How to Find the Best Salesforce Partner in 2025

Uncover various top tips for choosing the best Salesforce partner in 2025

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How to Find the Best Salesforce Partner in 2025
CRMInsights

Published: January 24, 2025

Rebekah Carter

The Salesforce ecosystem is complex, dynamic, and ever-evolving, with a vast network of apps, solutions, and features.

As such, figuring out how best to leverage that ecosystem and drive specific business outcomes can be complex.

That’s why the tech giant’s extensive network of partners is so valuable. It gives companies access to the expertise, guidance, and support they need to master Salesforce.

But how can a business isolate the best companion for its Salesforce journey? Here’s a simple guide to making the right choice.

Best Salesforce Partner 2025: The 3 Types of Partners

The first step to choosing the best-placed Salesforce partner is understanding the different types of partners available.

Generally, these partners fall into the following three buckets.

1. Consulting Partners

Consulting partners are essentially “guides” to the Salesforce landscape. These are the companies businesses turn to for assistance with the design, implementation, and optimization of Salesforce technologies.

Organizations like Accenture, Deloitte Digital, KPMG, and PWC provide end-to-end solutions for your Salesforce strategy, helping businesses at every stage of their Salesforce transformation.

These partners have extensive knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem and deep industry-specific expertise, which allows them to tailor solutions to companies across various sectors.

Choosing a consulting partner is sensible when undertaking a digital transformation project spanning multiple departments or business lines.

After all, they offer strategic advisory support, change management, ongoing program management, and assist with complex IT configuration.

2. System Integrators (SIs) and Resellers

System integrators and resellers focus on integrating and deploying Salesforce solutions.

Companies like Plus91Labs, Ingram, and Persistent specialize in helping businesses adopt Salesforce quickly and effectively.

Resellers often have strong local market expertise, making them ideal for smaller organizations or those looking to scale incrementally.

Moreover, they can offer industry-specific guidance and an accelerated path into the Salesforce ecosystem.

SMBs looking for a cost-effective way to adopt Salesforce or organizations in search of quick deployment with minimal complexity may benefit from working with SIs and resellers.

3. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) on the Salesforce AppExchange

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) develop innovative apps – hosted on the Salesforce AppExchange – that extend Salesforce’s functionality.

These apps address specific business challenges across industries, helping companies bridge the gaps in their technology stack and get more value from their Salesforce investment.

Countless companies work with Salesforce AppExchange partners to unlock functionality in their ecosystems beyond Salesforce core offerings.

Businesses looking for pre-configured solutions that easily integrate into the Salesforce environment will seek out an ISV.

How to Choose the Best Salesforce Partner in 2025

Ultimately, the process for choosing the best Salesforce partner will vary depending on which type of partner the business wants to work with.

Nevertheless, here are five ubiquitous steps to success.

Step 1: Identify Critical Needs and Goals

Is the sales team looking to migrate to Salesforce? Is marketing testing new customer engagement strategies? Or is customer service trying to automate much more of its operations?

To choose the best Salesforce partner in 2025, a business must have a good idea of what it wants to accomplish.

From there, identify critical outcomes and consider: what specific problems might we encounter that a partner could support us with?

Also, think about what kind of internal capabilities and resources the business already has, including access to Salesforce-certified experts.

Finally, after identifying those goals and internal resources, think about how to measure the outcome of a successful partnership.

Step 2: Narrow Down the Options

The Salesforce partner ecosystem is huge – and it’s constantly growing. Narrowing down the options is going to require a little research.

For those looking for a great ISV, the best place to start is on the AppExchange. There, they can sort through options based on the use case and check out the reviews left by other customers.

Alternatively – for System Integrator, Reseller, or Consulting partners – leverage network recommendations.

The best recommendations come from those who attend Salesforce events and webinars. Connecting with these businesses – which might have faced similar challenges – and asking for their advice is best practice.

In doing so, ask in-depth questions about the level of support the partner offers and the key results they’ve achieved.

Step 3: Isolate Key Candidates

For organizations seeking a consulting partner or system integrator, the goal is not simply to find someone who will follow instructions.

Instead, identify an individual or team capable of providing insight into not just the CRM app the business wants to deploy but the broader Salesforce ecosystem, too.

Alongside that, look for industry-specific knowledge. Consider how well they understand critical, sector-specific CX workflows.

Also, look out for whether a partner provides reference customers who have undertaken similar projects.

Lastly, consider evaluating multiple partners side-by-side, issuing a “Request for Proposal” to compare proposed solutions, timelines, costs, and customer support options.

Step 4: Ask the Right Questions

After creating a shortlist and researching the candidates, the next step is getting in touch and asking the right questions. Key things to ask include:

  • What’s your experience with my industry? Do they have in-depth experience working with companies in your niche, and can they prove it with case studies?
  • Would Salesforce recommend you? Have they earned certifications from Salesforce or been approved to list an app on the AppExchange?
  • What do your customers say about you? Does the partner have reviews, customer success stories, and testimonials they can share?
  • How will you approach this partnership? Will the partner act as a pilot, co-pilot, or navigator throughout your project?
  • How do you manage implementation? If you’re working with a system integrator or reseller, how do they handle implementation?
  • What are your values, mission, and vision? Is the partner compatible with your overall vision as a company – do they share the same values and focus areas?
  • Who are your partners? Do they work with any other companies in the Salesforce ecosystem to deliver comprehensive custom solutions?
  • Where are you based? Is the company local? This can be particularly important if you’re looking for a reseller or system integrator.
  • What are your fees? How much does it cost to work with the partner, and are there any additional fees you may need to be aware of?
  • What happens after implementation? Will your partner offer ongoing support or assistance after a project is complete?

Step 5: Consider Long-Term Needs

Not all projects that require the support of a Salesforce partner will be long-term. Some companies specifically seek out resellers and SIs for the quick initial deployment of new tools.

However, it’s worth thinking about long-term needs, too.

For example, when working with a reseller, consider: can they provide additional support if we want to upgrade and expand our Salesforce ecosystem in the future? Also, what are their options for ongoing maintenance and technical assistance?

Even if the business is only leveraging an app from an ISV on the Salesforce AppExchange, it’s worth assessing their approach to future software development, app updates, technical support, and training.

Choosing the Best Salesforce Partner in 2025

Salesforce is far from the cheapest customer experience ecosystem on the market. So, when investing in it, it’s critical to select a partner capable of doing that investment justice.

That partner can help execute the vision or  – more simply – provide ongoing expert guidance. There are partners to suit every business need.

Want to learn more about the latest Salesforce solutions to implement into your business’s workflows? Check out our extensive guide to the Agentforce for 2025.

 

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