High-level first, then low-level

Yesterday I was in a meeting with a client, and one of my team members was hosting the working session.

There were a handful of people on our team and another handful on the client side. Some were technical people, others not so much.… Read the rest

Calling a screen flow from a list view

Not surprisingly, there are tons of articles and videos about how to invoke a screen flow from a custom button on a list view. What is surprising is how nearly all of them are incomplete.

To bring you up to speed, to invoke a screen flow from a list view, you need to create a list button instead of an action.… Read the rest

Welcome to 2025

And we are back! Welcome to 2025, my dear reader.

I’ve already started the year poorly by sending this email at the 11th hour. But that’s what happens when you get distracted by trying to catch up on tons of emails.… Read the rest

Seasonal break with gratitude

I was planning to continue writing these emails until Friday before taking a much needed break. It turns out, I need the break more than I thought.
So today will be the last email until Jan 6th, 2025.

During the break, I plan to spend most of the time with family and close friends.… Read the rest

The journey to mastery

Mastery isn’t a straight and consistent path. It won’t even be the same path taken by anyone else.

This is because time keeps moving forward. With time progressing, random circumstances are constantly introduced. They say you never step into the same river twice, and that’s because of the flow of time.… Read the rest

Alternatives for multi-value picklists

No one really seems to enjoy multi-value picklists (MVPs). Like many things in the ecosystem, while it seems great in theory, it adds complications in practice. Even Salesforce recently added a warning message before you create one.

So what are the alternatives to MVPs?… Read the rest

Recap of Agentforce World Tour Toronto 2024

Today was the Agentforce World Tour in Toronto, and I wish I had a recap for you.

Let’s start at the beginning. I was prepared for a long day. The flight from Montreal departed at 6.45am and arrived in Toronto around 8.30am.… Read the rest

When clients can’t articulate, let their data do the talking

My colleague is getting more and more frustrated with his immovable client. They simply don’t want to, or are incapable of, articulating their requirements.

He and I discussed the issue, and came up with a novel approach.

The client loves their existing system, so why not start there?… Read the rest

Head first, into the storm

The bison is an animal of the bovine family. It’s related to the buffalo, and found in North America and Europe.

A cool fact about bison is how they handle snow storms.

Most people, when faced with an oncoming storm, would probably turn and run away from it.… Read the rest

Wow, that’s a big elephant

The expression “the elephant in the room” refers to a significant issue or problem that is obvious but is being ignored by those involved.

The metaphorical elephant occupies a lot of space in the room, but people simply ignore it. This is because they perceive that talking about the elephant is worse than pretending it doesn’t exist.… Read the rest

Asking for the “no”

Let’s say you have a client that loves to avoid commitment. This happens when the decision maker isn’t in the room or no one wants to take responsibility for approving the design.

The first symptom of this problem is that no one provides valuable feedback.… Read the rest

Invoking engagement during client demos

Imagine you have a client that’s not really invested in the Salesforce project. They might have been told they need to use Salesforce, or they are reluctant to change. Either way, they don’t really want it.

My colleague is going through this exact experience right now.… Read the rest

Please don’t ram Salesforce down my throat

A colleague of mine was discussing an issue he has with a new Salesforce client.

During meetings, the client doesn’t respond to most questions. They don’t seem to want to understand business requirements, agile, sprints, sign offs, etc. In fact, they show very little interest in the project at all.… Read the rest

Winner of the 2024 giveaway

It looks like this year’s reward was not very motivating for you. Since the giveaway was announced, only 3 people referred others 🙁

Don’t worry, I won’t take this personally. I bet you were just super busy and forgot about it.… Read the rest

Handling the point of no return, part 3: what to do

So you’re past the point of no return (PPNR) in your Salesforce project. This is despite the fact that you’re working with a good client and your contract doesn’t mention this predicament.

Here are a few options to consider:

Just finish the project
We know it’s common for a client to try and add scope to a project.… Read the rest

Handling the point of no return, part 2: contract

Several years ago, I fundamentally changed the way I do business. As such, my perception of business and client relationships have changed as well.

