- Finding the right Salesforce consultant on AppExchange starts with asking the right questions.
Table Of Contents
Why Salesforce AppExchange Feels Overwhelming Right Now
Why the Confusion: What’s Going on in the Salesforce Consulting Market?
What Challenges Are Businesses Facing Today?
What You Actually Need in a Salesforce Consulting Company
1. Dig into delivery ownership, not just certifications
3. Evaluate post-deployment support
4. Ask for bad stories
5. Understand collaboration style
How to Use AppExchange Correctly for finding the right partner
Final Thoughts
About the Author
FAQs
“There are so many Salesforce partners now, it’s hard to know who to trust.”
As Salesforce consultants, we hear this almost every other week. And we get it.
Over the past few years, the Salesforce ecosystem has boomed.
According to a Salesforce Talent Ecosystem Report (2024), the number of Salesforce consultancies listed on AppExchange has surpassed 2,000 worldwide. And that doesn’t even include the hundreds of offshore players or freelance consultants who operate outside AppExchange but promise certified Salesforce delivery.
As a result, AppExchange is crowded than ever. And customers, especially SMBs or non-technical buyers, are overwhelmed.
So, to help you navigate through that mess, we are here to share the real state of Salesforce consulting today, why it’s gotten so complicated, and how you can filter out the noise and find a partner who’s actually right for you. Let’s begin!
Why Salesforce AppExchange Feels Overwhelming Right Now
AppExchange was supposed to be the place where you could confidently find vetted Salesforce consultants. But honestly, it’s no longer that straightforward.
You go in looking for a partner who knows your industry and technology stack and come out with 10 bookmarked tabs and zero clarity.
Here’s why:
- Most listings sound the same: Everyone claims they’re customer-centric, Lightning-ready, or AI-enabled. The profiles are polished, but they don’t say much.
- Too many certifications, too little relevance: You’ll see 100+ certifications in a firm profile, but that doesn’t tell you who’s actually going to work on your project.
- Reviews are only part of the picture: They’re usually handpicked after successful projects and rarely reflect difficult client engagements or long-term support experiences.
Moreover, many listings are outdated. Some Salesforce consulting firms display service categories they haven’t delivered in years.
And the top-ranking partners are not always the best fit for your budget or project maturity. Some prioritize Fortune 500s. Others have deep vertical expertise but lack generalist flexibility.
This growing mismatch between client expectations and partner delivery is creating fatigue in the ecosystem.
So, while AppExchange is still a good place to start, it’s no longer the place to stop. And that’s where things get real.
Why the Confusion: What’s Going on in the Salesforce Consulting Market?
The Salesforce ecosystem is booming. IDC suggests that the global Salesforce ecosystem is on track to add over 9 million jobs and generate more than $1.6 trillion in business revenue by 2026. That’s massive, and consulting firms want a slice of that pie.
This has led to:
- Rapid emergence of new agencies: Many IT service providers are spinning up Salesforce practices without deep experience. Some do it well, but many are just trying to cash in quickly.
- Overlapping services: Everyone claims to offer end to end Salesforce consulting services: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, CPQ, integrations, Field Service, and more. In reality, few have depth across the board.
- AppExchange saturation: With over 2,000+ consulting listings, AppExchange feels more like a marketing wall than a decision-support tool.
- Manipulated reviews: Some partners push clients for reviews right after go-live. Only a few reflect what happened 6–12 months down the line when issues surface.
This glut of options puts a heavy burden on customers. How do you evaluate skill when everyone looks the same on paper?
What Challenges Are Businesses Facing Today?
Beyond the initial confusion, many customers run into deeper issues: The fear of choosing the wrong partner and the consequent actions add to the challenges businesses face today.
- Projects are delayed or poorly scoped
- Post-implementation support is absent or minimal
- Integration quality is subpar
- No clear ownership of data quality or technical debt
- Documentation is missing, incomplete, or outdated
In most of these cases, the issue wasn’t with Salesforce itself; its often with the Salesforce consulting partner.
What You Actually Need in a Salesforce Consulting Company
Sure, certifications, client testimonials, and case studies give a glimpse of a partner’s capabilities, strength, and credibility, but one should look beyond these to choose a Salesforce consulting company that fits your requirements.
Here’s how experienced businesses approach partner evaluation:
1. Dig into delivery ownership, not just certifications
As mentioned earlier, certifications matter, but they’re table stakes. What matters more is: Who exactly is going to be on your project? How long have they worked with Salesforce? Have they handled issues like data mismatches, cross-cloud logic, or legacy migration or not.
2. Check for industry fluency
Industry–specific implementation requires a certain level of knowledge and expertise. Check if they implemented Salesforce for companies in your industry, at your size, with similar data complexity and user types. Ask for details: How did they handle B2B2C models? Or field-level permission conflicts between roles?
3. Evaluate post-deployment support
Salesforce is never done. Evaluate if they will help you scale reports, automate data loads, tune performance, and handle new workflows as your business grows. Or will they vanish after the final sprint?
4. Ask for bad stories
If a partner claims they’ve never had delays, scope changes, or messy integrations, that’s a red flag. What matters is how they handled those challenges. A mature consultant will be transparent.
5. Understand collaboration style
Do they work well with your internal team? Will they co-create documentation, do proper knowledge transfer, and guide you on admin ownership? This post-implementation roadmap and strategy defines a real partnership.
How to Use AppExchange Correctly for finding the right partner
AppExchange is a great discovery platform. But using it blindly is risky.
Here’s a better approach:
- Use filters smartly: Filter by location, certified experts, and industry focus, not just stars.
- Look for repeat clients: If a customer has reviewed the same partner more than once across projects, that says a lot.
- Cross-check on LinkedIn: Look at the team members listed in the firm. Are they real? Experienced?
- Ask for a short POC: Before jumping into a six-month rollout, test them with a small feature or quick fix.
Final Thoughts
With hundreds of new players entering space and most of them saying the same things, it’s your job to slow down and probe deeper.
At Synexc, we’ve worked with clients who came to us after failed first attempts. Not because Salesforce didn’t work, but because someone sold them a quick win and vanished. We’re here to change that.
Ready to Vet Salesforce Consulting Service Providers the Right Way?
Talk to us or just ask for a second opinion on your shortlist. We’re happy to help, no strings attached.
About the Author
Sambhav Arora is a 7X Certified Salesforce Consultant and CEO at Synexc, helping organizations unlock practical value from Salesforce with scalable, production-ready AI strategies.
FAQs
Q1. What do Salesforce consulting services include?
They cover implementation, customization, integration, user training, and post-deployment support.
Q2. Why do some Salesforce projects fail despite certifications?
Often due to poor planning, unclear ownership, or lack of post-implementation support.Q3. How much do Salesforce consulting services cost?
That varies from project to project. Usually small projects start at $5K, while larger ones can exceed $100K depending on scope.