Every proposal looks the same, and the cheapest one is tempting?
Judge a Salesforce implementation partner on the named certified people who will deliver your project, proven process depth in your industry, in-house integration capability, a phased plan with explicit deliverables, real adoption work, support after go-live, and references you can call. Price alone predicts nothing.
Write down the two or three business results phase one must deliver and how you will measure them.
Ask each partner for a comparable implementation, the team who did it and what they would change.
A short discovery with your top choice de-risks scope, cost and integration surprises before a full commitment.
Commit phase by phase with named deliverables, a clear change process and support terms agreed up front.
Ask for the named consultants, architects and developers who will do the work, their certifications and their availability by phase.
Request an example from your industry: the process they redesigned, the objects they used and what they would not repeat.
Most Salesforce failures are data failures. Confirm the partner can integrate your ERP or core systems themselves, ideally API-led with MuleSoft.
A credible proposal shows phase scope, deliverables, decisions you must make, and what is explicitly out of scope.
Look for training plans, champion programmes and hypercare in the proposal — not a line saying 'training as required'.
Check whether the same partner offers managed support and on-demand specialists, so releases and enhancements do not stall.
Ask to speak to a customer at a similar size and complexity, and ask them about the parts that went badly.
Understand the rate card, change-request process, and who pays when an undiscovered integration appears mid-build.