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CRM

Salesforce

The enterprise CRM behemoth that can do everything but remains complex and expensive. Requires an integrator for proper configuration and a substantial IT budget. Massive AppExchange ecosystem with thousands of applications.

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Who's it for?SalesOps

Review by a Growth Engineer

My verdict: the behemoth for companies that can afford it.

Salesforce can do everything, but that's also its problem: it's complex, expensive, and you need an integrator to configure it properly. If you're a large company with complex sales/marketing processes and a comfortable budget, Salesforce is the reference. Otherwise, look at HubSpot, Pipedrive or Attio. The UX is dated, pricing is opaque, but the app ecosystem is unbeatable.

What I like less: the total price (licenses + add-ons + integration), the dated UX, the configuration complexity, and the fact that for 90% of companies, it's overkill.

My advice: Salesforce only makes sense if you have a sales team of 50+ people, complex processes, and a substantial IT budget. For startups and SMBs, HubSpot, Pipedrive or Attio do the job for a fraction of the price and complexity.

Why add it to your stack?

I only recommend it for large companies with complex needs and a substantial budget.

What you can do with it

  • 1Manage sales teams of 50+ people with complex processes
  • 2Connect all your business tools via AppExchange or native integrations
  • 3Create custom dashboards and reports for management
  • 4Automate your sales processes with Flows and Process Builder

What it does

  • Ultra-customizable CRM
  • Massive AppExchange ecosystem
  • Automation (Flows)
  • Advanced reporting
  • Integrations with everything

How much?

Starting at 25

Starting at $25/user/month, but realistically $100+ with add-ons.

The detailed verdict

Do I really need this?

For large companies with complex needs, it's still the reference. For others, it's overkill.

Does it play nice with my stack?

This is the major strong point. Everything integrates with Salesforce, the AppExchange ecosystem is gigantic.

Is it easy to pick up?

You need an integrator to configure it properly. It's not plug-and-play.

Is the UX any good?

The interface has aged. Lightning is better than Classic, but it's still dated compared to modern CRMs.

Is it worth it?

It's very expensive when you add up licenses, add-ons, and integration. The TCO is high.

What I like

  • Large companies with complex and structured sales and marketing processes
  • Massive AppExchange ecosystem with thousands of apps to integrate everything
  • Teams with substantial IT budget and dedicated integrator

What I like less

  • Startups and SMBs for whom it's overkill and way too expensive
  • Those who want plug-and-play without a dedicated integrator
  • Those looking for a modern UX since the interface has aged

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