Salesforce implementation can be an absolute game-changer for your organization. It can also be incredibly costly and frustrating when you’re not certain where your money is going.
Salesforce is a complex system. Configuring the system to meet your needs takes time, skill and expertise. It’s also not a one-size-fits-all process, so any cost estimate will likely be a broad range. A Salesforce implementation can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $250,000 for the first year. In some instances, a large-scale Salesforce implementation can be up to $500,000 over a couple of years.
We can’t tell you “It’s going to cost x dollars.” But based on our extensive experience doing these implementations, we can tell you what factors drive the cost to give you a better understanding of what you’re paying for.
It’s tempting to evaluate the cost of implementation as just another tech expense. But it’s way more than that.
Investing in Salesforce is an investment in your organization’s ability to be efficient, scale and grow. When set up well, it can give your front-line staff and employees the necessary tools to deliver your org’s services, configured to their unique needs.
The real power of a CRM system like Salesforce comes when it is tailored to the unique needs of the organization. Salesforce is a system that will adapt and change with your organization over time. We even go so far as to think of it as “living.”
Considering Salesforce as a single-time cost without acknowledging its capacity to evolve with your organization could lead to recurring similar expenses every 3 to 5 years.
Every project you embark on should start with a crystal-clear focus: defining your mission-centered requirements. This is where a lot of implementations fall short. This isn't just a box to check; it's the foundation of success. Kick things off by aligning with your organization's grand vision and mission. Early refining and prioritizing save you from the hefty costs tied to later changes—yes, it's that crucial!
Don’t get bogged down thinking too far ahead, like five years down the line. Instead, strategically backtrack your technology needs to serve your future organizational goals. While it’s good to have solid objectives now, keep a keen eye on how they might need to shift as time rolls on.
This smart start isn't just about cutting costs; it's about investing wisely from day one. During our Discovery phase (dive deeper here), we join forces with you to nail down these requirements. This sets the stage for making informed decisions on project scope:
The answers will guide the cost—but remember, complexity drives up the price tag.
(By the way, if you don’t have a solid 5- or 3-year plan for your org, our Compass Playbook is a good place to start.)
Right now, Salesforce is all the rage, and for good reason. But with high demand comes high costs—experienced Salesforce pros can command salaries over $95,000. These costs are passed along by consulting firms, influencing what you pay them.
Think beyond the paycheck. Planning for Salesforce isn't just about hiring external help; consider the internal staff hours too. Typically, engaging 3-5 team members for several hours weekly throughout the implementation adds up, in both direct hours and lost opportunities elsewhere.
The scope of Salesforce implementation can vary wildly—expect anywhere from six months to 18 months, depending on your organization's complexity and size. Quick feedback cycles keep things moving, but delays in responses can slow down the momentum.
When partnering with MMG, the speed of your project doesn't just hinge on how quickly we work; it's also about how much time your team can commit. Think of it like this: once we set up a new feature, your crew jumps in to test it out. If they can review and respond swiftly, we keep zooming ahead. But if feedback takes days to come back, it's like hitting a slow-mo button on the whole process. Quick collaboration keeps everything on track, ensuring that your organization can evolve without pause.
Another variable driving cost is licensing. Salesforce is generous in terms of licensing and provides nonprofits 10 free licenses in perpetuity before charging any additional license at their standard rate. So, you will have a baseline Salesforce licensing (a variable cost depending on how many licenses you will use) but the power of Salesforce is an ecosystem. It’s a platform model that allows for many additional “plug-and-play” applications. Some are paid, some are free – and most are really effective.
If you choose to use an additional tool, there may be some lightweight configuration costs. Or you may want something custom-built for your organization, which would cost more on the implementation side, but would decrease your ongoing operational expenses.
Salesforce is a relational database, and implementation will primarily require data migration. The amount of data that will need to be imported – and from where – will vary from organization to organization. Additionally, the approach a Salesforce consultancy will use to migrate that data (which can include cleaning up and consolidating spreadsheets before mapping them to Salesforce) will vary.
Some consultancies may provide organizations with a template to clean up the data themselves while they focus on importing. Others will create a data mapping spreadsheet based on the data provided. We’ve witnessed data migrations that were almost more expensive than the overall implementation because it was consolidated from twenty different sources. We’ve also had clients with upwards of four million records across multiple sources!
Our biggest piece of advice to avoid the hidden costs of data migration is to take the time to clean the data before the migration starts. This ensures that the migration is done correctly, won’t need to be redone, and avoids the mistrust in the system that creeps up if it’s not done right the first time.
After Salesforce is configured for your org, your team will need to be trained to use it. At MMG, we work with clients to design a training program. This may include a “Train the Trainer” model, where a member of your organization will collaborate with us to build a training plan and be responsible for taking it to the organization.
Other organizations may not have this individual in-house, so they rely on a consultant or subcontractor. This is an important consideration when implementing technology solutions such as Salesforce, as documentation is key to proper training, including training at go-live, onboarding of new staff and ongoing training as features change.
Salesforce is an ever-evolving tool that can be configured to an incredible degree. Not everyone has the aptitude or desire to learn Salesforce, and we understand! But your organization needs it. Many consultancies will offer an ongoing support agreement. We provide clients with quarterly support contracts that are hours-based. This is beneficial to the client as it allows for increased or decreased support depending on the season.
For example, many nonprofits require additional help during campaign seasons but may need significantly less afterwards. We’ve found this works best for our company, but others may offer an annual or quarterly fixed price. Regardless, we highly recommend ongoing support as Salesforce requires continuous updating and troubleshooting to best leverage it.
Have more questions for about Salesforce? We’d love to answer them.
