What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is the most widely used of the CRM platforms available. It provides businesses, large and small, with incredible software that can be easily customized to adapt to the way you do business.
Best of all, it’s affordable! Salesforce has a variety of pricing plans to choose from, so you can find the one that fits your business needs.
Salesforce is virtually ubiquitous in customer relationship management (CRM). For decades, the company has dominated the industry.
It continues to innovate features to increase sales revenue, improve customer service and grow businesses. It is primarily a CRM software company, but its products integrate sales, service marketing, and analytics into one system.
It offers tailored solutions for small businesses for sales and marketing. A very popular essentials level platform is also available for general use. Salesforce is our top choice for a CRM system to grow your business.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is the perfect way to manage your sales team and customer relationships. It gives you all the tools you need to stay organized and efficient while keeping your customers happy. With Salesforce Sales Cloud, you can:
- Stay connected to your sales team from anywhere
- Get real-time insights into your sales pipeline
- Manage your customer relationships with ease
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a robust marketing automation tool.
What are the Various Salesforce Platforms?
There are four main platforms in the Salesforce ecosystem:
- Salesforce Sales Cloud (Salesforce CRM)
- Salesforce Service Cloud
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Each edition has its own specific features and benefits that cater to different businesses.
Additionally, there are numerous other products from Salesforce that serve specialized needs such as CPQ or Configure, Price, and Quote software.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is the most popular version and is perfect for businesses of all sizes who want to manage their sales team and customer relationships effectively.
Salesforce Service Cloud is ideal for businesses that want to provide excellent customer service and support.
Marketing Cloud is perfect for businesses that want to create, automate, and measure their marketing campaigns.
Commerce Cloud is ideal for businesses that want to create a seamless online shopping experience for their customers.
Sales Cloud - Salesforce CRM
- Stay connected to your sales team from anywhere
- Get real-time insights into your sales pipeline
- Manage your customer relationships with ease
Salesforce Service Cloud
- Provide excellent customer service and support
- Stay connected with customers across channels
- Get insights into customer behavior
Marketing Cloud
- Create, automate, and measure marketing campaigns
- Segment and target customers for personalized campaigns
- Analyze customer behavior to get insights
- A comprehensive marketing automation platform
Commerce Cloud
- Create a seamless online shopping experience for customers
- Get insights into customer behavior
- Increase conversions with personalized experiences
Which Salesforce Edition is Right for You?
Salesforce Editions
Salesforce offers four editions of its software platforms: Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited.
Salesforce Essentials Edition
Salesforce Essentials, released in 2017, is Salesforce’s small-business-focused service. Although the software giant is known for offering products that are geared toward small businesses, they have primarily suited these solutions to medium-sized and larger businesses. Salesforce Essentials supports only 10 users and was designed for small businesses. Salesforce Essentials is affordable, which is important for small businesses. It’s designed for the small guy at every level.
The name Salesforce Lightning Essentials may refer Salesforce Essentials to. Salesforce Lightning is a separate product, so this second name can be confusing.
Salesforce Professional Edition
Unlike the Lightning Essentials, Lightning Professional has no user limits. This edition is a suitable solution for mid-sized companies with finite product and service offerings and a single sales unit.
- Campaign management
- Rules-based lead scoring
- Lead assignment and routing
- Mass emails
- Contract management
- Products and price books
- Quote and order management
- Case management
- Google apps integration (Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, etc.)
- Process builder to automate business processes
- Developer Sandbox to develop and test new functionalities
Salesforce Enterprise Edition
Many companies have to choose between the Salesforce Enterprise Edition or Professional Edition. This is often the most difficult choice. If you need Enterprise-exclusive features, Lightning Enterprise is the best choice.
Security
Lightning Professional allows you to configure security only. We can create only two custom profiles. Each user has a standard profile that cannot be edited. Salesforce Enterprise gives you complete control over the actions of your users.
Salesforce Lightning Integration
If you have multiple systems to integrate with Salesforce, the Enterprise version is required. Lightning Professional can only integrate with limited third-party applications. If you cannot find the right app in Lightning Professional, you will need the Salesforce API, which is an Enterprise-level function.
Automation
All Salesforce Editions include the web-to-lead automation feature. The Lightning Enterprise Edition (EE), besides web-to-lead automation and Process Builder, offers Workflow Rules and additional processes in Process Builder.
Customization
This is another major difference between Enterprise Edition and Professional Edition. EE includes mode validation rules, custom fields, custom apps, custom fields, and mass mailing analytics. Dashboards are also available. Below is a breakdown of customization options between EE and PE.
- Validation Rules per object: 20 vs. 100 (PE vs EE respectively)
- Custom Fields per object: 100 vs. 500
- Custom Fields on Activities: 20 vs. 100
- Custom Tabs: 10 vs. 25
- Custom Objects 50 vs. 200
- Custom Apps: 5 vs. 10
- Custom Reports: 50 vs. 200
Advanced Reporting
Advanced Reporting features include history tracking, bucketing, and joined reports.
Custom Profiles, Page Layouts, Roles, and Permissions
These options allow the administrator to set different levels of access to the User object and fields in the system. The Professional Edition can allow up to two of each, while the Enterprise Edition offers unlimited options.
Record Types
Administrators can set up different page layouts and picklists for different users. Enterprise Edition (EE) allows unlimited Record Types per object. Professional Edition (PE), however, only allows for 3 of these types.
Process Builder
This allows administrators to automate business processes within Salesforce. EE allows unlimited possibilities, while PE only allows for 5 processes per org.
Workflows and Approvals
Allow the administrator to automate items according to certain criteria, such as creating tasks, updating fields, or sending emails notifications. This feature is only available with Unlimited and Enterprise Salesforce Editions.
