Salesforce.com For Dummies – 3rd Edition

I’m preparing to update the latest edition of Salesforce.com For Dummies. It’s been a while since the last one, and the product(s) have gained a lot more muscle. The book will still be targeted to the new, non-technical user to Salesforce, which means I must continue to focus on the most fundamental parts of the products.  It’s been great to see the product suite continue to evolve in sophistication – that just makes my job harder because there are so many productivity-enhancing features to write about! But I’d love to get feedback from any new Salesforce users that stumble here. What is your biggest challenge with learning the products? What in the book has been the most helpful to you? What do you wish was covered? (When you answer, please help out the discussion by noting what Salesforce version you’re using, your experience with the application, and how your company is using it.)

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6 Responses to Salesforce.com For Dummies – 3rd Edition

  1. I just bought 2nd edition yesterday. I represent a non profit and was hoping to gain some insight into the initial setup of the company using salesforce. I have learned that our trial is based on a “generic template” and there is a “non profit template”. As a newbie to salesforce, some setup of the company type would probably be a good subject for the 3rd edition.
    Thanks

  2. lkao says:

    Thanks Michael! Actually, having set up Salesforce for a few nonprofits, I would argue that a whole standalone book could be devoted to the various nonprofit templates for Salesforce. (Yes, there is one non profit template, however many additional ways to modify the system depending on how your nonprofit operates.)

    What is your nonprofit and/or do you mind describing a little bit of what it needs to track? Make sure you know the basics of Salesforce and its elements, first (which my book can help you with), then see how those basic principles are applied to the custom nonprofit template.

    Also, what city are you in? You should join a user group in a nearby metro area and/ or join a nonprofit user group.

  3. wsmithmisc says:

    I am interested in the 3rd Edition. What will be the changes/additions in comparison to the 2nd Edition.

    Thanks

  4. lkao says:

    @wsmithmisc – The 3rd Edition will cover some of the newer aspects of application, like:
    – Google Apps for Salesforce (while giving people a quick primer on what Internet advertising is all about),
    – Salesforce Content (and how that differs from the current Documents tab)
    – Time-based workflow
    – Analytics improvements

    Is there something specific that you’re interested in learning more about?

  5. wsmithmisc says:

    Thanks.

    No I have nothing specific. I am new to Salesforce.com from a Apex developer’s prospective, and need something to learn/catch-up to how to use Salesforce.com from a business prospective.

    The main thing is since the platform is always changing, I think I prefer to get your latest edition, when it is released, then a previous edition.

  6. lkao says:

    True. In the meantime, though, to get a better idea of the business processes and perspective, make sure you check out their Customer-focused site, http://www.CRMsuccess.com.

    There is lots of information there as well.

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