The Importance of Context in Salesforce

Just because someone uses words that sound like specific Salesforce functionality doesn’t mean that’s the right solution.   Marketing Director: “I must approve all print campaigns before my team executes them.”   It can be tempting to assume they need an approval process, but this is when it's essential to listen--but not too literally. The right solution may be very different once we get context and understand the why behind the ask. ➡️Sample Talk Tracks: ❓What's driving this request? ❓What are  you trying to achieve? ❓How many campaigns do you expect? ❓Can you quantify the cost of the problem or benefit? ❓When you say 'approve,' what does that mean to you? ❓Is this a new process? If not, how do you do this today? ❓What precisely would you review to make the determination? (Fields? Files?) ❓Will  you review these as one-offs, or will you review many at once? ❓Does the record need to be editable during the approval process? ❓Is the approval binary, or are there other status values required? ❓What details must be retained about the approval itself? ❓Under what circumstance would you reject a campaign? ❓What data points indicate a record is ready for review? ❓Should it be manually submitted or auto-launched? ❓Should the team be able to recall and resubmit? ❓Are you the approver for every circumstance? ❓If you are out of the office, what happens? ❓What are the reporting requirements? Can you see that, depending on the answers, you might arrive at an entirely different conclusion? ➡️This might only mean, “I need a way to indicate which records I’ve reviewed." ➡️Or perhaps there's such a low volume of records or a low probability that one would be rejected that you encourage an offline solution. ➡️Or, a critical business problem and complex requirements might warrant customization beyond standard approvals. Or...Or...Or... That's why we ask. What say you, Salesforce peeps? ⬇️ What requests have you had that sound like a specific feature that ultimately warranted something entirely different? Notes. Tasks. Approvals. Forecast. Campaign. Alert.  What other words should we watch out for? #Salesforce #AlwaysBeAsking

Salesforce just spent $8 billion chasing context. Not contacts. Let me explain. Last week, Salesforce bought Informatica. A company that helps enterprises collect and clean data from every source. Here’s why that matters. And why they spent $8B. Winning in sales isn’t about knowing who your customer is. It’s about actually knowing them. It’s about having the deepest understanding of your customer. About having content. And that means more than just clicks, form fills, and web sessions. Many of the most meaningful customer signals still happen offline. - At dinners. - On the expo floor. - During those five-minute sidebar conversations at your flagship event. That’s where intent is revealed. Stakeholders surface. Objections show up early - before the prospect is even on a demo. But most of that data? It dies in the moment. Never makes it into Salesforce. Never fuels your next AI model. Never gets shared with the team who actually owns the deal. This is the real risk. You’re investing six or seven figures in in-person programs. But unless that insight makes its way into your CRM… You’re leaving the most valuable data on the table. Salesforce didn’t spend $8B for another 3rd party data source. They spent $8B making it easier for enterprises to capture every customer interaction. They know: real GTM power comes from contextual data. And the best data often comes from humans.

Quick exercise: "User engagement is down 20%" Add context ↓ "...among power users" Add more context ↓ "...after we simplified the advanced features" Add wisdom ↓ "We optimized for new users at the cost of power user productivity" This is the power of context in product decisions. It transforms: DATA: Raw numbers without meaning "Engagement dropped by 20%" INFORMATION: Numbers with identified relationships "Power user engagement dropped after the UI refresh" KNOWLEDGE: Patterns that tell a story "Every time we simplify advanced features, we see power user drop-off" WISDOM: Principles that guide decisions "Sustainable growth requires balancing simplicity for new users with power user productivity" Without context, data is just noise. With context, data drives informed decisions. The best product decisions aren't made by those with the most data, but by those who best understand its context. #ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategy

