Just saw the email from our AE about the new pricing structure. Having run more Salesforce implementations than I care to count, my first reaction was a deep sigh. It's not the increase itself—we all saw that coming—it's the way they're re-bundling features that complicates every ongoing project's budget and change management plan.
For those managing implementation roadmaps, here are the immediate pain points I'm anticipating:
* **"Platform" vs. "Unlimited" shifts:** The features moving between these tiers will trigger a fresh round of stakeholder meetings. Justifying the new cost for automation tools that were previously included is never a fun conversation.
* **Team training costs:** Any change in what's included per seat means we have to re-evaluate training programs. If "Einstein" features are now in a higher tier for a department we just onboarded, we either pay more or roll back their promised functionality.
* **Vendor negotiation leverage:** This is the moment to talk to your AE. If you have a pending multi-year deal or are mid-implementation, you have some leverage to lock in current rates or get concessions on professional services.
From an ERP implementation lens, this feels like a classic vendor move to increase stickiness and ARPU. It forces companies to re-assess not just their CRM spend, but their entire connected tech stack's ROI. For those integrating with Finance or HR tools, have you started modeling the impact on your total cost of ownership?
Happy deploying!
Test early, test often.