The amount of data companies gather about their customers have increased drastically over the years. Traditionally, companies would collect some information about their customers and store them in spreadsheets. Though Excel proved to be quite useful for managing a limited amount of data, it didn’t come in handy when dealing with a massive amount of information. There was a need to create a platform that could effectively handle and analyze large amounts of customer data and make it available to the employees as and when required. This is where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions came into the picture.
Today, when you start searching for top CRM platforms, you will inevitably come across Salesforce. It is the world’s Number 1 CRM platform that leverages cloud technology to allow businesses to better connect with their prospects and customers. It manages customer data effectively so that it can be used by sales, marketing, IT, and customer support teams to get a 360-degree view of their customers and offer them better services. Salesforce has also been recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s 2022 Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs.
From startups to Fortune 500 companies, Salesforce has become a platform of choice when it comes to customer relationship management. Therefore, it is safe to say that gaining Salesforce skills at present times can be quite beneficial for your career. You will be glad to know that Salesforce allows you to validate your skills in using the platform by offering various role-based certifications. There are different Salesforce Certification for roles like Salesforce consultant, administrator, developer, architect, marketer, and designer.
This article throws light on Salesforce certification costs and how to pursue them.
Salesforce Certifications
Salesforce certifications highlight your expertise in a specific role and help organizations identify the right candidates for defined jobs and projects. Earning a Salesforce certification shows your hands-on experience with the platform and gives you a competitive edge that leads to new opportunities. Some of the top certifications you can pursue are:
- Salesforce Certified Administrator
- Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator
- Salesforce Certified Business Analyst
- Salesforce Certified Application Architect
- Salesforce Platform Developer I
- Salesforce Platform Developer II
- Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Consultant
- Salesforce Certified CPQ Specialist
- Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Administrator
- Salesforce Certified B2B Solution Architect
- Salesforce Certified B2C Solution Architect
- Salesforce Certified System Architect
Likewise, many other certifications are offered by Salesforce, and you can choose the one that best matches your career interests. Here, it is important to note that some of the certifications require you to pass an exam, while others can be earned by pursuing a set of certifications. For example, if you want to pursue the Salesforce Certified Administrator credential, you need to pass the 105-minute exam consisting of 60 multiple-choice / multiple-select questions.
However, if you wish to achieve the Salesforce Application Architect credential, you need to complete four prerequisites:
- Salesforce Certified Data Architect
- Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visibility Architect
- Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I
- Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder
Costs Involved
Now that you have got some idea about Salesforce certifications, you should know about the exam fee as well. Most of the Salesforce certifications are priced at $200. There are some certifications that will cost you $400. These are basically the certifications designed for senior-level positions (architect-level experience). Some of them include:
- Identity and Access Management Architect
- Heroku Architect
- Data Architect
- B2C Solution Architect
- Sharing and Visibility Architect
- Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect
- Integration Architect
As we mentioned earlier, some of the certifications can be pursued by completing a set of certifications. Obviously, the cost of such certifications would be higher. In the above example, we saw the Salesforce Application Architect credential, which would require you to pay for the cost of four certifications. In such a manner, the overall cost can go as high as $6000 if you wish to achieve a credential like the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect.
The amount of $6000 might take you by surprise initially, and you may wonder whether it would be really worth it to invest such a high amount in a certification. However, you should take a look at the Burning Glass Report – Skilling Up for the Future: The Growing Demand for Salesforce Talent. The report mentions that job postings for sales roles that ask for Salesforce skills offer a salary bonus of 19% for the Salesforce Administrator certification.
When it comes to positions in office management, the salary bonus is an impressive 25%. Similarly, the certification for Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant is associated with a salary bonus of 15% for business analytics professionals. And, the job postings for marketing pros offer wages that are 20% higher when they list Marketing Cloud certifications. In fact, jobs that require Salesforce skills pay around $80,000 annually, on average. You would also be surprised to know that the demand for Salesforce and related skills is expected to increase by 62% over the next five years.
Looking at the insights of this report, you can conclude that Salesforce certifications are worth your time and money. You may start with a beginner-level certification at first and gradually move on to other senior-level certifications. Happy Learning!
