Salesforce implementation cost: what drives it and how to keep it down

Salesforce implementation cost: our ballpark

Here is how we build a ballpark for a Salesforce implementation. The estimator near the top of this page does the math as you map your systems.

• Salesforce setup: $8,500. Leads, opportunities, accounts and contacts plus 3 custom objects; lead statuses, stages, record types, fields, picklists and page layouts; lead conversion mapping; lead mapping into Salesforce from your website, forms, chats, call tracking, WhatsApp and email; queues and flows for assignment, follow-up tasks and alerts; approval processes; duplicate and validation rules; list views; business development (BD) setup with account and contact page layouts, historical uploads, reports and dashboards, and alerts on outbound referrals; email setup with Outlook or Gmail, templates, signatures and letterhead; the homepage and a custom login screen; users, profiles, access levels and permissions with MFA; Chatter; reports and dashboards; lead source and marketing channel reporting; a sandbox build; backups; and a training hub.
• Each other system connected to Salesforce, such as an EMR, billing, payments or ad platforms: $1,200 to $3,000.
• Historical data migration: $300 to $5,000+, depending on how many systems the records come from, how much cleanup the data needs, and the custom objects Salesforce needs to hold it. $300 is a list upload of business accounts and/or contacts; $5,000+ is a full system migration of leads, opportunities, accounts, contacts, custom objects, call and text activity, payment activity and notes from several systems.
• Add-on, Salesforce Maps setup: $3,000, address cleanup included.

Where each integration lands in that range depends on what is mapped between the systems:

• The number of forms coming in.
• The number of fields mapped between the systems.
• The types of data that move: fields, PDFs, files, recordings and so on.
• Whether data moves one way or both ways.

It is an estimate, not a quote. A short call is enough for us to see your scope and give you a real one.

Two separate costs: licenses and the implementation

Salesforce cost has two parts, and they come from different places.

• Licenses: what you pay Salesforce to use the platform. It depends on the edition and the number of users, and Salesforce bills it directly.
• Implementation: what you pay a partner to design, build, migrate, connect, test and train. This is the part this guide covers.

We help with the license side too. We work out which edition, add-ons and number of licenses your team needs, so you do not pay for what you will not use, and we work with Salesforce reps directly to get you the best price we can.

There can be costs outside ours, too. Some systems charge for API access, and some AppExchange apps and connectors carry their own subscription. Those fees are set by each vendor and can change. We list the ones your project needs before you approve the quote, so there are no surprises later.

What changes your Salesforce implementation cost

The ballpark covers the Salesforce setup and your integrations. These are the things that move your project up or down from there.

How to keep your Salesforce implementation cost down

You control more of the cost than you might think. These steps cut work without cutting what you get.

• Know your process first. Walk one lead from first contact to closed deal before the project starts. Decisions made in discovery are cheaper than changes made in the build.
• Phase it. Launch what the business needs on day one, then add the rest in later phases. Each phase has its own clear scope and quote.
• Clean your data before migration. Remove duplicates, archive what you do not need, and fix formats. Less data, and cleaner data, means less migration work.
• Use native integrations before custom code. If a connector or AppExchange app does the job, use it. Save custom work for what nothing else can do.
• Use standard objects and features where they fit. Custom objects and code cost more to build and to maintain.
• Name one decision maker. Fewer rounds of changes keep the scope where it started.
• Keep the first design small. A field or automation can be added later. One nobody uses still costs time to build and test.

To see what your project involves before the call, sketch your tools in our free tech stack diagram builder. It shows us the integrations and data flows in one picture.

How we quote a Salesforce implementation

We price by project, not by the hour. You know the cost before we start, and it does not grow with the clock.

What to bring to the call for an accurate quote

• How leads come in today: forms, calls, chats, texts, referrals.
• The tools that have to connect to Salesforce.
• Where your data lives now, and roughly how much of it there is.
• The number of people who will use Salesforce, and their roles.
• The reports leadership wants to see.
• Anything you already have: a Salesforce org, a process map or a list of requirements.

Do not worry if you do not have all of it. We can work out the rest together on the call.

What the quote covers

A quote should tell you what you get, not only what you pay. Ours lists the deliverables for the scope, such as:

• The Salesforce build: objects, fields, layouts, automation, access and reports.
• Each integration, with its field mapping document.
• Data migration, with a test import before the final run.
• Testing and user acceptance sign-off.
• Training, SOPs and documentation for each role.

For the full list of phases and deliverables, read our Salesforce implementation guide.

Get a real number for your project

We are a Salesforce partner with 900+ integrations completed. Book a free call, tell us what your team needs, and you get a project quote for your scope to approve before work starts.