My wife and I got married in August a few years ago, and the following January we were the unfortunate victims of a total-loss fire. We are both optimistic people, were fortunate enough to have insurance, and were able to begin replacing things one at a time. One of the very first things we acquired was a television set. I mean, who can live without one of those? We had not yet purchased a stand, so we just placed our new TV on top of the cardboard box it came in.

Days went by, and we continued to get other items we needed, such as a computer and new clothes. We were determined to get that TV stand, but as days turned into weeks, something peculiar happened. We stopped noticing it. Something that had only been intended as a temporary placeholder had somehow become a permanent (and not very attractive) solution. Human nature is a funny thing, and once our normal becomes adjusted, we often settle for a state that falls far beneath our intended goals or standards.

So my question for you today is, what is the “cardboard box” that is preventing your business from moving to the next level? In this post, I will share the three areas that I see people seeking to improve most in my role as an instructor and offer my recommendations to help get you on your way to change.

Data management
Data management—where everything seems to begin. Discovering where all of your data is coming from, and then determining how it all comes together, can take weeks, months, and years to perfect. The good news is that we have so much more customer data available at our fingertips than ever before. But the question remains: how will we use this information most effectively? These are good problems to have, but new problems indeed. It's such a big challenge that it is easy to put off until... and “until” never comes.

Automation
The next big challenge for many is to find ways of automating their processes. I am an instructor in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and not everything can be automated. If you are sending a monthly newsletter, that email will need to be updated every month, and there will be some manual steps to the process. But what about a welcome series? A customer journey that happens each time someone purchases a new product (from purchase confirmation, to shipping notifications, to after- sales care), imports, segmentation, journeys, and more can all be automated in the Salesforce Marketing cloud, and automation is a component of all of our clouds.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This is what everyone is excited about. As we have rolled out Einstein (AI) across the Salesforce range, it is helping businesses reach customers in a smarter and more impactful way. We've all been on a website that shows us items purchased by people looking at the same item we are looking for, or perhaps valuable accessories to use with it. I was definitely the benefactor of this science as I purchased a record player over the holiday season. How are these predictions being processed? They are using AI to save you time and increase your long-term satisfaction. If you are in sales, AI may come to you in the way of lead scoring, instead. No matter what cloud you are in, Einstein is a way to take you to the next level.

So now that I have you all excited about the possibilities, what do you do now?

1. Get everyone in the room.
When I do a training class, I'm often amazed that this is the first time some of the people in IT, Marketing, and Operations have ever seen each other face-to-face! Understanding what each department's needs are, and seeing how all the puzzle pieces fit together, can be a really beneficial experience. It can also help you establish goals to get you to where you desire to be.

2. Talk to your sales representative.
If your sales representative can get an understanding of where you're looking to go, they can then plug in the necessary technical resources to make sure you're aware of the best Salesforce products and services available to assist you. Technology changes fast, so if you haven't spoken in a while, this may be a great opportunity.

3. Take training.
Training—the most important thing of all. There are so many opportunities for customers to learn our software: more than ever before, in fact.

• Trailhead is a great starting point, and new trails are being added all the time. You can learn at your own pace, and become more familiar with our products.
• Interested in going a level beyond? In-person or virtual training courses can help you gain an even more in-depth understanding of the product through discussion and hands-on, instructor-led exercises. I would love to see you in the classroom!
• Certification — the ultimate proof that you know your stuff and have earned a place in the Salesforce-certified eco-system of professionals.

I am glad to tell you that my story had a happy ending. My wife and I ended up having our condo rebuilt. When we moved in, we discarded the cardboard box and invested in an entertainment center. It was only then that we were able to see more clearly what we had been missing. How will the rest of your 2017 look? Cardboard box? TV stand? Or even wall-mounted? We are often told to think outside the box, but sometimes we need to replace the box entirely. And we are here to help you do just that.

Discover for yourself how you can get rid of your “cardboard box,” master Salesforce, and achieve success. Learn more about our extensive curriculum of in-classroom and virtual instructor-led courses and register to attend your class today.