Essays
Ideas, arguments, and better questions.
12 July 2026
The Growing Gap Between Salesforce Experts and Salesforce Users
Salesforce has never been more powerful, yet many organisations continue to struggle with adoption, data quality and user engagement. In this episode, I explore the growing gap between Salesforce experts and Salesforce users, why it exists, and how it quietly impacts business performance. Drawing on years of training and enablement experience, I examine the five forces driving this divide and the three practical steps organisations can take to bridge it. Because the biggest challenge facing many Salesforce programmes isn't technology—it's translation. Understanding that difference could transform how your organisation approaches adoption, change and long-term success.
5 July 2026
Systems think in objects. Humans think in outcomes
As Salesforce races towards Agentforce and Headless360, are we building the future around technology or around people? This thought experiment explores what Salesforce would look like if it were designed by end users, trainers and frontline teams first.
28 June 2026
The People Between Strategy and Reality Run Salesforce
Everyone talks about executives. Everyone talks about users. Almost nobody talks about the people stuck in the middle translating strategy into reality. Yet they may be the single biggest factor in Salesforce adoption, data quality and long-term success.
21 June 2026
The Gap Between Salesforce's Vision and Reality
Salesforce is racing towards an AI-first future, but are most customers ready to follow? After attending World Tour London, I found myself reflecting on a simple question: if many organisations still struggle with Salesforce adoption today, how realistic is a future built around Agentforce, autonomous agents and Headless 360? In this article and podcast, I share my perspective from over a decade working with the people expected to use these systems every day.
14 June 2026
Is Poor Salesforce Adoption Costing You a Fortune?
Most organisations can tell you exactly what they spend on Salesforce, but very few can tell you what poor adoption is costing them. In this episode, I explore five simple questions that reveal hidden productivity leaks, management overhead, spreadsheet dependency, reporting distrust and user avoidance that quietly drain value from Salesforce investments. If you're a Salesforce Product Owner, Sales Leader or Executive, this conversation may change the way you think about adoption, training and business performance.
7 June 2026
The Missing Feedback Loop in Salesforce
What separates Salesforce environments that continuously improve from those that slowly accumulate friction and complexity? In this episode, we explore the four characteristics shared by high-performing organisations, why trainers often have the clearest view of real user behaviour, and how better feedback loops can transform the way businesses design, support and evolve Salesforce over time.
31 May 2026
The Biggest Salesforce Mistake Happens Before Training Even Begins
Most Salesforce adoption problems do not begin after go-live — they begin at the very start of the project, when businesses fail to properly identify, involve, and understand their users. In this episode, I explore why so many organisations design systems around processes and technology before considering the real operational realities of the people expected to use them every day. Because when users are treated as an afterthought instead of part of the journey, even the most technically successful Salesforce implementation can quietly struggle underneath the surface.
24 May 2026
Death By 1,000 Clicks: The Hidden Cost of Tiny Salesforce Inefficiencies
Most Salesforce inefficiencies don't arrive as major failures. They appear as tiny delays, extra clicks, unnecessary fields, and small moments of friction that quietly compound into lost productivity, poor data quality, and frustrated users. In this episode, we explore how these seemingly insignificant inefficiencies create significant business costs over time—and why some of the most expensive Salesforce problems are the ones organisations have stopped noticing.
17 May 2026
Why Executives Overestimate Technology and Underestimate People
Most organisations don't fail because the technology was bad. They fail because they overestimated what technology could fix and underestimated the complexity of human behaviour. In this podcast, I explore why executives often mistake implementation for adoption, why users quietly disengage long before dashboards show it, and why training, confidence, and behavioural support are the real drivers of long-term transformation success. If you work in Salesforce, digital transformation, AI, or change management, this episode will completely change how you think about adoption. Technology may power transformation — but people determine whether it survives.
10 May 2026
The Adoption Illusion: Why Your Metrics Are Lying
Are login numbers truly reflecting success? We discuss how leadership teams often celebrate adoption based on seemingly healthy login numbers and increased platform engagement. It's crucial to look beyond surface-level performance metrics to ensure genuine business growth and effective strategy. Consider if your key performance indicators are truly capturing the full picture of your CRM's impact.
3 May 2026
The Hidden Gap Between Delivered Training and Usable Knowledge
Completing training does not automatically mean people can use what they have learned when it matters. This essay explores the often-overlooked gap between information being delivered and knowledge becoming usable, and why bridging that gap is one of the most important factors in long-term Salesforce adoption and success.
