What questions should we ask a Salesforce partner before signing?

15 core questions across team (named consultants, certifications, similar engagements, CSAT, on-time delivery rate), methodology (paid diagnostic, RevOps redesign, scope change process, migration methodology, change management investment), and pricing / risk (3-year TCO, pricing model, outcome guarantee, delay accountability, exit clause). Give each 0 to 2 points; above 25 is a strong fit.

How do we verify a Salesforce partner is real?

Search their name on the AppExchange Consulting Partners directory, check public CSAT scores, verify individual consultants on the Trailblazer directory, ask for two references from customers of similar size and industry, and confirm the tier level (Registered, Ridge, Crest, Summit, Global Strategic).

Should we accept a free Salesforce diagnostic?

A free diagnostic is a sales tool, not a real diagnostic. Real diagnostics take 40 to 100 senior hours and cost $5 000 to $15 000. If a partner offers a free diagnostic, the deliverables will be shallow and biased toward selling the follow-on implementation. Insist on paid, portable deliverables.

What is a good outcome guarantee from a Salesforce partner?

A measurable milestone tied to adoption (for example, 60% weekly active users at 90 days), forecast accuracy (85% at 6 months), or ROI (specific dollar or percentage return at 12 months). Digital Stratify offers a 90-day ROI guarantee tied to milestones defined at diagnostic. Partners who say "guarantees are impossible in consulting" are usually protecting against their own delivery risk.

15 Questions to Ask a Salesforce Partner Before Signing (2026 Buyer's Framework)

The buyer framework that separates real Salesforce partners from confident-sounding ones. 15 questions across delivery, team, methodology, pricing and outcomes, with the red flag answers.

The 15 questions below take under 30 minutes to ask and save 6 to 12 months of pain. Every one of them has a clear "green light" answer and a specific red flag. Use them across your final two or three finalist partners to normalize the decision.

Team and delivery

Who exactly is on my account? Green light: named consultants with LinkedIn profiles you can verify. Red flag: "we assign the best available team at kickoff".
What Salesforce certifications do they hold? Green light: at least one Consultant certification per cloud and one Architect on the account. Red flag: only Admin certifications for a complex build.
How many similar engagements has the lead consultant delivered? Green light: 3 or more in the last 24 months, similar size and industry. Red flag: "our firm has done many" (deflection).
What is your CSAT score on the AppExchange? Green light: publicly visible, above 4.7 out of 5, 20+ reviews. Red flag: unwilling to share or no listing.
What percentage of your last 10 projects went live on time and budget? Green light: numeric answer, above 80%. Red flag: "we always deliver".

Methodology and scope

Do you run a paid diagnostic before scoping the main project? Green light: yes, 2 to 3 weeks, portable deliverables. Red flag: free diagnostic (sales tool) or "we go straight to the build".
Will you redesign our RevOps operating model or just configure what we specify? Green light: they push back on your specs when they see funnel or forecasting risks. Red flag: they build exactly what you asked, no questions.
How do you handle scope changes? Green light: change control process with cost impact and approval workflow. Red flag: "we absorb minor changes" (until they do not).
What is your data migration methodology? Green light: clear steps for extraction, cleansing, dedupe, validation, cutover, rollback. Red flag: vague "we handle migration".
How much do you invest in change management and enablement? Green light: 15 to 25% of implementation cost, with named enablement lead. Red flag: "to be scoped later".

Pricing and risk

What is the 3-year total cost of ownership, not just the 12-month project? Green light: they provide a defensible TCO model with licenses, sandboxes, admin, integrations, optimization. Red flag: only project cost.
What is your pricing model: fixed, T&M or hybrid? Green light: hybrid with fixed-price for defined scope and T&M for exploration. Red flag: pure T&M with vague scope.
Do you offer any outcome guarantee? Green light: measurable milestone tied to adoption, forecast accuracy or ROI. Red flag: "guarantees are impossible in consulting".
Do you carry the full weight if go-live is delayed? Green light: yes, milestones tied to your calendar. Red flag: escape clauses everywhere.
What is the fastest we can end the engagement if it is not working? Green light: 30 to 60 day exit clause with prorated payment. Red flag: full-payment lock-in.

How to score responses

Give each question 0, 1, or 2 points (red flag = 0, acceptable = 1, green light = 2). Total possible: 30 points.

25+ points: strong partner, likely fit.
18 to 24 points: acceptable, verify references heavily.
Under 18 points: high risk, keep shopping.

Additional questions for specific situations

If regulated industry: "Do you have Salesforce Shield or industry cloud experience?"

If migrating from HubSpot / Pipedrive / Zoho: "How many migrations from that platform have you led?"

If considering Revenue Cloud or CPQ: "Show me a CPQ implementation you shipped in the last 12 months."

If bilingual FR/EN delivery needed: "Is your senior consultant on the account bilingual, or is it delivered through translation?"

The reference call framework

After you narrow to 2 or 3 finalists, insist on reference calls with recent customers of similar size. Ask:

What was the actual project timeline vs the original estimate?
What was the actual project cost vs the original quote?
Who was on the account, and did they change during the engagement?
How responsive was the partner when things went wrong?
Would you engage them again, honestly?

How we score

Digital Stratify scores in the 25 to 30 point range on this framework: named senior consultants, AppExchange certified partner, paid diagnostic first, portable deliverables, 90-day ROI guarantee, 15% enablement baseline, and outcome-tied milestones. See our Salesforce implementation service.