Not the catchiest of titles for a blog post, I know. But as we’re careening towards to 2017 and not a moment too soon, I thought I would remind people why Salesforce User Groups are something you shouldn’t put off joining. Last year, I wrote a post with 5 reasons why you should join a user group, but I’ve decided to refresh it based on the events of 2016.. in case you’re wondering this post will not talk about any of the negative events of 2016, so put your pitchforks away!
5. With thrice yearly releases, we know we have to stay current on our Salesforce skills, but the opportunity to learn new things doesn’t stop there. With the platform and industries constantly evolving and changing, it behooves even the most seasoned of Salesforce experts to keep current. By attending user groups that deal with different industries and products, it’s easier to expand your knowledge base. This year, I’ve added to my understanding of nonprofit and public sector based on the content and discussions at these types of user group events. It’s definitely worth stepping outside of your comfort zone!
4. We all know and love Salesforce, but how much do we know about some of the offerings available on the Appexchange to extend the functionality of Salesforce? The ability to engage with product companies and learn more about different offerings is another benefit of user group meetings. Oftentimes, these product companies will sponsor user group meetings and it’s an easy way to get more information and have informal chats about their offerings. I will admit that my knowledge of many of the apps available was lacking, but over the last year, I have had the ability to engage with some partners such as Apttus, Taskfeed and Xactly to learn more about how their products and services can help my clients when planning out their Salesforce projects. Added bonus is that you’re usually not being sold to and can ask open and honest questions.
3. With so much new stuff coming at us in terms of the release cycles for Salesforce and all of the new Lightning functionality, sometimes we have to go to the experts for advice and guidance. Many user groups are able to do just that and bring the experts straight to you! We’ve had some exciting roadmap discussions and fireside chats this year about a multitude of different areas as Salesforce continues to grow. Salesforce Admins and Devs do a great job with webinars and highlighting experts in our community but being face to face and able to ask about your most challenging of use cases is really helpful!
2. There is such a diverse audience at user groups and I know I mentioned networking in the post last year, but I would be remiss if I didn’t also give examples of some of the incredible networking I’ve seen in action this year. From one of our Women in Tech events in May, there was a topic around mentoring and out of that discussion, some of our WiT members ended up establishing informal mentorship relationships with some other members of the community. Being able to get guidance and support from community members who have embarked on similar paths in their careers is invaluable.
1. It should not come as any surprise that Salesforce Ohana would be my final reason. I don’t think there is anyone on earth that would disagree on 2016 being a challenging year for many many reasons. I’ve seen members of our community come together to celebrate births of babies (we have added lots of little future community members this year), promotions, engagements, marriages and all kinds of happy events as well as some sad events this year. We have dealt with loss in our community as well as illnesses, etc. But what sets us apart from any other community is that we all want to share and connect with our fellow community members. It’s truly an extension of my family and I feel so fortunate to have so many people all over the world, as well as my own city, if I need just a simple hello. This community makes the world smaller and accessible by bringing people together, every day. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for everyone that has been there for me and everyone around me over the past year.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday season!
BTW, I am not responsible if the last one made you shed a tear or two. 🙂
Force of Anarchy 