Week 1: My very first Salesforce Basecamp trek

In Salesforce news by Gemma SnaithLeave a Comment

My Salesforce Basecamp trek began when I made myself comfortable in my aeroplane seat at Sydney airport. I opened up Behind The Cloud, the autobiographical tale of entrepreneurship which has led to Salesforce pioneering Software as a Service. I began reading about the creation and journey of this technology leader.

As a Salesforce newbie, I was winging my way over to Melbourne. Here I would join thousands of other Basecampers for a complimentary event being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The purpose is to learn more about this product, which will become my specialisation within my new professional endeavour with Talent Hub.

I was excited and intrigued to learn more about Salesforce, which is the brainchild of Marc Benioff, and is used by 150,000 businesses globally.

Most of all I wanted to understand why it is so different and so loved across the globe. Furthermore what is a Basecamp anyway? I will confess to feeling like I may be spending my Basecamp day as a learned disciple, but an outsider nonetheless, as I walked through the doors. I have never coded, I am certainly not a developer, and my I.T go-to mantra is simply to “turn it off and then on again”. However, I needn’t have worried.

Hang on. Did I just see Einstein?

My walk into Melbourne Convention Centre was greeted by four very large furry, friendly Salesforce Guides. These were called Saasy, Astro, Einstein and Codey. The nod to Einstein I learned, is that Salesforce has recently rolled out Artificial Intelligence tools for CRM called Salesforce Einstein. My attendance was registered with a friendly face dressed as Rocky Mountain guide. Her costume complete with a hiking hat, toggled neck scarf and hiking boots. “This is going to be fun”, I thought.

Ohana

I’d read about the company culture of Ohana (meaning extended family in Hawaiian) and this warm and welcoming culture hung in the atmosphere. It became clear that this this mindset had cascaded down and is embraced by the Salesforce customer community. Most noteworthy those in attendance who were all full of smiles and eager to share success stories.

I was fascinated by the integrated philanthropic 1-1-1 model that Salesforce is built on, whereby they donate 1% of profits, 1% of time and 1% of technology to communities in need around the world.

They ask “what if all companies integrated giving back into their business models?” As a result this is being adopted by thousands of businesses around the world, and has developed into a global movement. This felt big.

 What the technology is all about

Through various talks and demonstrations, I learned that utilising Salesforce as a platform to transform your business was likened to pioneering your own adventure. Or Trailblazing, with the assistance of friendly guides to support your objectives. You are able to customize the technology to suit your business, and learn how to do this via the completion of certs or Trailheads. It’s a fun journey, challenging in the best possible way.

It was exciting to hear from several different businesses how various Salesforce platforms have transformed their businesses to be able to engage more innovatively and personally with their customers. They have the tools to nurture leads through the buying journey. They can understand the health of their business with the use of analytics, and are able to manage their roles with ease with mobile technology.

Back at the Talent Hub basecamp

As the day drew to a close, I was eager to connect with Salesforce enthusiasts. Perhaps friends of the Talent Hub brand back in Sydney would assist me in continuing my journey? Far from being an outsider by the day’s end, I went home having actually completed two Trailhead badges myself. Consequently I proudly added these to my Salesforce profile.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend this week meeting with a handful of talented Salesforce professionals. I learned more about the pivotal roles that they play within the Salesforce teams within their individual organisations, and how they have joined the Salesforce community and profession themselves.

The Talent Hub team attended the Sydney Salesforce User Group, and we were addressed by Digital Business Analyst, Mark Tossell. I was fascinated to learn that Mark’s own Salesforce journey has been rapid and inspiring. I listened in awe as he explained how he carved a successful career specialising in the Salesforce platform, from a background with the Baptist Church. Mark also detailed how he has implemented the tools to improve success and automation. I am now a reader of his blog, A Most Unlikely Trailblazer. For others newly Trailblazing, this a must read. Additionally, if you’re in the Bella Vista area, the User Group is holding their first official Bella Vista User Group catch up on 4th October 2017.

What have I learned in Week One?

In essence, Ohana. The Salesforce community is a warm and welcoming extended family of like-minded individuals. They are more than happy to guide others within the Salesforce world and navigate this innovative product. I feel very grateful to have found this great group of people. Furthermore I look forward to soaking up more Salesforce knowledge and meeting many, many more Trailblazers in the coming weeks and months on my very own Trailblaze with Talent Hub.

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