One of the hardest parts of my job as a CS leader is managing product ideas that come from customers. But I’ve found a way to better manage this ... with context from my CSMs. Most companies have a product ideas portal where customers can submit requests, collaborate, and vote. That’s great in theory. But if you don’t understand the why behind every request, you’re missing out on opportunity or sitting on risk. Every feature request is a signal, but without context, you can’t tell if it’s a signal of innovation or escalation. When I evaluate product ideas, I’m constantly weighing: ➡️ Does this align with our product vision? ➡️ What are the short- and long-term risks and opportunities? ➡️ How many customers (and how much revenue) does it impact? ➡️ What’s the level of effort — and what tradeoffs does it create on the roadmap? It makes narrowing 50+ requests down to 3–5 every sprint a tough call. That’s why context is king. If I take requests at face value, I might get it wrong. But if my CSMs bring the story behind the request, I can prioritize with confidence. Here’s what I ask my CSMs to do 👇 1️⃣ Understand the “why.” What problem is the customer trying to solve, not just what feature they want? 2️⃣ Quantify the impact. Who’s affected? How often? How much revenue or risk is tied to it? 3️⃣ Tie it to outcomes. Frame every feature in business terms. “They want SSO” becomes “They can’t roll out company-wide without SSO.” 4️⃣ Map the sentiment. Is this coming from a power user who loves the product or a detractor at risk of leaving? 5️⃣ Tell the story. When you submit feedback, write it like a business case, not a wishlist. Because feature requests without context are just noise. With context, they’re strategy. How does your team manage product ideas today? Do your CSMs play an active role in shaping product priorities, or is it more of a one-way street?

🧐 - Ever noticed how some Salesforce features look straightforward—but work very differently under the hood? Take Email Alerts... Most admins and business leaders assume, “If I can trigger it in one place, I should be able to trigger it everywhere.” Sounds logical, right? But here’s the nuance: ⭐️ Salesforce record-triggered flows can send native Email Alerts without issue, while platform event-triggered flows can’t. ⭐️ Why? Record-triggered flows run directly in the context of a user’s record change, giving them access to org-wide addresses and higher daily limits. That makes Email Alerts both reliable and better suited for higher-volume communication—something decision makers value when scale really matters. Platform events, on the other hand, run under Salesforce’s “Automated Process” user. Great for system-to-system messaging, but not for sending out emails. This distinction often surprises teams. A business may invest heavily in Salesforce, but when admins or developers hit these invisible guardrails, productivity stalls. Leaders don’t always need the technical detail—they need to know the system can scale safely, and that the right patterns are being used from the start. That’s why understanding design tradeoffs matters. Choosing Email Alerts in flows where communication is critical can save teams from unnecessary headaches and ensure Salesforce works with your business, not against it. As Salesforce continues to evolve, these small nuances become even more important. The organizations that thrive are those that not only buy the platform, but also invest the time—or the right guidance—to unlock its full potential. If you found this helpful, don't forget to follow. Reference: Salesforce Help: Workflow Email Limits https://lnkd.in/gkYEiwF3

I had an interesting discussion last night at a community meetup about Agentforce and AI. Somebody said, “Well, Gen Z will drive adoption — everyone’s using AI anyway.” That’s when I tried to challenge the room. First — not everyone uses AI. We live in a bubble. The Salesforce ecosystem is filled with people who are young, tech-comfortable, and surrounded by innovation. For us, AI is normal. We discuss prompts, copilots, and flows like it’s second nature. But step outside the ecosystem bubble, and the reality is very different. In one of my current projects, we’re rolling out Salesforce globally for both Field Service and Customer Service. Field engineers are getting iPads for the first time. Before this, their daily tools were… Excel spreadsheets. When we launched, we discovered that many of them actually needed support just using the iPads — not Salesforce, not AI — but the devices themselves. That says a lot. So, when I got home, I decided to do some quick research. In the UK, around one-third of the workforce is aged 50 or older — and this group is growing. The younger demographic (16–17) is actually shrinking in participation. And that matters, because these experienced professionals — the ones who know the business best — are not typically the people using ChatGPT or exploring AI tools for fun. They don’t live in the same digital comfort zone we do. So while Salesforce and others are pushing Agentforce and the “AI-first” future, there’s a huge portion of the workforce out there who won’t naturally follow along. They’ll need time, context, and training to understand what this means for them — and how to use it effectively. That’s why I keep hammering on about fundamentals, user readiness, and proper onboarding. Because if we don’t bridge that gap, we’ll end up with “AI-powered” systems that users can’t (or won’t) use. We might see another wave of half-adopted rollouts — only this time, with an AI badge on top. So my two challenges are: 1. knowing that next week at Dreamforce, all will be about AI again, how can we as an ecosystem safe guard those organisations and users that are simply not ready. 2. how can we make sure that we as an ecosystem actually connect with our users and organisation to make sure that we actually bring them solutions they need and help explain everything in clear and plain language. Would love to hear people's thoughts.

