In case you missed it, we invite you to check out part I of this two-part blog.
Option 3: Freelancers
As freelance labor becomes more accepted by businesses and as a career, we are seeing an upward trend in the number of independents entering the Salesforce ecosystem. Upwork’s most recent “Freelancing in America” research reports that the share of those who freelance full-time increased from 17% in 2014 to 28% in 2019.
While the increasing access to on-demand talent via freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr and Upwork is a good thing, the downside is some of these professionals are new to the market, untested, or still working a full-time job and stretching themselves thin. There are, however, many experienced professionals who are full-time independent consultants with highly specialized skills and hungry for unique challenges.
Determining which freelancer is right for a specific project or team culture, however, is the primary challenge. Hiring managers, many of them in small businesses who are wearing multiple hats and not technically trained, often find themselves guessing as to which freelancer to use. In addition, managing the relationship with one or multiple freelancers often requires bandwidth they may not have.
On the positive side, freelance rates tend to run about one-half to two-thirds of what you’d pay for the same professional from a Salesforce consulting partner. Freelancers are also typically available on-demand, meaning you only pay for what you use and scale up or down as needed. Expect to pay anywhere between $65-$225 USD per hour for these experts.
Option 4: Salesforce Talent Broker
Brokerages aren’t a new concept. In fact, they’ve been around since the 1700s, helping facilitate financial transactions and reducing the risk and complexity of investing. These early brokers lowered the barrier of entry to investing for a wider group of people who might not otherwise have the time, knowledge, or means to pursue those investment opportunities.
Four centuries later in the new digital world, businesses are turning to talent brokers for the same reasons. A broker can significantly reduce the time and complexity it takes to find, vet, and manage the talent that many businesses need to fill skills and capacity gaps, especially those with urgent needs. For those supplying those in-demand resources, a broker can lower the barrier of entry to getting into that market and increase their market reach.
This may sound eerily familiar to a recruiting firm model, however, a broker is more than just a matchmaker. Talent brokers also offer the tools, support, and guidance that talent seekers and talent providers need in today’s growing and changing business environment.
Here are a few ways a talent broker, like 10K, can make life easier for those seeking or providing Salesforce talent:
- Access to a larger network of buyers and sellers
- A customized solution for a specific need
- Better rates
- High level of support
- Tools to manage programs and relationships
- Guidance and best practices
The future is bright for the Salesforce ecosystem, and especially Salesforce customers. For a deeper dive into the benefits and opportunities at your disposal when it comes to working with independent Salesforce experts, download our On-Demand Salesforce Talent Guide today.
