Organic Growth: Building an Agile, Scalable Salesforce Team
By Mariia Chernova - November 2, 2021
The landscape of the Salesforce ecosystem has changed dramatically in recent years. With the shift to cloud and the explosion of cloud-based Salesforce solutions, any company that offers Salesforce services has had to update their training and recruiting strategies in order to stay competitive.
Customertimes currently has a team of 1600+, and we plan to grow that to upwards of 2000 over the next few quarters. This company continues to be one of the most unique that I’ve worked for, and as we’ve grown, we’ve developed a successful process for building an agile, scalable team that maintains proficiency on all Salesforce solutions – including cloud – from the inside.
I recently presented at CT’s Growing a Successful Salesforce Practice webinar, and in this article, I want to take a deeper dive into the strategies we use to develop our team. We’re committed to fostering loyalty and developing Salesforce expertise at the highest level, and for us, that starts at the ground level.
Hiring Salesforce Talent First
When Customertimes got started in 2008, we were a very early entrant to the Salesforce ecosystem in Eastern Europe. Most of the companies in Eastern Europe weren’t using Salesforce yet, and since no one was doing it, it was very difficult (impossible!) to hire people with Salesforce experience.
So, we had to figure it out. We began hiring recent college graduates or graduate-level students, and we developed a training program that would take our recruits from entry-level to expert over the course of the program.
By starting like this, we were able to establish a strong talent base from the start and develop that talent to ensure consistent availability for our clients. Here’s a look at our approach and a breakdown of how it benefits our clients, our company, and our experts.
A Detailed Training Plan
Salesforce has created an extensive infrastructure of webinars, trainings, and certifications. These programs cover all Salesforce related roles – consultants, developers, architects, etc. We utilized their programs, and we supplement them with our own internal training to cover anything that’s missed.
We also host meet-ups and events within CT and externally with the Salesforce community where participants can share ideas and learn from each other. One of those events is coming up in early December this year when we partner with Salesforce to present CRM Stage, an international Salesforce conference held in UA.
But, back to the training plans. Each individual directs their own training path:
- They begin with essential training. This includes basic Salesforce trailheads and internal CT training built for each role.
- Once that’s complete, the most successful candidates are hired as a trainee and assigned to internal incubator projects.
- Soon, they’re assigned to more advanced internal tasks – like internal CRM for CT – and they complete the advanced Salesforce trailheads.
- They begin job shadowing, complete their Salesforce certifications and get grade evaluations. At this point, they’re working on real tasks for the company with the help of their mentor (everyone at CT has a mentor), and they have a clearly developed path to get them to the next level.
Benefit for Individuals
Our approach to training benefits individuals at every level, regardless of their previous experience. For most entry-level people, getting through the first round of certifications/leveling takes 3-5 months. Some people get through it more quickly, especially if they have prior experience as an analyst or on another CRM platform.
But no matter what experience they come in with, the key to developing your team organically is to make sure that everyone understands the path that leads to their desired level. If someone wants to reach the Salesforce Architect or Principal Architect level, they should clearly be able to see how to get there: by becoming a junior developer, then mid-level, etc.
It’s not magic; there are clearly defined steps for getting to each level. Those steps should be transparent, and at our company, they are.
Mentors play a key role in these career paths. Everyone is paired with a mentor that helps direct training and support trainees when they’re learning a new solution. From the outset, mentors help team members feel like they are part of a community within the company.
We also prioritize professional development by supporting the Salesforce community outside of CT. We host events, like the one mentioned above, we send our pros to speak at Salesforce conferences, and we help them find speaking opportunities. CT teams are often invited to speak at external events, and we’re happy to give them a chance to gain some recognition for their work.
Benefit for Customers
The major benefit for our customers with this approach is that we can guarantee quick scale with high quality. Our professional development process is well-established, and since it’s based on organic growth rather than external hiring, we can scale our team based on client needs without sacrificing quality.
A development method like this is highly efficient. We have people at every level, and since we helped them get to their current level, we have a great idea of their abilities. We can quickly move people onto project teams to work with clients as the need arises.
We’re also able to send our staff out to clients to help them with projects for their own customers. One of our key differentiators as an organization is that we are the “partner’s partner,” meaning we can place our own staff on partner’s teams so they can draw on our expertise to drive revenue for themselves.
This level of agility is rare within such a large organization, but because we built our development program from the ground up, we’re able scale on-demand.
Benefit for Customertimes
Retention is a challenge for IT companies. Hiring and training are expensive, so it’s always in a company’s best interests to retain their staff.
In my experience as a practice head and now as the VP of Technologies at CT, I’ve found that our approach to professional development leads to greatly increased retention rates.
Most of our Salesforce Architects and Principal Architects started as trainees at CT, and now – 7 or 8 years later – they are architects. It’s not common for people to stay with the same IT company for so long, but they do stay with CT.
