As the most popular CRM, Salesforce highly demands product managers. It dominated the market with a market share of 23.8% last year.
Companies that use the Salesforce platform are always looking for new ways to improve their customer relationships, and a product manager is key to making that happen.
A Salesforce product manager handles planning, executing, and managing a product line. They work with the development team to create new features and enhancements to improve the product.
This job post is quite lucrative, with an average base salary range of $206K to $440K depending on experience and other factors.
In this article, we will discuss the roles, responsibilities, qualifications, and tips for sales PMs. So let’s dive right in.
Salesforce Product Manager Responsibilities
The Salesforce product manager is quite a challenging responsibility, but if you have what it takes, this is the job for you.
1. Understanding and Representing User Needs
The best and most successful sales product managers are the central hub of any company. They have information about the market, competitors, prospects, and customers.
All this information allows them to make the best decisions representing users’ needs. To have this understanding, they need to be good at research and have analytical skills.
The Salesforce product manager’s job requires collecting and analyzing business data from customer surveys, interviews, focus groups, and website analytics. They use this data to understand the customers’ needs and requirements. This understanding is then used to develop product features that satisfy the user’s needs.
If you’re interested in learning what it takes to excel as a Product Manager, then check out our certification courses.
2. Develop a Product Strategy
After understanding the user’s needs, the sales PM develops a strategy. This strategy should be aligned with the company’s business goals. The product manager creates a roadmap that includes all the features and the timeline for each feature. This roadmap is presented to the stakeholders.
Once the stakeholders approve creating the roadmap, the product manager starts working on developing each feature. Moreover, Salesforce PMs also create the documentation necessary to make changes and add more clarity for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
3. Oversee Product Development
A Salesforce product manager explains the product requirements to the development team and oversees the development process. They need to ensure that each feature is developed according to the specifications.
During the development process, the PM needs to track the progress and provide feedback to the development team. Moreover, they need to explain ‘why’ to different constituents and stakeholders, like why they are building certain features, the benefit to the user, and how it benefits and contributes to the overall strategy.
4. Manage Product Life Cycle
The Salesforce product manager is responsible for the entire product life cycle. They need to monitor the performance of the company’s products and make necessary changes continuously. The best product managers are always thinking about ways to improve the product and make it more successful.
Regardless of the product life cycle stage, the Salesforce product manager must always consider ways to grow the product for the future. They need to develop new ideas that will increase the user base and usage of the product.
5. Manage Product Launch
After the development process is completed, it’s time for the product manager to launch the product. They must create a go-to-market plan that includes all the necessary marketing and sales activities.
The product manager also needs to develop a pricing strategy. They need to decide how much the product will cost and what pricing model will be used. Once the product is launched, the PM monitors the performance and makes necessary changes if required.
6. Prioritize the Needs of Customers and Stakeholders
The Salesforce product manager is responsible for managing the expectations of different stakeholders. They need to prioritize the needs of customers and stakeholders. In some cases, the needs of the customers and stakeholders might conflict with each other.
In such cases, the product manager should decide in the best interest of a product owner. They need to be able to justify their decisions to different stakeholders. Moreover, participating in support team meetings is crucial to ensure a clear vision and execution of the product.
7. Monitor Salesforce Product KPIs
The Salesforce product manager must establish KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for each functionality of the product and continuously monitor them. Salesforce KPI is a metric that monitors and analyzes the product’s performance.
Many different Salesforce KPIs can be used depending on the specific goals of the product. Some of the most common Salesforce KPIs include:
- Customer Satisfaction: The sales product manager needs to track the customer satisfaction levels and take necessary steps to improve them.
- Sales Cycle Time: The Salesforce PM continuously monitors this metric and takes steps to reduce the sales cycle time.
- Conversion Rate: This metric measures the number of leads converted into customers. Salesforce PM needs to track this metric and take steps to improve the conversion rate.
- Customer Adoption: This metric measures how many customers are using the product. Salesforce PM needs to take steps to increase customer adoption.
