Last week I was at a networking event with a friend who asked if I did “more than just Salesforce.” My answer was glib and too dismissive: not only do I do “more than Salesforce” today, even on Salesforce projects most of the work I do – and value I add – has little to do with my Salesforce skills. I help teams level up and solve business problems. Salesforce is my biggest tool, but not the product I’m selling.
In a conversation today someone else brought up Contractors vs Consultants, which brought me back to last week’s faux pas. The difference is somewhat arbitrary, but I’d argue that contractors orient themselves towards completing tasks, while consultants focus on solving problems. I’m often in roles where I’m acting as a contractor; and it’s nice: I can lock in and focus on what’s in front of me. But to me the best results come when I focus on understanding how my customer is struggling then leverage my technical skills, leadership experience, and general knowledge to solve it. That’s (mostly) platform agnostic.