Why?
First, it’s important to understand what motivates people at the middle developer/architect level. It’s not just about compensation! They need interesting and challenging tasks, a good mentor, and a good team to mentor. It’s important to listen to your team and give them projects that are challenging and interesting to them.
Second, mentorship is very important for retention. Alongside their mentor, people can see that they have a path forward without leaving the company. They have a regular opportunity to review/revise their career goals, and we help them take the steps they need to get there.
Don’t Limit Your Organization
Growing your company organically isn’t a one or two step process. As you can see, we use multiple channels to improve our level of expertise, and it takes time to develop each CT Salesforce Professional.
But the results are worth it. By leveraging our team as mentors and investing in the long-term development of our staff, we’ve established a group of experts that can deliver outstanding Salesforce work at the highest level.

Growing a Profitable Salesforce Practice
The full webinar is available on demand. Watch now to learn how to stand out in a crowded Salesforce ecosystem.
Watch On Demand-fm-converted.jpg)
Mariia Chernova
Mariia Chernova, PhD, is VP Technologies at Customertimes. An accomplished lecturer, developer, business analyst, and Solutions Architect, she holds a PhD in Mathematical Physics and a master’s degree in Finance. Read more about her in our Women in Tech series.
-fm-converted.png)
Alimera Sciences Boosts Productivity with CT Mobile
-fm-converted.png)
Brian Borack Joins Customertimes as Chief Operating Officer
-fm-converted.png)
Xactly & Customertimes Improve Sales Performance Management
-fm-converted.png)
Meet the Women of Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
Orkla Automates Territory Alignment with CT Mobile & CT CPG
-fm-converted.png)
Meet the Women of Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
ISG Names Customertimes a Salesforce Ecosystem Leader
-fm-converted.png)
Propel Goes Global with PDO and Managed Services
-fm-converted.png)
Meet the Women of Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
Choosing the Ideal PDO Partner
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Launches The Give Back to Ukraine Fund
-fm-converted.png)
CT Software Announces New Consumer Health Projects
-fm-converted.png)
The Top 5 QA Testing Metrics
-fm-converted.png)
UMMC Uses Salesforce Health Cloud to Improve Pediatric Psychiatric Care
-fm-converted.png)
Minimizing the Impact of Log4j and Other Java Vulnerabilities
-fm-converted.png)
DFG152 is Live on Salesforce AppExchange
-fm-converted.png)
A Year of Giving
-fm-converted.png)
Leverage the power of Salesforce automation with CT Orders
-fm-converted.png)
New Product Idea? 5 Things to Look for in a Salesforce PDO
-fm-converted.png)
A Sharp USA Customer Success Story
-fm-converted.png)
Organic Growth: Building an Agile, Scalable Salesforce Team
-fm-converted.png)
Open to Hire? 5 Ways to Deal with a Staffing Shortage
-fm-converted.png)
The Transformation Guidebook
-fm-converted.png)
CT Vision is now live on Salesforce AppExchange
-fm-converted.png)
Unlock Customer-Centric Growth with the World's #1 CRM
-fm-converted.png)
[On-Demand] Growing a Profitable Salesforce Practice
-fm-converted.png)
Launch Excellence in a Post-Pandemic World
-fm-converted.png)
A Sirenum Customer Story
-fm-converted.png)
Making a Switch: 5 Things to Consider When Switching Salesforce Partners
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Announces Expanded Salesforce Industries Practice
-fm-converted.png)
Use case of CT Mobile for Consumer Packaged Goods - Beiersdorf
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes How To: Uniting Sales Cloud and Service Cloud
-fm-converted.png)
Bench Strength, and Other Introductions
-fm-converted.png)
Meet Alexis: Introducing Our PepUp Tech Intern
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes How To: Building Better Salesforce Reports
-fm-converted.png)
Stand Out: Overcoming Digital Fatigue in a Crowded Marketplace
-fm-converted.png)
Connecting Image Recognition Technlogies to the Salesforce Ecosystem with CT Vision
-fm-converted.png)
[On Demand] Launch Excellence in a Post-Pandemic World: The right Life Sciences ...
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Announces Strategic Partnership with Blue Consulting
-fm-converted.png)
Expanding Our Reach, Building Our Communities
-fm-converted.png)
Discover CT: Anna Andreieva
-fm-converted.png)
Discover CT: Sergey Selivanov
-fm-converted.png)
CT Orders Whitepaper
-fm-converted.png)
Giving Back Is in Our DNA
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes is Awarded Three Best in Class Distinctions in POI’s 2021 Retail S...
-fm-converted.png)
Discover CT: Dmitry Selkov
-fm-converted.png)
Discover CT: Denny Gracey
-fm-converted.png)
Automating Order Management with CT Orders
-fm-converted.png)
ISG Names Customertimes a Rising Star
-fm-converted.png)
Bitcoin Is Just the Beginning: How Blockchain Will Revolutionize Data Collection...
