If you’re running a B2B company and thinking about Salesforce, you’re not alone. Every second sales leader, founder, or ops person seems to wrestle with whether it’s really worth the time, money, and headache. This guide is for people who need to make a clear decision, not just nod along in a vendor demo. If you want a practical, honest way to figure out if Salesforce fits your go-to-market needs, keep reading.
1. Get Real About Your B2B Go-to-Market Needs
Before you even open up a Salesforce tab, nail down what you actually need a CRM for. “Because everyone else has it” is not a good reason.
Questions to ask your team: - What’s our sales process really look like? (Long cycles? Multiple stakeholders? Lots of demos or contracts?) - Do we need deep reporting, or just basic pipeline visibility? - Who’s actually going to use the CRM, and how tech-savvy are they? - Which tools do we already use — and do they need to talk to the CRM? - How fast is our team growing? (If you’re 5 people now but want to be 50 next year, that changes things.)
Pro Tip: Map out your actual process on a whiteboard first. You’ll be surprised how much complexity you’re carrying that no software can fix.
2. Know What Salesforce Does Well—and Where It’s Overkill
Salesforce is the 800-pound gorilla for a reason. But don’t let its reputation blind you to reality.
Where Salesforce shines: - Customization: If your process is weird or changes often, Salesforce can handle it (with enough time and money). - Reporting: Pretty much any metric you want, you can get. - Integrations: There’s an integration or app for almost everything. - Enterprise readiness: Permissions, security, compliance — all the stuff big companies care about.
But here’s the catch: - Complexity: It’s powerful, but not always user-friendly. Out of the box, it’s generic. Real value comes after a lot of setup. - Cost: Licensing adds up, and that’s before you pay for consultants or admins. - Speed: Don’t expect to be fully running in a week. It’s a project, not a quick signup.
What to ignore: The “single source of truth” pitch sounds great. Unless your team actually enters the data, any CRM is just a fancy Rolodex.
3. Break Down the Costs—Not Just the Price Tag
Salesforce isn’t just a monthly fee. Get granular about what you’ll spend.
Look at: - Licenses: Per user, per month. And the more features you want, the pricier it gets. - Implementation: Unless your team has a Salesforce expert, you’ll need help. Consultants aren’t cheap. - Ongoing admin: Someone needs to own updates, integrations, and user training. - Integration costs: Connecting Salesforce to your marketing, support, or finance software might require more tools or custom development.
Pro Tip: Ask for reference customers of a similar size and business model to see what they’re really paying after a year.
4. Run a Real-World Pilot—Don’t Rely on Demos
A flashy demo with dummy data is useless. Get a free trial or short-term license and set up your actual sales process.
What to do: - Set up your opportunity stages. Can you match your real process easily? - Import some real leads and accounts. - Try building a basic report you care about. - Have actual sales reps use it for a week. See what annoys them. - Test integrations with your most important tools (like email, calendar, quoting, or support).
What to watch for: - Are you stuck in setup hell, or making progress? - Do reps actually log in, or avoid it? - Does reporting give you answers, or just more questions?
If the pilot is a slog, it won’t magically get better after you go live.
5. Look Hard at User Adoption
The most common Salesforce horror story? Paying six figures and having reps keep everything in Excel.
Ask yourself: - Is the interface too busy or intimidating? - Does it make reps’ lives easier, or just add admin work? - Will you need to bribe or threaten people to use it?
Ways to improve adoption: - Start simple. Hide features you don’t need. - Invest in real training. Not just a 30-minute Zoom. - Give reps a say in setup — they know where the friction is.
What to ignore: Fancy AI features or automation that nobody on your team asked for. If it doesn’t help close deals or save time, skip it.
6. Check Integration with the Rest of Your Stack
Salesforce can connect to just about anything — in theory. In practice, some integrations are smooth, some are nightmares.
Checklist: - Does it natively integrate with your marketing automation (HubSpot, Marketo, etc.)? - How does it handle email/calendar sync — is it seamless or clunky? - What about your quoting, contracting, or support tools? - If you have developers, can they actually work with the API, or will it be an uphill battle?
Pro Tip: Ask your current vendors about their actual Salesforce integration support — not just “yes, we integrate.”
7. Plan for the Future, But Don’t Overbuild
It’s tempting to try to solve every possible future problem now. Resist that urge.
- Start with the basics. Get opportunity tracking, contacts, and reporting working first.
- Add automation or complex workflows only after the basics are in use.
- Revisit your setup every quarter — your process will evolve, and so should your CRM.
What to ignore: Features you “might” use someday. If it’s not critical for the next 12 months, don’t spend time or money on it now.
8. Don’t Fall for the Hype—Talk to Real Customers
Salesforce’s marketing is slick, but nothing beats talking to people in the trenches.
How to get real feedback: - Ask your network what actually went wrong and right. - Find customers of similar size/industry and ask about their admin overhead. - Don’t just ask execs — talk to end users if you can.
You’ll hear about the hidden costs, the learning curve, and the stuff that’s genuinely valuable.
Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Salesforce can be a great tool for B2B sales teams — if you have real complexity, big reporting needs, and the resources to manage it. But it’s not magic, and it’s not a fit for everyone. Start small, be brutally honest about what your team will actually use, and don’t be shy about walking away if it’s not right. It’s just software — not a religion.
Pick what helps your team sell and serve customers today. You can always get fancier later.