Choosing your business's Salesforce edition can feel a bit like going out for self-serve frozen yogurt. How much is too much? How much isn't enough? Swirl or no swirl? Are crushed oreos a must-have add-on or are they overkill?
If you've done even basic research into Salesforce, you're probably faced with a similarly dizzying array of features, editions, and pricing models — and if you've been struck by analysis paralysis, you're certainly not the first.
Our advice: Start with the basics. Salesforce editions and their pricing models vary by Cloud, meaning your total costs will depend not just on your own business, but on which tools and platforms you need. While Service Cloud and Sales Cloud editions are priced per user, Marketing Cloud editions are charged with single flat fees, no matter if you have 20 users or 200.
So, which edition of Sales or Service Cloud is right for you? Are there features you can can live without and others that are essential? Is customization in order?
Answering those questions requires not just a deep understanding of your business, but a clear sense of how you want the Salesforce CRM to fit into your business operations now and as you scale.
It might sound like a lot of homework, but take a breath: Vention has got you covered. Read on and you'll have a better sense of how the world's #1 CRM can uplevel your business game, whatever your game may be.
#1: Essentials
Salesforce Essentials plays nothing but the hits. This edition for Service and Sales Cloud is tailored for small teams of up to 10. It includes entry-level process automations for marketing and sales teams, making it a great option for startups or other small businesses that aren't looking for extensive customizations and integrations, just basic CRM functionality.
Other Essentials features include:
Lead management for tracking and qualifying prospective customers.
Campaign management for building effective marketing efforts and connecting with your customers; campaigns can be managed and tracked across a number of channels.
Email integration with Gmail and Outlook, allowing you to collect actionable data on customer interactions and maximize one of your most effective marketing channels.
Mobile apps for faster, global collaboration. Essentials allows seamless communication across time zones, making it easier than ever to manage a distributed team, update and access data, and manage meetings.
#2: Professional
Professional is ideal for small and mid-sized businesses looking to manage the entire sales cycle from one location, including forecasting, user profiles, and real-time insight tracking. It offers all the functionality of Essentials, plus some additional features:
Lead registration and scoring allows you to capture and follow-up on leads in a timely manner. You can also quantify how engaged prospects are with your brand in order to make informed decisions about future marketing and sales projects.
Collaborative forecasting makes it easy to understand, predict, and plan a sales cycle, plus view the entire sales cycle from one location.
Person accounts store information about individuals, rather than industries and companies. Unlike standard Salesforce accounts, which are designed with B2B companies in mind, person accounts are a vital tool for B2C businesses.
#3: Enterprise
Enterprise is Salesforce's most popular edition — and for good reason. With all the features of Professional, plus integration potential and large-scale team management, it's the perfect solution for fast-growing companies that prize efficiency. Plus, Enterprise grants you advanced configuration features, which can help you filter and manage your process more effectively.
Sales console apps allow you to keep track of all your sales team data and track it in one platform.
Opportunity splits help you understand a sales team's individual participation, making it easier than ever to allocate efforts.
Track contracts along the process of approval and renewal from one central point.
Unlimited custom applications means that your business can build apps, customize your platform and deliver a truly tailored experience in your CRM.
#4: Unlimited
Just like the name says: This edition offers as much organization and functionality as you need, with no limit on features and customization. 24/7 support means that you'll also be able to get the help you need — exactly when you need it. This edition has all the functions of Enterprise, too, but with even more capabilities, including:
Enterprise territory management, which allows you to model your sales territories into a structure that makes sense for your business needs, connecting the right reps to the right customers.
Advanced reporting features, including joint report creation, bucketing, and sales history tracking so you can monitor every point of contact.
Workflow approval automation keeps efficiency high and boosts workflows with automated processes for tasks, email alerts, and field updates.
Which edition is right for you?
If you're still looking for an easy answer to the "Which edition?" question, take a step back and remember that your CRM platform is meant to make life a little easier for your marketing and sales teams — and only you know the ins and outs of their goals, needs, and processes.
Keep those challenges front and center as you go through your options and you'll be able to land on the solution that can best help you and your team become more productive and effective. Check out this handy comparison guide from Salesforce to identify the features you need at a granular level. From there, it should become clearer what you need and whether or not you need a partner to maximize the platform for your business.
Which edition is right for you?
Our consultants can help identify a Salesforce edition that meets your requirements now and keeps pace as you scale.