-fm-converted.png)
Two Major Challenges of AI Adoption for Enterprises
-fm-converted.png)
Commercial Launch Enablement for Emerging Life Sciences Companies
-fm-converted.png)
The Holy Grail of Customer Engagement: A True 360° View
-fm-converted.png)
Strategies to Maximize Your CRM/CX Investments
-fm-converted.png)
CRM: It's a Journey not a Event
-fm-converted.png)
Women in Tech: Angel Di Legge Kokoszka
-fm-converted.png)
Efficiency vs. Effectiveness: Getting the Right Things Done
-fm-converted.png)
Women in Tech: Svetlana Makhlysheva
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes and PepUp Tech announce support for the Pennsylvania Innocence Pro...
-fm-converted.png)
Improve the Human Element of Your CX for More Emotional Connections
-fm-converted.png)
James Goldfinger Joins the PepUp Tech Board
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes and Competera Announce Strategic Partnership
-fm-converted.png)
Women in Tech: Maria Karandin
-fm-converted.png)
Back to the Future – Dusting Off the Old Playbook for Salesforce in Healthcare
-fm-converted.png)
Bringing a Product to Market: An Interview with Park Capital’s Alex Lopatine
-fm-converted.png)
Women in Tech: Tahuana Cirati
-fm-converted.png)
DevOps Strategy: A Journey to Efficiency
-fm-converted.png)
Megatrends in Customer Experience Webinar | Customertimes, Edify, Verint, eGain
-fm-converted.png)
Introducing Women in Tech: Meet the Inspiring Women of Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
CT Orders - Sales automation with easy order taking
-fm-converted.png)
Sharp and Customertimes | A Salesforce Implementation Story
-fm-converted.png)
A Look at Marketing's Biggest Data Challenges of the 2020s
-fm-converted.png)
What makes a successful CRM Journey
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Partners with PepUp Tech to Train a New Generation of Salesforce P...
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes welcomes Sergey Zinin as Global VP of Verticals and Business Consu...
-fm-converted.png)
PepUp Tech Announces New Partnership with Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
How do you build a high-performing, cost-effective CRM technology team?
-fm-converted.png)
Сustomertimes Achieves Salesforce Master Navigator Status for Delivering Experti...
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes and Propel Announce Global Strategic Partnership
-fm-converted.png)
Is It Time to Revise Your Business Continuity Plan?
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Achieves Salesforce Master Navigator Status for Delivering Experti...
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Continues to Expand
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes achieves Salesforce Master Navigator status for delivering experti...
-fm-converted.png)
Choosing a Software Product Development Partner: Why Strategy, Customisation, an...
-fm-converted.png)
The power of CRM's and post COVID-19 technology adoption | Jim Goldfinger
-fm-converted.png)
Let Data Be Your Guide: Adapt to Become Digital First
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Cares: Making Strides to Help Our Communities in Eastern Europe
-fm-converted.png)
Salesforce and Tableau – the perfect combination for these challenging times
-fm-converted.png)
Rethinking HCP Interaction in the Midst of the New Normal
-fm-converted.png)
Improving marketing engagement using actionable intelligence
-fm-converted.png)
My 2019 Trailblazer Story
-fm-converted.png)
CV-19 highlights the importance of digital transformation
-fm-converted.png)
The Evolution from Systems of Engagement to Systems of Agility
-fm-converted.png)
The Next Normal for Life Sciences Sales Calls
-fm-converted.png)
Never a Better Time to Give Back and to Put Life in Perspective
-fm-converted.png)
CT partners with Salesforce in a time of need for Health Care providers
-fm-converted.png)
Data is the New Oil
-fm-converted.png)
Lessons learned from my years as the CEO of Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
Why do you love working with Customertimes?
-fm-converted.png)
Where is the real value in CRM?
-fm-converted.png)
What makes Customertimes different?
-fm-converted.png)
Salesforce World Tour 2019
-fm-converted.png)
Lightforce : sharing experience Salesforce / Customertimes
-fm-converted.png)
CT Mobile for a global beauty company | WELLA
-fm-converted.png)
PDI - CT Mobile
-fm-converted.png)
CT Pharma / CT Mobile - May 2018
-fm-converted.png)
CT Mobile Use Case for Luxury Goods - Cartier
-fm-converted.png)
Rethinking Your Open Banking Journey with MuleSoft
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes Solution for Life Sciences
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes is recognized by Promotion Optimization Institute in the Vendor Pa...
-fm-converted.png)
Customertimes at MEDICA/COMPAMED 2014 – Düsseldorf
-fm-converted.png)
CT Mobile - Full Featured Sales force Offline
-fm-converted.png)
CT Mobile - Salesforce Based CLM Solution for Your Business
-fm-converted.png)