPs and all those receiving a nod for another year. Being an MVP means you give selflessly to the community through mentoring, volunteering, organizing events, answering questions, and so many other ways that help others become successful.
Special shoutout to Linda Johnson, a former co-worker of Kristi & I’s, CONGRATS!!!!
See the full list here: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/03/2018-salesforce-mvps.html
2. Salesforce ‘Essentials’
Recently, through OfferUp I met a local business owner who came by my house to buy an old turntable (I recently upgraded to this Marantz beauty). As we were talking, I mentioned I work with a software platform called Salesforce.
His response, ‘oh, so you are the guy that makes it so complicated!’ He proceeded to tell me that he had tried Salesforce in the past could never get much benefit from it, and instead used OnePageCRM to manage his business.
I’ve heard similar complaints from many small business owners over the years and thankfully Salesforce has introduced a new offering that will allow us to have a better answer moving forward! While CRM essentials has been around for a few months in a sort of beta format, Salesforce added some new features this week, and officially rolled out the Essentials platform to the world (https://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/press-releases/2018/03/180313/).
Promising a rich feature set and easy setup, this is exciting news for SMBs, as they can get a world-class platform with the ability to grow with their business.
3. Saying YASSSS to Coffee
I love Chris Duarte’s post, Saying YASSS to Coffee. She highlights the benefits of coffee meetings, the important of helping, and making time to assist others.
As I noted to in A Perfect (Networking Circle) and Making the Jump, having coffee and getting advice from others helped launch my Salesforce career. It’s a simple and great way to learn from the experiences of others.
As my career has grown, I’ve had the opportunities to help others and like Chris Duarte, I’ve made a habit of saying YASSS. This may seem like a humble brag, but I assure you, this is the professional accomplishment I am most proud of over the last 3 year. Yesterday, a 6th person I’ve helped mentor received an offer to join a Salesforce consultancy and a 7th is just a few weeks away from getting the same.
All but one of the group have come from non-profit, higher ed, and public service positions and like myself, moving to Salesforce has really changed what they thought was possible in terms of their career. Having a new challenging, fulfilling career is its own reward, but for many in this group who are experiencing 30-100% income increases in one move, it quite literally changes their life in an instant.
Salesforce has been transformative in so many of our careers, so like Chris, find time for others, say yes to helping them, and I promise you the amount of joy you feel from seeing others succeed will match that of your own wins.