Web Services API
This allows you to link your Salesforce org to other platforms and systems such as ERP, Accounting, or Marketing systems. Many of these options are compatible with the Professional Edition. However, others may not. You will need to use the API capabilities of Salesforce to create a custom Salesforce Integration with your backend system. APIs are only available for Enterprise and Unlimited Salesforce Editions.
Sandboxes & Data Storage
PE includes 10 Developer Sandboxes and 20 MB of data storage per user. There are 25 Developer Sandboxes and 20 MB of data storage per person. EE also offers 1 Partial Sandbox and 20 Developer Sandboxes. EE also has 2GB of file storage.
Unlimited Edition
Salesforce Unlimited Edition is ideal for large organizations with thousands of users. If you require the most functionality, customization, and support, the Lightning Unlimited Edition is for you. There are some limitations between the Unlimited and Enterprise Salesforce Editions:
- 100 vs. 500 validation rules
- 500 vs.800 custom fields per object
- Custom objects 200 vs. 2000
- 25 vs. an unlimited number of lightning applications, etc.
You’ll also get the best functionality and 24/7 toll-free help, access to the premium knowledge base, developer support that facilitates custom codes development, and multiple Developer Pro Sandboxes to test and develop new functionalities.
So, which one is right for you?
The answer depends on a few factors:
First, what size company do you work for? They designed Salesforce Enterprise Edition for large companies with over 250 users. If your company is smaller than that, another edition might be a better fit.
Second, what features do you need? Salesforce Unlimited has all the features of the other editions plus some extras like Sales Cloud voice and Service Cloud console. However, if you don’t need those extra features, another edition might be a better value for you.
Third, how much customization do you need? If you need to customize Salesforce extensively to fit your business, the Developer edition might be the best choice. However, if you don’t need a lot of customization, another edition might be a better fit.
Fourth, what is your budget? If money is no object, then the Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited Edition might be the best choice. However, if you are working with a limited budget, another edition might be a better fit.
There is one additional edition available for Salesforce developers. The edition is called the Developer Edition. There is access to the Lightning Platform. It lets developers extend Salesforce, integrate with other applications, and develop new tools and applications. It is one of the best productivity tools offered by Salesforce. Developer Edition also provides access to many of the features available in the Enterprise Edition.
Salesforce cost is often the primary reason organizations struggle to justify the Salesforce CRM cost.
Salesforce CRM Pricing
Sales force pricing can confuse you if you look at its 15 “editions.” Many of these have multitiered bundles, which vary in price and feature. The Salesforce pricing model has the popular Sales Cloud edition priced with four subscription options. Salesforce’s rep told us that the Salesforce.com pricing for the Essentials plan was the most popular option for small businesses. It is also the only version without an annual commitment. One feature that exists across all editions is the Salesforce Mobile App.
People often ask, "how much does Salesforce CRM cost?" The Salesforce pricing structure is quite complex. Keep in mind that Salesforce costs per user can add up. Here is a review of the SFDC pricing for a small business structure:
Salesforce Pricing - Essentials Edition
- Salesforce Pricing: $25 per user per month; maximum of 10 users
- Key features: Lead management, web-to-lead capture, mass email, campaign management, email templates, mobile app, custom reports and dashboards, case management, five lightning flow automation processes, integrations with Outlook and Google, and more.
Salesforce Pricing - Professional Edition
- Salesforce Pricing: $75 per user per month
- Additional features: Rule-based lead scoring, lead registration, collaborative forecasting, forecasting mobile app, quote and order tools, unlimited custom applications, developer sandbox, lightning sync, etc.
Salesforce Pricing - Enterprise Edition
- Salesforce Pricing: $150 per user per month
- Additional features: Sales teams, calendars, custom forecasting, territory management, advanced reporting, unlimited lightning processes and workflows, unlimited workflow and approvals, lightning platform, web services API, etc.
Salesforce Pricing - Professional Edition
- Pricing: $300 per user per month
- Additional features: The unlimited plan gives you a developer pro sandbox. You can test different features—such as a new workflow process you’re considering implementing—plus this edition removes all feature restrictions, including customization and roles. (They still limit campaign influence to five campaigns per opportunity.)
So, the Salesforce monthly cost depends on which version and which additional features you choose.
Are There Alternatives to Salesforce?
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a popular CRM software, but it can be expensive. Why is Salesforce so expensive? Good question, but it almost certainly lies in their ability to garner more market share from less expensive competitors. Are there any good alternatives to Salesforce?
One alternative is HubSpot Sales. HubSpot Sales offers a free CRM that includes features like email tracking, meeting scheduling, and deal management.
Another alternative is Zoho CRM. Zoho CRM starts at $12 per user per month and offers features like sales automation, lead management, and forecasting.
Both alternatives are less expensive than Salesforce and offer similar features. So if you’re looking for a cheaper option, one of these two might be a good fit for you. Sales Force prices are complicated, so ensure you know what you are getting into.
Use Salesforce CRM Pricing to Grow Your Business
Asymmetric, led by former Army Delta Force operator and corporate executive Mark Hope, can help you implement these ideas in your business. You can contact Mark by email at mark.hope@asymmetric.pro, or by telephone at +1 608-410-4450, or you can schedule a complimentary strategy discussion by clicking here. You can follow all of his articles on Medium.
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Mark Hope
Mark A. Hope is the founder and CEO of Asymmetric Marketing – a unique agency specializing in building high-performing sales and marketing systems, campaigns, processes, and strategies for small businesses. Asymmetric has extensive experience with organizations across many industry segments. If you would like some help in implementing ideas like these in this article, feel free to give Mark a call at 844-494-6903 or by email at mark.hope@asymmetric.pro.