Insights for Salesforce Professionals
Contract
Contractor workload
The freelancers that took part in our survey work an average of 39 hours a week, although this varies between 7 and 70 hours per week.
Average total contract length: 6 months
Longest contract length: 2 years and 8 months
Percentage of freelancers that have worked on projects that have lasted 12 months or more: 13%
Average number of current clients: 2
Percentage of freelancers only working for one client: 47%
Are contractors traveling for work?
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Usually
- Always
How to increase your contract rate
Before you broach the subject with clients, you’ll need to do some research, crunch some numbers, and put forward a case explaining why rates are increasing.
Increasing rates with existing clients is justifiable if the scope of the project has changed, but can be more challenging if the client feels they’re paying more for the same work. Here are a few tips to help you agree a higher rate.
Log all your achievements
Demonstrate your ongoing value to the client by outlining all the things you’ve delivered or achieved for them. By the time you get to the end of a project, you’re not going to remember all the challenges you overcame or the KPIs you boosted, so keep a running diary of wins you can refer back to. Don’t just include the hard and fast stuff either; you might’ve cut reporting time down by 70%, but you’re also likely to have disseminated a lot of knowledge to the rest of the team along the way, and benefits like that are truly invaluable.
Build on skills and experience
In tech, scarcity of skill sets often determines cost. If you have experience with a product others don’t, then your knowledge is more valuable. When you want to boost your contract rates, broadening your expertise and picking up additional specialisms is a great way to up your value in the eyes of clients. Salesforce is adding new products to its stable all the time; get ahead of the curve by building experience with these before others in your field, or earn certifications that validate your in-demand knowledge.
Be flexible
Never sell yourself short, but in this current economic climate, you might have to be a little more flexible. Work out your minimum acceptable rate and be prepared to negotiate. You’re well within your rights to say you need to charge more because of inflation or cost of living increases, but don’t be surprised if your clients’ response is that they’re in the same boat. Starting high might feel risky, but it gives you room to negotiate down to a level that’s fair and viable for both you and the client.
Attraction and retention
What makes a contractor accept a contract offer?
| Earning potential | 85% |
| Ability to work remotely | 73% |
| Duration of project | 59% |
| Flexible hours | 59% |
| Technologies used in the project | 43% |
| The industry the project/organization is in | 35% |
| Size of project | 33% |
| Management philosophy | 33% |
| Complexity of project | 29% |
| Quality standards | 21% |
| Other | 1% |
What are the key attributes you need to be a contractor?
What challenges do you face working as a contractor?
| Finding new contracts/customers | 59% |
| Time management | 28% |
| Late customer payments/invoicing | 25% |
| Unrealistic expectations of clients | 24% |
| There is lots of competition | 23% |
| Work-life balance | 23% |
| Clients changing the scope of a project | 19% |
| Knowing when to refuse a project because I already have enough work | 16% |
| Knowing when to refuse a project because it's unsuitable | 15% |
| Keeping up-to-date with admin | 13% |
| What to do in periods of no work | 13% |
| Lack of communication from clients | 12% |
| Procrastination/motivation | 8% |
| None | 9% |
| Other | 1% |
Conclusion
Contracting continues to be a popular choice for Salesforce professionals, with many drawn to the flexibility, autonomy, and earning power that freelancing in tech offers.
The fact that less than a third (32%) of contractors say they usually or always travel to carry out client work shows the growing popularity of remote contracting, with Salesforce customers now able (or perhaps needing) to cast a wider geographical net when searching for support. Despite this broadening footprint of opportunity, 59% of Salesforce contractors cite finding new clients as their biggest challenge, highlighting the value of building strong relationships and networking for those working on a freelance basis.
Our survey also unearthed some interesting data around what makes a good Salesforce contractor, with soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and conflict management ranking as the most important factor (77%) in a freelancer’s success. Expertise in Salesforce ranked joint-second alongside adaptability, proving that technical know-how is only part of the equation. This is especially useful insight for any Salesforce professional looking to give contracting a try.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the Salesforce ecosystem.
