Veronika Peycheva is a CRM change analyst who fell in love with Salesforce after her company introduced it. She continuously looks for solutions to overcome business challenges, and that includes pursuing the necessary certifications to leverage Salesforce.
Read on to find out more about Veronika’s experience learning and working with Salesforce in her field.
How and why did you get started with Salesforce?
I was working on digital marketing when I was trying to get all tracking and marketing automation processes together. I needed to include Salesforce in the mix of platforms we used, and I instantly loved it! It was easy to use and made sense; the logic of the setup was very helpful to someone as new in the CRM field as me. It just complemented and improved what was already set up in marketing. It helped us tie the processes in marketing, sales, and customer success teams.
What were your goals
when starting?
We had Salesforce but the sales department did not really use it. I started with Salesforce with the idea to get high-level marketing analytics into one place and work a little more with sales. It looked pretty cool and efficient but there was no one taking care of putting it to use, so that sounded like something I could help with.
I started with learning and gaining experience. There was also a personal decision to go for it to see how Salesforce could help us get more clarity of what's happening and get our processes together.
What was the most challenging
part of learning Salesforce?
The most challenging part was, and still is, that there’s so much to go through. But it’s also the best part.
With regards to business processes, the most challenging part for me in the very beginning were reporting for marketing and getting campaign influence right so that everyone would be happy with the analysis they got. Unfortunately, that has remained a challenge. As for setup and tools, I find territory management very challenging. Sharing settings can get so complex and when we add territory management to the equation, it gets one level up for handling administration and continuous change.
What is your role now and what does your day to day look like?
Currently, I work as a CRM change analyst. It involves supporting our users daily and making constant adjustments to the system. As for my role today, I wouldn't say that it's something on Salesforce that makes it hard or challenging to achieve. It's more about my (and our) commitment to continuous improvement and change that makes it hard to keep up to speed with constant changes and customizations.
What certifications have you
achieved so far?
I got the Administrator and Advanced Administrator certificates. Next one most likely will be Platform App Builder. Advanced Administrator was definitely the harder one for me. I realize how much it helped me that I am already working with the majority of the functionality covered in the exam, but there are also a lot of areas that I had very basic knowledge of. It's hard to learn something that you don't have the questions for and the business cases to solve.
Are you planning to take more
Salesforce certifications?
Definitely, yes! Platform App Builder certification would be my way of getting my head around what else is out there that can work with Salesforce. Apps working together gives the business flexibility and ability to jump through time, efficiency, and technology transformation challenges. I'd like to know more about the opportunities that we have there. Taking the time to learn for a certification exam sounds like a good way to approach it.
What tips and advice do you have for others who are in the process of preparing and studying for a Salesforce certification and keep motivated?
Based on my experience, I’d go for the certification after I’ve worked a lot in the field and with most of the functionalities. It worked out great for me as I already had curiosity, questions to be answered, and scenarios to be solved. Learning for a certificate for me was “learning” in the best sense: I was hungry for answers, curious to see what else is out there and how it can help in my work. I’d strongly recommend that approach if that’s something included in the person’s options. (But not to forget we have Trailhead now!)
How did Focus on Force study guides and practice exams help with your preparation?
I used Focus on Force Advanced Admin practice exams for my preparation for the Advanced Admin exam and it was just what I needed. Information was summarized in such a good way, better than anything I could do when taking notes myself. The best part of it, even though it’s already short and summarized, is that the information was so much more than what was actually asked for in the exam itself. It really helped me make the certification preparation a true learning experience. Big thanks for that, Focus on Force!
What tips and advice do you have for someone that wants to start a Salesforce career?
I’d probably go the same way I would recommend Salesforce – great, constantly evolving product, growing in so many directions, it’s easy to find your place and your thing. Definitely go for it, even if you don’t have the full vision at first.
Nice 🙂