Salesforce Consultant vs Developer - Which one to choose for your business?

Salesforce is CRM software that helps a business connect with its clients. You can close deals, automate marketing, and analytics, and even develop applications on this cloud-based software.

Though it’s easy to use, the platform is easier to handle if you have a dedicated expert helping to implement the software. And that is why you would need either a Salesforce Consultant or a Salesforce Developer in your organization. 

More than 150,000 businesses use Salesforce in the world, with e-commerce sites being the most common users. There is also a global trend that’s moving towards contract employees. 61% of executives report hiring contract labor. 

                                                                                                           Source

So if you’re confused about what is best for your organization, you’ve come to the right place. 

We encourage you to read this article in totality. But if you’re short on time, here’s a quick comparison chart for salesforce consultant vs. developer. 

What is the role of a Salesforce Expert?

A good salesforce expert will be able to leverage all the benefits of the software. They should know all the nuances of the platform and should be able to maneuver it for your benefit. 

The ultimate job of a salesforce expert is to make running the business easier for you. So when you’re looking for that expert, look for someone who knows the ins and outs of the tool. 

Who is a Salesforce Consultant?

A Salesforce consultant, or administrator, is by rule, not fully employed by your organization. They would either be a freelancer or employed by a Salesforce Consulting Partner. So your association with the consultant will likely be brief. 

A Salesforce consultant should be able to develop and maintain databases that connect the business with the end consumer. But more importantly, the consultant should brief the businesses about how to stay in touch with their clients. 

When would you need a Consultant?

If you need a Salesforce expert for a short duration, then a consultant should be your pick. It would take less time and cost less to hire a salesforce consultant. 

Initial Project Stage: 

A salesforce consultant is useful when you are initially deploying Salesforce in your company. The consultant can help you get accustomed to the CRM system. They can help you find solutions suited to your company. 

When you need fast results: 

A Salesforce consultant will typically be able to achieve faster results because they are trained to be with an organization only for a shorter period. So if you need to work quickly, a consultant is the way to go. 

When you have a lesser budget: 

The main difference between a consultant and a developer is that the consultant isn’t a permanent hire. So you can let them go when you feel their requirements are taken care of. 

You also wouldn’t have to deal with a severance package or any extra fee when the consultant leaves. 

What is a Salesforce Consultant’s Pay?

On average, a salesforce consultant’s pay is $57.53/hour. Since they will be with your organization for a shorter amount of time, your spending for a consultant will be much less than a developer's.  

Who is a Salesforce Developer?

A Salesforce Developer is someone who’s focused on changing the salesforce platform. If you need any customizations or changes in your CRM, a developer is who you’ll need. 

A Salesforce Developer should be able to alter existing apps and build applications and know coding and testing. So there are a lot more technical skills involved for a salesforce developer. 

When would you need a Developer?

Do you need a full-time salesforce expert? Then a salesforce developer would be the best person for the job. They will be responsible for quality assurance, debugging, testing, and user documentation. 

When the project timeline is long: 

So they will be with your organization for the long haul. So you should assess the size of the project you need to do before hiring a salesforce developer. If it is large, then you can go ahead with hiring a full-time salesforce developer. You can also design your website.

To personalize Salesforce: 

Salesforce is a highly customizable platform. And a salesforce developer is someone with technical knowledge about the tool. Ideally, a Salesforce Developer will know the Apex programming language. And they will also know Lightning Web Components (LWC), a frontend framework. 

A Salesforce developer can build you a custom Salesforce app through the AppExchange Partner program. And whenever you need a new feature added, the developer will be able to do that for you.  

What is a Salesforce Developer’s Pay?

A Salesforce Developer makes about $61.54 per hour. As you can see, this is about $3 more than the consultant’s pay. 

As a Salesforce developer will be a full-time employee, you will need to offer them benefits. So you will end up spending much more for a salesforce developer. However, your one-time training time investment will have long-term benefits since the developer will be a dedicated one. 

Making a decision 

When it comes to choosing between a Salesforce developer and a Salesforce consultant, the main thing to consider is your project’s requirements. Will you need long-term support? If so, then a full-time developer would be a better option than a consultant on a contract. 

If you only have basic Salesforce management needs and don’t need customizations, then a consultant would be the better option.

If budget is your main criterion, then again, a salesforce consultant would be the better option for you.