Declared as the world’s No.1 CRM platform, Salesforce is one of the hottest skills in management right now. From Project Managers to Developers, all aspiring professionals in the IT and business management sector are becoming more inclined towards gaining Salesforce skills. The drive for Salesforce training and certification has become even stronger now that the companies across various sectors of the industry are demanding for Salesforce certified professionals, particularly, the Salesforce Admin Certification.
For those of you who still have no clue as to what Salesforce is, it is a customer relationship management (CRM) solution that is designed to bring companies and customers closer. This comprehensive and integrated CRM platform offers a unified and shared 360-degree view of your customers to all the departments of your organization.
Salesforce is a leading cloud tech brand offering both Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products along with a host of other complementary suites of enterprise applications. The focus of Salesforce lies primarily on analytics, customer service, and marketing automation.
Why learn Salesforce?
According to Salesforce, leveraging the “Salesforce CRM to manage contacts and sales activities, you will increase win rates by 26%, boost sales productivity by 36%, and get a 30% increase in revenue.”
In a 2016 Burning Glass report, it mentions that job positions in Salesforce had been expanding nearly 1.3 times faster (since 2012) than other such similar roles. Besides, there were more than 3,03,000 Salesforce-related job vacancies advertised between July 2015 to June 2016. As companies are now looking to amp up their customer satisfaction factor, it is further boosting the demand for enhanced CRM solutions. In such a scenario, if you have the right training and certification to show your expertise in Salesforce, job prospects for you will be better than ever, even in this cut-throat competitive market!
Here are reasons why you should consider obtaining a Salesforce certification:
- Something for all.
Perhaps the best thing about Salesforce certification is that these certifications come in a wide variety, including:
- Administrators
- App Builders
- Architects
- Developers
- Implementation Experts
- Marketers
- Pardot Experts
So, you can find a certification that best suits your field of work. For each of these certifications, you have to clear an initial certification exam and also the yearly product update exams to stay updated with the current domain trends.
- Excellent monetary compensation.
PayScale maintains that Salesforce Certified Administrators can earn anywhere between $60,000 and $100,000 annually, depending on their education and experience level. As you climb the experience ladder, the salary packages also go higher and higher.
Since Salesforce certified professionals have expert domain knowledge, employees know that they can add value to their business. And hence, they are ready to pay high compensation to Salesforce certified professionals than their counterparts with similar educational/experience background.
- Better opportunities and more interview calls.
Certifications are like a mark of excellence. They showcase your abilities, expertise, knowledge, and skills, thereby adding credibility to your resume. This makes you more appealing to potential employers and increases your chances of being hired. Consequently, it opens up a window of exciting opportunities for you. Interview calls come pouring in.
- Improved analytical and management skills.
Since analytics and CRM form the core of Salesforce, naturally, a Salesforce certification will enhance your analytical and management skills significantly. Furthermore, Salesforce certifications improve your understanding of sales, marketing, and customer relationship management. So, wherever you go, you can use your skills and grow professionally to become a valuable company asset.
- Continue to learn and grow.
Upskilling and continuous learning have become a part-and-parcel of the modern-day world. If you are not updated with the latest advancements and trends in the industry, you are bound to fall behind in the race. With a Salesforce certification, you can create a continuous learning path for yourself (since you have to take the yearly exams to maintain your certification). In the long run, you grow both personally and professionally.
Salesforce Administrator Certification
The Salesforce Administrator designation is specially created for individuals who already have experience of working with Salesforce but are still looking for innovative ways and features to enhance the business operations in their companies. The certification encompasses all the core administration features of Salesforce. It teaches you how to implement, configure, and manage Sales, Service, and Collaboration Clouds along with automation implementation, troubleshooting, security, user interface (UI), customized apps, among other things.
The Salesforce Certified Administrator program has two certifications. The first one is the Salesforce Certified Administrator credential that covers the features and functionality used for maintaining a Salesforce implementation. The second is the Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator. To obtain this certification, you must have already mastered Salesforce configuration maintenance. Basically, you must be a Salesforce Certified Administrator who can implement the best administration practices and also leverage the advanced features and functionalities of Salesforce admin to address complex business problems.
How to pass the Salesforce Administrator Exam?
- Be thorough with the Salesforce study guide.
The first step to prepare for the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam is to review the official exam guide. The guide contains all the information about what the certification is about, who should take it, the exam outline, the best training/reference guides, and also how to maintain the Salesforce Administrator certification.
- Visit Trailhead.
Trailhead is Salesforce’s official and dedicated training platform for aspirants. It offers training for the different kinds of Salesforce certifications. You can acquire in-demand skills, earn credentials, and also get plenty of job opportunities by connecting with the Trailhead Community.
- Get access to tutorials and online study guides.
Due to the popularity of the certification, the Internet is replete with a wide variety and range of online tutorials and study guides. By getting your hands on video tutorials, study guides, and mock tests, you can both learn and practice.
- Take your time to study.
Although clearing the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam in the first go isn’t a cakewalk, it is doable. The trick is to learn at your own pace – you don’t want to rush the study process. Start your preparations early. Go through all the exam objectives carefully, making sure that you don’t miss out on anything. Before the exam, make sure that you have at least a week for revision.
- Register for the exam.
You must register for the exam way before you actually take the exam. When you register, you know that there’s a deadline before you, and you must complete everything before the set date. It gives you the urgency to study and prepare.
- Take the exam.
Make sure you sleep well the night before the exam, so you wake up refreshed and ready. Stay calm during the examination and try to answer as many questions as you can. If you don’t know the answer to a question, skip it and come back to it later – don’t waste your time pondering over a single question.
We hope this helps!