To this end, my contracts are very basic. I don’t like to spell out everything that will be done, and the penalties if things go wrong, as it feels petty for my tastes.… Read the rest

The benefits of meditation

Being able to achieve a deep focus and to have a strong concentration are valuable skills for Salesforce consultants.

These skills, like any other, can be cultivated. You may not be very good at them today, but you can teach yourself to become better

One fantastic way to start this process of growth is to meditate.… Read the rest

Building an abundance mindset

Knowing the difference between a scarcity and abundance mindset is the just first step. Achieving this mindset is the harder part.

If you don’t know how to start, here are some great starting points:

Encourage open communication

  • Participate in regular check-ins
  • Solicit transparent feedback

Show empathy and support

  • Practice active listening
  • Share resources

Promote inclusivity

  • Embrace diversity
  • Be aware of bias

Lead by example

  • Demonstrate vulnerability
  • Maintain consistency

Share and learn from failures

  • Don’t beat yourself up
  • Move forward with new learning

Create a trusting environment

  • Be transparent
  • Maintain confidentiality

The takeaway
Not only will building these attributes make you a better consultant, it’ll make you a better person overall.… Read the rest

Scarcity vs abundance mindset

Things that happen in the world aren’t intrinsically good or bad. It’s our perception of them that makes them good or bad.

People often have a scarcity mindset, which generally focuses on taking and being self-serving. Others have an abundance mindset, which is about giving and sharing.… Read the rest

The continued battle between NPSP vs NPC

Up until a year and a half ago, nonprofits using Salesforce had only one choice. They would start with Salesforce, and then install the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). Today more than 50,000 nonprofits actively use it.

Then Salesforce introduced the Nonprofit Cloud (NPC).… Read the rest

Two year anniversary giveaway

In celebration of the two year anniversary of The “Good Enough” Consultant, I’m having a giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a one-hour free consultation with me. You can use that time to discuss topics such as

  • Challenges in growing your Salesforce career
  • Technical issues with a current project
  • How to effectively shift from a full-time employee to freelance consultant
  • As an freelancer, how to drive up your income by switching from hourly billing to fixed prices
  • Anything else on your mind

Rules of the giveaway:

  1. Share the link below with fellow consultants
  2. If at least one person subscribes, you’re enrolled in the giveaway
  3. The more people you have subscribe, the greater your chances of winning
  4. One winner will be chosen at random by 10pm EST on Thursday, November 28, 2024

By the way, I kindly ask you only refer people who would actually enjoy the content, not just random colleagues that may unsubcribe a few days later.… Read the rest

Upcoming two year anniversary

Nov 28, 2024 marks the two year anniversary of this email list.

Some interesting statistic about it:

  • 481 emails were sent, including this one
  • There are currently 689 subscribers
  • The average open rate over the last 90 days is 58%, although this number is not accurate because of recent privacy policies.
Read the rest

How I work: Delegation

As a single-person business that offers both products and services, I simply don’t have time to do it all myself.
Here are the people I depend on:

App development
There’s a small team that helps me with the SF application. This includes two SF devs, an AWS dev, a QA tester, and a part-time marketing person.… Read the rest

How I work: The email list process

A couple of readers were interested in knowing my process for writing these emails, so here you go.

Ideas are collected throughout the day and recorded in my note taking app. Sometimes the idea is based on a situation with a client, a reader request, or something I find interesting.… Read the rest

How I work: Finding podcast guests

There are three main ways to host a podcast:

  1. You are the only host and do all of the talking
  2. You have a co-host, or two, and have conversations amongst yourselves
  3. You are the host, and you interview others

Some people mix and match, but one of these ways is usually the most applied.… Read the rest

How I work: Invoices and expenses

I’ve been an independent consultant for more than 20 years. For the first 19 years, I built a custom web application to manage my accounting.

My primary motivation was cost. I didn’t want to pay an endless subscription fee, when I knew I could build one myself.… Read the rest