Here's how we narrowly dodged a detour into pet-tech, thanks to an out-of-context AI summary! So, our Solution agent only analyzed the first half of a prospect call. During that part of the conversation, the VP of Sales shared a personal frustration, her dog walker cancelled last minute. As a result, she had to cancel two key meetings to cover for her dog. Without context from the second half of the call (where the actual business need was discussed), the AI flagged three critical pain points: - Unreliable canine logistics - Revenue impact from missed dog-walks - Urgent need for Blue Dog SF integration By the next morning, Product had opened a Jira ticket titled “Phase 1: Dog-walker API.” And while we’re committed to making revenue leaders more productive, solving for their dog-walkers isn't the route we want to take. We dodged that. This was the perfect example of why I keep saying: context is everything. If you're studying half the call, you’re working with half the context. AI agents need to understand not just what's being said, but why, by whom, and in what business context. Industry, role, intent, and purpose matter deeply when turning raw signals into actionable insights. Because even slight deviations from context don't just cause minor errors, they can lead to revenue leakage, priority misalignment, or even existential detours for startups.

343 sales calls. 202 marketing leaders. Last 12 months. Here's the pattern I saw: Good ones talk strategy and tactics. Great ones talk goals and objectives. But very few could tell me their audience's ACTUAL context. Not the market dynamics they're navigating. Not the competitive pressures they're under. Not the internal politics they're dealing with. I see it in their RFPs too. Usually a paragraph about "the audience." Only 1 in 5 have personas or customer journey maps. And those that do? Can't find them. Or they're years out of date. But here's the thing: personas and journey maps aren't even what I'm talking about. I know because I was doing this too. Building personas. Mapping journeys. Thinking I was being "customer-centric." But personas aren't TRUE context. And without context, we can't understand intent. Here's what that costs us: $8.83 trillion spent on marketing by 2026. → 96% of content gets zero views. → 70% of emails never opened. → CAC up 222%. → 7.5 million blog posts published daily → 59% of B2B buyers feel most content is useless Last month, a marketing leader went dark mid-cycle. CMO at a fast-growing tech company. 50-slide strategy deck. Flawless. 15-page RFP. Pristine. Email auto-reply: "No longer at the company." All that intelligence. All that strategy. Gone. Even in my own sales calls, I was asking the wrong questions. "What are your marketing goals?" Instead of: "What world is your customer standing in right now?" As marketers, we start with OUR goals: Generate leads. Book meetings. Close deals. We should start with audience CONTEXT: What pressure are they under? What decision are they trying to make? What intent is that context creating? 22 years. Closing in on 5,000 conversations. Same blind spot. After almost 50+ hours of research and conversations with AI models over the last 90 days refining and testing my ideas... I finally saw it. 💬 In your last campaign, did you know your customer's context? Or just their job title and short bullet list of pain points? P.S. I'm trying something different, PART 2 tomorrow: "What happened when I started asking the right question."

