Salesforce How-To Guides From Salesforce Consultants

Salesforce is powerful — but only when it’s implemented, configured, and managed correctly.

At Dynamic Specialties Group, we are experienced Salesforce consultants who help organizations turn Salesforce into a revenue-driving system, not just a database. From initial setup and automation to reporting, integrations, and adoption strategy, we guide teams through both the technical execution and the strategic decisions that make Salesforce successful long term.

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Salesforce How-To Guides

Salesforce can do a lot, but knowing where to start and how to do things the right way makes all the difference.

Our Salesforce how-to guides walk you through common tasks such as setting up Salesforce, creating dashboards, managing campaigns, building workflows, integrating systems, and improving reporting.

Getting Started & How It All Works

Understanding how to set up Salesforce properly begins with strategy. Before making configuration changes, define your sales stages, lead lifecycle, reporting requirements, and user access structure.

From there, navigate to Gear Icon → Setup to configure profiles, roles, and permissions. Customize standard objects such as Leads, Accounts, Contacts, and Opportunities to align with your business process. Adjust page layouts, validation rules, and required fields to protect data integrity from day one.

A well-architected setup reduces rework, improves reporting accuracy, and sets the foundation for automation and scalability.

Knowing how to use Salesforce effectively means embedding it into daily workflows. Sales reps should log calls, emails, and meetings directly on records. Opportunity stages should be updated in real time, and contact data must remain clean and complete.

Salesforce adoption increases when processes are clear, training is structured, and leadership reinforces accountability. The platform should simplify work — not create friction.

To create a lead in Salesforce, go to the Leads tab → Click New, then enter required details such as name, company, contact information, and lead source.

Lead source tracking is especially important for marketing attribution and ROI reporting. Establish required fields and standardized naming conventions to maintain clean data across your organization.

 

Lead and Opportunity Management

When a lead is qualified, open the lead record and click Convert. Salesforce will prompt you to create or merge an Account and Contact and optionally generate an Opportunity.

Before confirming conversion, review for duplicates. Maintaining clean data during conversion protects forecasting accuracy and prevents long-term reporting issues.

To create a campaign in Salesforce, navigate to the Campaigns tab → Click New. Define the campaign type, budget, dates, and expected results.

Campaign hierarchies can organize related initiatives under a parent campaign, allowing you to measure ROI at both the individual and strategic levels. Clear campaign structure improves marketing reporting significantly.

If you need to know how to add leads to a campaign in Salesforce, you can add them individually from a lead record or in bulk using reports or list views.

After selecting the campaign, assign a campaign member status such as Sent, Registered, or Attended. Consistent status updates provide accurate engagement tracking and clearer marketing performance metrics.

To add campaign members in Salesforce, open the campaign record and select Add Leads or Add Contacts. Use filters to refine your audience before adding them.

Campaign member status should be standardized across your organization to ensure clean reporting and reliable attribution tracking.

Automation and Adoption

If your priority is how to increase Salesforce adoption, focus on simplifying user experience and reinforcing accountability. Remove unnecessary fields, streamline automation, and provide structured onboarding.

Executive sponsorship, ongoing training, and usage tracking ensure Salesforce becomes a core operational tool rather than an underutilized system.

Reporting and Dashboards

To create reports and dashboards in Salesforce, begin with a strong report foundation. Navigate to Reports → Click New Report, select the appropriate report type, and apply filters that answer specific business questions.

Once reports are finalized, create dashboards by navigating to Dashboards → Click New Dashboard and adding visual components. Dashboards should highlight actionable metrics, not overwhelm users with unnecessary data.

When learning how to create dashboards in Salesforce, start by identifying your key performance indicators. In the Dashboards tab, click New Dashboard and add components linked to saved reports.

Design dashboards around your audience. Executives typically require high-level revenue insights, while managers may need activity and pipeline metrics.

If you’re deciding how to build a dashboard in Salesforce effectively, begin with clean, consistent reports. Arrange dashboard components logically, grouping related metrics together.

Avoid clutter. Clear, focused dashboards drive adoption and improve executive decision-making.

To create a dashboard in Salesforce Lightning, navigate to Dashboards → Click New Dashboard and use the drag-and-drop builder to design your layout.

Lightning Experience allows flexible sizing and formatting, making it easier to create interactive, modern dashboards tailored to different stakeholders.

To create a custom report type in Salesforce, go to Setup → Report Types → New Custom Report Type. Select your primary object and define related objects to include in reporting.

Custom report types allow deeper cross-object analysis and enable more advanced business insights beyond standard report configurations.

Quotes and Integrations

To create a quote in Salesforce, open an Opportunity and click New Quote. Add products from the price book, define pricing details, and set expiration terms.

Quotes can be converted into PDFs and sent directly to customers. Approval processes can be configured to maintain pricing controls and governance.

Understanding how to integrate Salesforce begins with defining your integration objective. Identify which systems need to sync, what data should flow between them, and how frequently updates should occur.

Integration options include native connectors, APIs, and middleware platforms. Field mapping, sandbox testing, and monitoring processes are critical to maintaining data consistency.

To integrate Salesforce with other applications, evaluate whether a pre-built app meets your needs or if a custom API solution is required.

Define sync direction, establish field ownership rules, and implement error monitoring. Ongoing governance ensures long-term integration stability.

If you are researching salesforce how to create a connected app, navigate to Setup → App Manager → New Connected App. Enable OAuth settings, define callback URLs, and select appropriate permission scopes.

Connected apps allow secure authentication for external systems accessing Salesforce APIs.