7 Questions Smart Leaders Ask Before Choosing a Salesforce Partner
Three months after go-live, the CFO asks you the brutal question: 'Why are we still using spreadsheets when we spent thousands on Salesforce?' The simple answer…you chose the wrong implementation partner.
Choosing a Salesforce implementation partner can shape the future of your CRM success. Too many teams rush into partnerships that don’t fit. Months later, they find themselves stuck with missed targets, mounting costs, and a platform nobody likes using.
Practical tradeoffs and common challenges
No Salesforce partner is perfect, and every implementation faces challenges and tough choices. Plus, there’s no perfect approach; each option affects timeline, costs, and the value you unlock for your team.
Before making decisions on an implementation partner, consider these key tradeoffs. They shape the path to a platform your team actually uses and budgets that stand up to review.
Configure vs. customise: Too much customisation creates fragile orgs; too little forces teams off their process. Aim for a configuration-first approach, with targeted custom work only where it creates material value or reduces risk.
Big bang vs. phased rollout: Big bang maximises disruption risk; phasing can stretch time and coordination. Use capability-led phases with clear success metrics per drop.
Speed vs. quality: Fast delivery without rigorous testing backfires. Keep short sprints, but never skip test automation, UAT, and cutover rehearsals.
Budget vs. scope: Fixed budgets demand ruthless prioritisation. Anchor to must-have outcomes and defer “nice to have” items into a post-launch backlog.
Once you can navigate these challenges, you can ask these seven sharp questions to help you separate strong partners from cookie-cutter shops.
1) What’s Your Experience in Our Industry?
Your first question should reveal depth, not just the number of years in business. Don’t settle for generic claims. Request specific case studies within your industry and drill into the details: objectives, constraints, design choices, and outcomes. Look for evidence of domain fluency, such as credit decisioning in financial services, dealer portals in manufacturing, or customer service workflows in hospitality. Experienced partners deliver faster and make better decisions by anticipating project challenges and mitigating risks.
What to request:
Ask for case studies in your sector: Financial Services, Manufacturing, or Hi-Tech. Look for clear details. Did they boost process automation for credit unions? Did they fix inventory issues for manufacturers? Did they guide product launches for hi-tech firms with tight deadlines?
Challenge them to name the hardest business problem they’ve solved for a company like yours. Real answers get past generic advice and show you their playbook.
Red flags:
Vague “cross-industry experience”.
No proof of handling compliance-heavy processes or complex integrations in your domain.
2) How do you align implementation with our processes?
Salesforce should serve the business, not the other way around. Strong partners map current and future workflows to platform capabilities, then design for scale and clarity. Ask them to walk through how they would tailor objects, flows, and data models to your specific motions rather than default “best practices” that don’t fit your reality.
What to request:
A sample process map, for example, case-to-resolution with decision points and ownership.
Examples of when they chose configuration over customisation, and why.
Red flags:
“We use our standard template.”
Heavy customisation without a clear rationale tied to outcomes.
3) What’s your approach to requirements and scope?
Discovery is where projects succeed or fail. You want structure, not improvisation. Look for a plan that includes stakeholder interviews, business objectives & outcomes, process mapping, data audits, and a change-management lens. They should define scope, prioritisation, and a method for handling evolving requirements without derailing delivery.
What to request:
A sample discovery agenda and deliverables (requirements doc, prioritised backlog, solution design).
Their policy for scope changes and how they track decisions (RACI, governance cadence).
Red flags:
“We’ll figure it out as we go.”
No written scope or change-control process.
4) How will you drive change management and adoption?
CRM fails when people don’t use it. Adoption needs a plan, champions, training assets, and clear metrics. Request their enablement playbook, which includes role-based training, communications, leadership alignment, and reinforcement tactics after go-live. Look for success measures like active users by role, data quality scores, time-to-first-value, and pipeline hygiene improvements.
What to request:
Training materials and a sample comms plan with timelines and audiences.
How they measure adoption and intervene when metrics stall.
Red flags:
“We’ll train at the end.”
No budget or plan for post-launch enablement.
5) Can you share a project plan with milestones and risk management?
Good partners make risks visible early and establish guardrails. Ask to see a real project plan, which should include such things as phases, milestones, dependencies, and checkpoints. There should be a test strategy, a data migration plan, and a rollback or contingency approach. Governance should be crisp and predictable.
What to request:
A sample plan with stage gates (design sign-off, SIT, UAT, cutover).
Risk mitigation strategies used on similar projects.
Red flags:
No testing strategy or migration rehearsal.
One big “go live” with no phased value drops.
6) How is pricing structured - what’s included, and what isn’t?
Price clarity prevents pain. Ask for itemised pricing: discovery, build, integrations, data migration, testing, training, and post-launch support. Clarify rate cards, how they bill for change requests, and what qualifies as “minor enhancement” vs. new scope. Verify what tools and licences are assumed vs. included.
What to request:
A detailed SoW with assumptions, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
Example invoices and how they handled unforeseen requirements on past projects.
Red flags:
“All-inclusive” without definition.
No clarity on integration or data costs until late in the delivery process.
7) What happens after launch?
Go-live isn’t the finish line. Expect a plan for stabilisation, optimisation, backlog grooming, and ongoing measurement. Strong partners offer managed services, enhancement sprints, and quarterly business reviews tied to KPIs. They help teams mature from configuration to insights and automation over time.
What to request:
A 90-day post-launch plan with SLAs and escalation paths.
Example quarterly review decks showing KPIs, adoption trends, and roadmap pivots.
Red flags:
“Support is time and materials if you need us.”
No framework for continuous improvement or value tracking.
Use this shortlist in your partner interviews
Show us relevant case studies and connect us to any references.
Walk through how you would model our lead-to-cash or service flow
Share your discovery plan, sample requirements doc, and change-control process.
Provide an example adoption playbook, training assets, and success metrics.
Share a project plan that includes milestones, test strategy, migration steps, and risk log.
Itemise your pricing and show how you’ve handled changes in past projects.
Outline your post-launch model, SLAs, and quarterly value reviews.
Ready to move faster with less risk?
Don’t leave your Salesforce journey to chance.
Try an AI Readiness Assessment or platform health check. This gives your team power — a clear roadmap, proof of concepts, and the right strategy to close gaps before implementation hiccups start. Leaders can identify blockers and work on a plan rather than just hope for the best.
Get the roadmap and answers your team needs to be confident about Salesforce.
If your next CRM project matters, choose your partner with care. Your future self will thank you.