🔍 Are Salesforce Business Analysts Still Needed in the Age of AI? The short answer? Yes — but not in the same way. With generative AI and the ever increasing suite of AI tools  it’s tempting to ask: Do we still need human business analysts? 🧠 AI can summarize meetings. 🛠️ It can suggest Flows. 📝 It can even draft user stories. But can it… ✨ Sense friction in a stakeholder workshop? ✨ Navigate conflicting priorities between Sales and Marketing? ✨ Recommend a process change that works for people, not just data? Not even close. 🔺 The Triangle That Still Defines the Role Every Salesforce BA has a triangle of skills: 1️⃣ General BA Skills – elicitation, analysis, facilitation 2️⃣ Industry & Process Knowledge – context that makes recommendations relevant 3️⃣ Salesforce Platform Expertise – knowing what's possible and keeping up to date 🛡️ These aren’t going away with AI, they are being augmented. 🧩 1. General BA Skills – The Foundation AI can draft requirements. But it can’t: - Run a stakeholder workshop that calms tension 😬 - Translate fuzzy ideas into functional specs 💡 - Ask just the right follow-up question 🗣️ The ability to listen, guide, and connect the dots is as essential as ever. 🌍 2. Industry Knowledge – The Context Layer - AI doesn’t know how a claims process works in insurance. - It doesn’t know that retail loyalty programs need POS integration. - It doesn’t know why something matters. BAs bring the business lens that ensures solutions make sense. ⚙️ 3. Salesforce Platform Expertise – The Differentiator Salesforce knowledge isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s your superpower as a BA in the Salesforce ecosystem 💪 ✅ What AI can do: - Write draft user stories - Generate training content - Mock up wireframes ❌ What AI can’t do: - Build trust in a room full of skeptics - Advocate for better processes (not just faster ones) - Explain why something matters to the business 🎯 BAs Are Becoming Strategic Partners With AI reducing repetitive tasks, BAs now have: 🧭 More time for discovery and design 🧑💼 Closer collaboration with executives 🧠 Room to think strategically 📈 Why Now Is a Great Time to Be a Salesforce BA - AI is accelerating delivery speed ⚡ - Salesforce is doubling down on AI-native features 🧠 - Businesses are rethinking how they work 🔄 This is the opportunity for BAs who can: ✅ Speak business and tech ✅ Guide conversations with confidence ✅ Use AI wisely, not blindly 💬 So, are Salesforce Business Analysts still needed? Yes—especially the ones who: 💡 Know how to ask before building 🔍 Bring business, process, and platform insight 🧭 Use AI as a tool—not a crutch 🧠 Learn continuously and adapt fast The Salesforce Career Playbook is packed with guidance on exactly the soft skills that remain irreplaceable—like communication, facilitation, problem-solving, and the emotional intelligence BAs need to lead in a world driven by tech. 📚 Grab your copy of the book here: https://bit.ly/3FaMK9a

As someone who believes strongly in data-driven decision-making, I often seek out patterns amidst chaos. I want to understand what the data reveals about various situations. Once, I wanted to pinpoint what drove our sales team's performance by analyzing their input activities and results. When I examined the top performers, I couldn't find a clear pattern. Some focused on quantity, resulting in high output, while others emphasized quality, achieving equally impressive results with fewer inputs. However, knowing these top performers individually, I intuitively understood what made these high performers stand out. Their drive, adaptability, strategic thinking, and resourcefulness were evident. Each had unique strengths—building deep relationships, finding solutions, working tirelessly or navigating customer accounts effectively. Similarly, when it comes to customers, some love your product, while others, even with similar demographics, may not be interested. Meanwhile, a completely different customer demographic might become a loyal user. The key often lies in their individual circumstances, not captured by demographic data alone. For example, a parent dissatisfied with local tutoring might explore online options, while a neighbour with a bad online experience might avoid them. As business leaders, we must look at data, but real insights come from understanding the context behind the numbers. This often means engaging with customers, listening to their stories, and grasping the nuances of their experiences. Data in your systems can highlight issues, but understanding why those issues occur requires hearing real stories from customers and employees. Effective managers and strategists blend data with these stories to uncover deeper truths. Data alone or stories alone might not give you the complete picture, but together, they provide powerful insights.