Salesforce Admins Podcast

This week on the show we are pleased to chat to Katherine Clark, a Salesforce Admin at Blue Star Families. Katherine has an incredible story to share about her career transition and how a brilliant organization called Vetforce helped her painlessly move from one career to another.

We are eager to share her expertise of Vetforce with the rest of the Salesforce community. Katherine has had a remarkable experience with Salesforce, and we hope that her message will both inspire and motivate you. She is also an exceptional storyteller — quite brilliant at setting a scene — so you’re definitely in for a treat with this episode.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Katherine:

How the Stars Aligned

Katherine calls her journey to Salesforce “a wild path.” Before she became an Admin, she spent three weeks onboard the USS Reuben James where she worked as a government contractor. This job involved delivering training and briefings to help transition sailors from deployment mode back into everyday life — a job Katherine felt tremendously passionate about.

Katherine is married to an active duty naval flight officer, which means they often need to relocate, and Katherine was heartbroken about having to let her career go. However, having to say goodbye to a job she loved so much ignited something in her and made her realized that it was time to find a career that would fit her unique lifestyle instead – a career that would be more mobile. “I advanced my research a bit. I was searching for these training opportunities provided to military spouses and veterans, and I landed on a website for something called Vetforce.” She signed up for a position as a developer and as she says, “pretty much instantly fell in love. I just saw that this is the opportunity that I needed to run with and that it would be the next step in my career.”

The Aha Moment

Katherine admits that when she started, she had never used a CRM or even worked in sales before. “It’s a little surprising that I was even interested in this. I saw the data model and once I learned how everything connected, it just made sense in my head.”

Katherine went on to streamline all the business processes of her previous job and realized how simple it all was. “In my first developer org, I just streamlined all the business processes of my previous job, and it was so much fun!”

Take One Hour and Use it for Mentorship 

Admins should consider providing mentorship to someone trying to break into the world of Salesforce. Perhaps this person is studying to be a Salesforce Admin or they just need a little experience. Katherine is grateful that she got so lucky with Blue Star Families. The technology manager at the time was very helpful and allowed her to learn everything she needed to start out as an Admin. “It changed my life. I’m a Salesforce Admin now.”

She advises other Admins to be open to the idea of mentorship, even if it is just for one hour per month. Who can you help? “Anybody looking to break into the Salesforce ecosystem, it would just give them a glimpse into what we're going through.”

An Easy Transition

There are so many organizations that use Salesforce. Katherine believes that with Salesforce, anything is possible. She got to craft her perfect job to fit her unconventional lifestyle. Whatever your passion is, Katherine believes you can create your dream job with Salesforce.

In addition to being a military spouse and having a unique lifestyle, Katherine is also a stay-at-home mom who studied for all her Admin exams during her daughter’s nap times and when she was at school. She advises others out there who are also looking to make the change to consider trying Salesforce. “Just because you've been out of the workforce for a couple years, there ain't nothin’ stopping you. Salesforce Admin is the way to go!”

Links:

We want to get your suggestions for guests on the podcast, and we need your help! So tweet your guest suggestions, support, etc. to @SalesforceAdmns to help us get more Awesome Admins on the podcast.

We want to remind you that if you love what you hear, or even if you don't head on over to iTunes and give us a review. It's super easy to do, and it helps more Admins find the podcast. Plus, we would really appreciate it.

Direct download: From_USS_Reuben_James_to_Salesforce_with_Katherine_Clark.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:20am PDT

This week we are honored to be speaking to product marketer, Ayori Selassie, about Salesforce Einstein. Ayori’s passion for her work with Salesforce is infectious and invigorating. As Ayori says, “I freaking love my job!”

We are so excited to hear what she has to say about “Einstein” — an exciting advancement in artificial intelligence for companies. Ayori has been with Salesforce for quite some time and will explain what Einstein is all about. Join us as she shares her passion for artificial intelligence and explains exactly how every industry can use Einstein to its advantage.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Ayori:

Introducing Einstein

Einstein is artificial intelligence for everyone and every business. It is vastly different from traditional lead scoring, which relies more on a rules-based and formula fields logic. Einstein signifies machine-learning and as Ayori says, “the difference between machine learning and rules is, rules don’t learn.”

She also admits that Einstein is a little mysterious in how it works. Meaning, “right now it is a feature. You turn on the predictive lead score and all of a sudden, after the models have generated, you’ve got scores popping into your leads telling you which are the best for your agents to follow up with.”

Traditional lead scoring versus Einstein

If you already have a system in place, she recommends that you compare whatever existing lead scoring you’re currently using to that of Einstein. “Do an AB test,” she advises. She goes on to explain that you can use agents who are utilizing the traditional predictive lead scoring as well as agents who are fully prioritizing their day based on what Einstein suggests, and then make the comparison from there to see how you feel about the results.

Biased Data

Ayori has the notion that “dirty in is dirty out” and “you can’t get insights out of dirty data.” Nowadays, we have the capability to manage large volumes of data and to keep it clean and organized. However, having “clean” data doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve collected the right data, after all “our machines are only as good as the data we feed it.”

