Salesforce Admin: Louise Lockie

Read through this profile of #AwesomeAdmin Louise Lockie!

Why did you become an Admin?

At first, I was a reluctant Admin. I was managing a sales operations team and our existing CRM, and the business decided to switch to Salesforce. I thought this was a terrible idea because I spent my days working in SQL, and couldn’t imagine switching to a new system. I was at a critical crossroads, and I decided to take on the challenge to become a Salesforce Admin, which earned me a seat at the table with the decision-makers in the business and propelled me into a new career.

I was fortunate that my company sent me to the Admin training course. The training piqued my interest because I could see that the possibilities of the platform were endless compared to my old system. I quickly became slightly obsessed with Salesforce, and have been learning everything I can ever since.

I’m so glad that I decided to take on the challenge of becoming a Salesforce Admin, despite my original instincts, because now I know that my possibilities are endless.

What’s your favorite part about being an Admin?

I love solving problems. Figuring out how to use the Salesforce platform to solve for business needs is like solving a puzzle that has more than one solution. Combining my business knowledge with my Salesforce toolkit allows me to adapt and deliver real value in creative ways. I’ve become the Salesforce expert at my company, and it is so nice to be an expert at something. Being able to say “I know this!” is a great feeling.

Being part of the Salesforce community is one of the best things about being an Admin. I never thought I’d make real friends through CRM! But it’s much more than finding folks I like to have a drink with at the pub, it’s about getting support through challenges at work from other Salesforce professionals.

What is the most important skill for an Admin?

You have to have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to always keep learning because Salesforce doesn’t sit still for long. There are multiple releases every year, new clouds, lightning, and more happening all the time. The learning never ends!

Empathy is also crucial. You have to put yourself in the end user’s shoes. Sit with them, and watch to see if your solution works from their point of view. Make sure you understand how they do their job every day and how they use Salesforce. That will help you deliver solutions that work for everyone.

Have the confidence to push back on requests and ask why. Being a Salesforce Admin isn’t a role for a weak person because you have to question requests from executives, stakeholders, and end users in order to dig deeper and discover the real problem they don’t see. Only then will you be able to deliver the right solution.

What is your advice for other Admins?

It is so important to know the details of how your business works. No matter how many meetings you have to gather business requirements, you still won’t know everything. Get to know the nitty gritty details by sitting with users across the company and seeing how they do their daily jobs.

Don’t struggle with an issue in silence. Use the vast resources available to help you. There is no need to bang your head against the wall trying to find a solution alone when you have the success community, blogs, podcasts, twitter to connect with others who have been where you are and have solved problems like the one you are struggling with.

Lastly, stretch yourself to learn new things beyond what you need to know for your current role. My company only uses Sales Cloud, so I spend time learning about other clouds to help round out my Salesforce knowledge. Don’t limit your career options because of lack of experience.