27 April 2026
The First 30 Days After Go Live Decide Everything
Most organisations treat go-live as the finish line of a Salesforce project. In reality, it is the beginning of the most important phase. This essay explores how user habits, perceptions and workarounds are formed in the first month after launch, and why those early weeks often determine whether adoption succeeds or quietly begins to fail.
20 April 2026
Designing for Humans vs Designing for Processes
Many organisations use the words training and enablement interchangeably, but the distinction is more important than it appears. This essay explores how language shapes perception, investment and behaviour, and why capability-building is a far more powerful driver of Salesforce success than traditional training alone.
12 April 2026
If I Took Over Your Salesforce Tomorrow, Here's What I'd Do First
The first step in improving Salesforce is rarely another feature, automation or dashboard. It is understanding how people experience the system, where friction occurs and whether users truly have the confidence to work within it. This essay explores the priorities I would address before touching the technology, from user behaviour and data habits to capability, Superusers and critical business moments.
5 April 2026
The Superuser Myth - Choosing the Wrong People
Many organisations select Salesforce Superusers based on technical expertise, only to discover that adoption remains low and support structures fail to gain traction. This essay explores why influence, trust and communication are often more important than system knowledge, and how the right Superusers can become powerful drivers of long-term adoption and behavioural change.
30 March 2026
The Forgotten Blueprint for Modern AI
A visit to Bletchley Park revealed a lesson that feels surprisingly relevant in today's AI-driven world. Long before artificial intelligence, success depended on discipline, consistency and well-trained people working with complex information. This essay explores why the future of AI depends less on technology itself and more on the quality of the human foundations that support it.
23 March 2026
The Silent Cost of Over Customisation - When Tailored Becomes a Trap
Most Salesforce environments become complex through a series of sensible decisions. Over time, however, every new field, process and automation adds to the mental effort required to use the system. This essay explores the concept of cognitive debt and why simplifying the user experience is often more valuable than adding more functionality.
15 March 2026
Your Best Employees Resisting Change? The Psychology Explained
Why do some of the most experienced and capable people in an organisation often resist new systems the most? This essay explores the psychology behind CRM adoption, examining how autonomy, status and competence influence human behaviour during change. Understanding these forces can help organisations move beyond resistance and create lasting, meaningful adoption.
9 March 2026
Good Salesforce vs Great Salesforce | What's Missing?
Many Salesforce organisations reach a point where the system works, but no longer reflects the business as it exists today. This essay explores why maturity is different from maintenance, and how revisiting user capability, process clarity and system alignment can unlock the next stage of growth without starting over.
2 March 2026
Digitization vs Transformation: The Critical Difference
Many organisations describe technology implementations as digital transformation, but installing new software is not the same as changing how people work. This essay explores the difference between digitisation and true transformation, and why lasting change happens through behaviour, operations and capability-building rather than technology alone.
23 February 2026
The Difference Between Good and Great Salesforce Training
Most organisations believe Salesforce training begins when the slide deck is created. In reality, effective training starts months earlier with behavioural analysis, role-based design, hands-on practice, and ongoing enablement. This essay explores why traditional training often fails and what organisations must do to turn Salesforce knowledge into lasting capability and adoption.
17 February 2026
Your Data is Only as Good as Your Training
Many organisations believe AI will solve their data quality challenges, but technology can only amplify what already exists. If users lack clarity, consistency and confidence, AI simply scales those problems faster. This essay explores why training, enablement and human behaviour remain the true foundations of clean data and successful AI adoption.
9 February 2026
The Real Reason Users Complain About Salesforce
Most Salesforce complaints are symptoms, not root causes. When users say the system is slow, complicated, or easier to replace with a spreadsheet, they are often highlighting deeper issues with process design, leadership decisions, and enablement. This essay explores why user frustration is rarely about the platform itself and how organisations can transform complaints into valuable insights that drive adoption, engagement, and long-term success.
4 February 2026
Three Salesforce Users Walk Into Training… And Only One Learns Something
One-size-fits-all training is one of the biggest reasons Salesforce adoption struggles. In this essay, I explore the three user groups that exist in almost every organisation — novices, reluctant users, and high performers — and why each requires a different approach to learning, support, and enablement. Understanding these differences can transform training from a tick-box exercise into a genuine driver of adoption and performance.
27 January 2026
The Hidden Costs of Poor Salesforce Training
Most Salesforce complaints are not actually about Salesforce. When users say the system is slow, complicated, or easier to replace with a spreadsheet, they are often highlighting deeper issues with process design, training, and user experience. This essay explores how to decode those complaints and use them as valuable signals to improve adoption, confidence, and business outcomes.