We are humans, and therefore, we're naturally biased. We need to understand the importance of processes and best practices for data capturing to ensure that what we collect will give us a fuller picture so as to avoid harmful biases. “We’re working with teams right now to be able to establish these processes and to make sure that we can share them with our customers. It’s something I’m particularly passionate about.”

Artificial Intelligence and the future of human jobs 

Many people are afraid that AI will take away their jobs. However, this technology is actually making us more respected than ever. As Ayori says, “it’s making your executive-level functioning more valuable than ever. It’s making your creative thinking more valuable than ever.” She goes on to say that if people stopped reacting to the minor routine things that are driving them crazy every day, then they can use some of that creative energy to solve new kinds of problems, to envision new kinds of solutions, and to find new ways of engaging their customers.

“You get to be part of leading and ushering artificial intelligence into a state where it is transformative for people’s lives and we’re creating a better state of society.”

Links:

We want to get your suggestions for guests on the podcast, and we need your help! So tweet your guest suggestions, support, etc. to @SalesforceAdmns to help us get more Awesome Admins on the podcast.

We want to remind you that if you love what you hear, or even if you don't head on over to iTunes and give us a review. It's super easy to do, and it helps more Admins find the podcast. Plus, we would really appreciate it.

Direct download: Episode_329_with_Ayori_Selassie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:12am PDT

This week on the podcast, we talk to Melinda Smith and Kristi Guzman of the TwoWIT Podcast. It has been superb to see what electrifying content and exciting guests they have built up for themselves since they began podcasting.

Join us as Kristi and Melinda share their Salesforce history, how that led to starting a podcast, and all the things that were imperative for their podcasting success.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Kristi and Melinda:

 

TwoWIT podcaster chemistry.

Kristi and Melinda are two peas in a pod. “We met and clicked, and obviously liked talking," Kristi confesses.

Melinda initially wanted to do a blog, but Kristi brought up the idea of them doing a podcast together – the type of podcast where they could be “the witty aunts."

The TwoWIT podcast takes on a fun and different angle by also featuring non-Salesforce things.

As Melinda says “It helps that we have similar ideas about what we want it to be, what we want to talk about, and the flexibility to change — I think it's worked well so far."

 

The power of Twitter.

Twitter and the Salesforce Success Community have been very helpful for answering questions. It is important to see other people who have experienced things that are similar to what you may need as an admin.

As Kristi shares, “I Google a lot of things to have answers and blogs that people have written because they figured something out and wanted to share it. It’s great to see other people, read the release notes, and get the highlights from them.”

“I realized that the community talk a lot on Twitter, and I made a point to get on it and spend time there. It’s kind of interesting, the friendships you can forge on Twitter,” says Melinda. It’s also a validating feeling to know that other people have asked a similar question before — it can make you feel like you are not alone and that you are on the right path.

 

The GIF Squad.

The GIF Squad consists of eleven Salesforce members who only communicate through GIFs. They first met on Twitter, and the group eventually merged into a Direct Message channel. The GIF Squad developed into a helpful community who made a point of it to get together at Dreamforce 2016.

They wanted to know how they could give back, so they decided to sell cost-effective shirts and give the proceeds to STEM research. The GIF Squad chose to support I.AM.ANGEL — a foundation that transforms lives through education and they’ve just released another fun t-shirt design. As Melinda points out, “to give back is a nice way to validate all the ridiculous time you spend on Twitter sometimes. Let’s do it for good.”

 

Dive in with Lightning.

How did Melinda approach Lightning? Well, she jumped in with both feet, of course. She believes that you need to go in and commit. "Be here now, be in Lightning." You’ll be amazed how easy it is to transfer those skill sets.

Links:

We want to remind you that if you love what you hear, or even if you don’t head on over to iTunes and give us a review. It’s super easy to do, and it really helps more Admins find the podcast. Plus, we would really appreciate it.

Direct download: Ep._328_with_Melinda_and_Kristi.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:45am PDT

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast we’re taking a break from the normal show format and having a hostful episode- no guests. Gillian Bruce, LeeAnne Templeman, and Mike Gerholdt sit down to discuss to a variety of things that are top of mind.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few highlights of our conversation.

What we wanted to be when we grew up?

From diving to ocean depths, to reaching the stars, and protecting our national parks. We have a varied wishlist of what we aspired to be as kids.

Spring 17

Got a favorite feature? We do. From Kanban, Path, Favorites, to all kinds of fun features- we discuss them.

Happy 18th Birthday Salesforce!

What were the Salesforce Admin Evangelists up to 18 years ago? We trade stories about what we were doing and Gillian uses a whole bunch of big words. And find out which evangelist will save us all from the apocalypse. What were you doing 18 years ago? Tweet us with the hashtag #18yearsago

For more insights, make sure to follow us on Twitter:

Links:

We want to get your suggestions for guests on the podcast, and we need your help! So tweet your guest suggestions and support to @SalesforceAdmns to help us get more Awesome Admins on the podcast.

We want to remind you that if you love what you hear, or even if you don’t head on over to iTunes and give us a review. It’s super easy to do, and it really helps more Admins find the podcast. Plus, we would really appreciate it.

Direct download: Hostful-_Mermaids_Rangers_and_Astronauts.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:29am PDT

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