- Customer Acquisition Cost: This metric tracks the cost of acquiring new customers. The Salesforce product manager needs to monitor this metric and take steps to reduce it continuously.
Salesforce Product Manager Qualifications
Managing a Salesforce product is a complex process that requires a specific set of skills and knowledge.
- Minimum of five years of experience in product management
- Deep understanding of the sales process and three to five years of experience working with CRM software
- A bachelor’s degree in computer science, finance, business, economics, mathematics, statistics, or anything similar
- Understanding software development life cycle models and complete knowledge of Agile and traditional project management principles and practices
- Experience in handling Conga CLM or Salesforce CPQ
- Strong analytical skills and ability to use data to drive product decisions
- The ability to analyze and make decisions based on data is another essential skill for a Salesforce product manager
- A strong grip on Salesforce CRM design and administration
- Experience with high-profile product and project launches
Salesforce Product Manager Roles
The role of a sales product manager is to oversee the development and enhancement of a product line. They work with the development team to create new features and enhancements to improve the product. From making a technical strategy to meeting all product goals, PMs play a vital role in every stage of product development.
Salesforce product managers must be able to handle the multiple Salesforce products and keep up with the ever-changing Salesforce landscape.
Apart from the technical stuff, they must be good at problem-solving and have excellent communication skills.
Product managers in charge of Salesforce solutions will need to be proactive and attempt to engage with stakeholders to prevent problems.
Sales PM’s integral role is to make sure that the company does everything to its full potential to make the product successful. They direct the team members with descriptive requirements to drive growth for the product. Furthermore, they also collaborate with other teams, overlook the competition, and manage risk.
Tips to become a Salesforce Product Manager
Below are a few of the tips for becoming a successful sales product manager:
1. Get Proper Exposure
Getting proper exposure is the best way to start your career as a Salesforce product manager. You can do this by working on small projects or by taking on an internship under senior executives. It will allow you to learn about the job and gain the necessary skills.
2. Be a Good Communicator
One of the most important skills for a sales director or product manager is to be a good communicator. You communicated effectively with all the teams involved in the product development process.
3. Align All Teams with Customer Feedback
If you want to thrive in your career as a sales product manager, you have to work through the alignment of all the product teams with customer feedback. Make sure every team member knows what the customers say about the product.
4. Be Decisive
As a Salesforce PM, you should learn to make crucial decisions for the product’s success. So, you need to be decisive and not afraid to take risks.
5. Understand What Motivates Your Team
To be a successful sales PM, you must understand what motivates your team. Knowing what drives them is important so you can manage them effectively.
Final Remarks
Products are not going anywhere soon, and with the rise of technology, it has become easier for companies to sell their products and services.
As a result, there is a high demand for sales product managers. To become a Salesforce product manager, you need to have a deep understanding of the sales process and the ability to manage different stakeholders.
You also need a technical background and experience working with Salesforce CRM. So, if you have these skills, you will be well on your way to becoming a successful Salesforce product manager.
FAQs
Here are answers to the questions that aspiring salesforce product managers frequently ask:
What is a salesforce product manager?
A Salesforce PM is a person who is responsible for the success of a Salesforce product. They are responsible for ensuring that the product meets the needs of customers and partners and is profitable for the company.
What is product management in CRM?
Product management is managing the development, implementation, and rollout of products within a company. CRM product managers work with engineers, marketing, and sales teams to ensure that products meet customers’ needs and are successful in the market.
What are salesforce products?
Salesforce products are CRM software products that help businesses manage their customer relationships. Salesforce offers a variety of products, including:
- Sales Cloud
- Salesforce Apps Cloud
- IoT Cloud
- Community Cloud
- Salesforce Service Cloud
If you are new to product management and are looking to break into your very first product manager role, we recommend taking our Product Manager Certification Courses, where you will learn the fundamentals of product management, launch your product, and get on the fast track toward landing your first product job.
