Do they understand my industry?
With such a big market, there’s a lot of Salesforce consulting firms that have expertise in different parts of the broader ecosystem. Some firms specialize not just in nonprofits but specific sectors of the nonprofit market. There’s firms that focus on higher education, enterprise NGOs, political groups, and then smaller and medium-sized nonprofits and associations like Plutus! With so many options at your fingertips, It’s important to make sure that any potential partner has a basic understanding of your industry and how things work.
Does the firm know the difference between a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization? Do they understand terms like fundraising and memberships? Do they understand what programs are? If they don’t, you can expect not only a worse customer experience but also a more costly one as generally firms charge just to learn about your industry. For this reason, it’s always good to understand how knowledgeable a partner is about your industry before entering into an engagement.
Is their pricing transparent?
Every firm has different pricing models and packages but not all firms are the same when it comes to pricing transparency. Is a potential vendor willing to give you their hourly rates or is their pricing sheet more like solving a puzzle? How are invoices issued and will I be aware if a project is going outside of scope -- or will I just get a surprise bill?
Ensuring that you have an understanding of how pricing, billing, and invoicing works is key to keeping costs under control and maintaining a healthy partner relationship. Many firms won’t proactively disclose this type of information during the sales process so it’s always worth asking for clear documentation.
Do they speak in terms I can understand?
You likely aren’t a Salesforce guru and you shouldn’t need to be when talking to a potential partner. Advisors should be able to explain things in lay terms and give you a broad understanding of any project or feature they’re pitching you on. If a sales guy is throwing buzz words and terms at you like “4th industrial revolution!” “creative disruption!” “innovative strategic approach!” it might be time to look somewhere else.
Before signing with any partner, you should be able to easily understand exactly what the firm does, how they can help empower you and your users on Salesforce, and what the process looks like. If you don’t have a strong understanding of this, you might get trapped in a relationship that sours for both parties.
What do they actually do?
Setting expectations for services before signing any contract is key. It’s helpful to understand if a vendor tells you your organization will receive 20 hours of services for a project, what exactly that entails. Does it mean they’re going to go in and do the work? Or are they just going to advise you on how to do something yourself?
Does your plan include set time for meetings and check-in points with a real person or does all communication need to be through an online ticketing portal? Understanding exactly what a specific service entails, how the consultant will work with you, and what their processes are is key to your success.
Do they offer ongoing support?
A lot of consulting groups will help you get up and running on Salesforce or build something inside of your system but don’t provide support or training after. Salesforce is a powerful tool and while some groups have internal resources that can handle all of their system needs, many need some form of ongoing outside help.
If ongoing support is something your organization needs, you should clearly ask if the firm offers those services before signing a contract. It’s generally better to receive ongoing support from the firm who built something for you since they’ve already invested in learning about your processes, have relationships with your staff, and understand your workflow. Consistency is key.
Are they really experts?
Many technology consulting companies focus on implementing and supporting multiple pieces of technology. Some firms support Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft Dynamics, RaisersEdge, and a plethora of other systems through consulting and implementation packages. If a firm tells you they implement and and work with all platforms that should raise a red flag. Firms that specialize in everything are generally never experts in anything.
For example, Plutus and our staff are generally tech savvy and could probably implement a client on Microsoft Dynamics. But would that really be the best experience for the customer and us since we don’t generally work with the system? The answer is likely no and it will almost always lead to higher costs, slower delivery, and unexpected delays and pain points. It may seem attractive to go to a firm that has multiple specialties but sometimes that can lead to problems and headaches.