After a while, I succeeded. However, while the technical side of my skills developed relatively quickly – completed Trailheads and scenarios greatly aided in gaining the required knowledge – unexpected difficulties were brought by what is called the soft side. I am talking about conducting client conversations and business requirement workshops. This side was not “soft” for me at all! I still remember how stressful these public performances were for me. Sweaty hands, shaky voice – it was no different from the stage fright known to everyone. Here, I can say that the way I prepared for such meetings made the biggest difference for me. Instead of going with the flow, I started preparing goals I wanted to achieve at the meetings. Before the workshops, I wrote down a list of questions I wanted to ask. After the meetings, I prepared minutes – I noticed that people sometimes understand some issues differently than I do, and sending a summary allows avoiding such misunderstandings. The biggest difference for me was made by something said by a colleague with more experience in the profession: “Listen, Piotrek – you don’t have to know everything at these meetings. It’s really OK to tell these people that you will get back to them with an answer a bit later.” It turned out to be a much better solution than making up answers and sometimes saying things that slightly missed the truth. The sentence “Let’s park this question – I will get back to you on it in a few days” became a permanent part of my canon. After some time (here again, a cliché – practice makes perfect), I started always having goals, questions, and an agenda for such meetings. Later, I even started trying to learn more about the people I would be talking to before each meeting to adjust the language to their expectations. In my opinion, one of the key skills of a consultant is the ability to convey complex concepts – often technical – in layman’s terms and to those who only see our systems from the user interface level. The plus side of working with Salesforce is that there will never be a shortage of knowledge and new things. If you ignite the desire to explore it, there will always be more to learn. Today, after years of working with CRM and in consulting, I am still learning. I’ve passed 20 certifications, and there are still more to go. We have the privilege, of that working in the legendary “dynamic” environment is in our DNA. Probably the most important advice I can give you is to never stop having fun! For me, this job was never boring again. And I wish the same for you!”
- The next person is Łukasz Bujło, a Salesforce MVP, senior business architect, and the founder of Coffee&Force. He organized Polish Dreamin’24, which turned out to be a brilliant Salesforce event, attended by many guests from Poland and beyond:
“Build your network. Active participation in the Salesforce community is crucial. Join Salesforce Trailblazer Community Groups, several of which exist in Poland, and participate in meetings and Salesforce events. This enables you to stay informed about the conditions in various companies, the current demand for specialists, and to share experiences or receive advice.”