As a small and medium enterprise (SMB) proprietor, you’re the CEO, social media supervisor, gross sales rep, and customer support consultant multi function. If there’s one factor that may make it easier to navigate these many roles, it’s information. All the time be studying, because the saying goes.
Effectively, we’ve performed the heavy lifting for you and compiled 30 free sources throughout all enterprise groups — gross sales, advertising, service, and commerce — all with the added bonuses of productiveness and synthetic intelligence (AI). These worthwhile sources come from the consultants, leaders, and innovators at Salesforce (together with a few of our esteemed companions) constructed on belief, information, and all issues AI. Let’s bounce proper in.
What you’ll study:
Free sources on gross sales and progress
Studying the way to promote your merchandise is the hardest and essentially the most rewarding talent. These sources will equip you with data and tips about gross sales and enterprise progress:
1. Small and Medium Enterprise Tendencies Report
Salesforce’s Small and Medium Enterprise Tendencies Report is a go-to useful resource for international SMBs and startups for one motive: know what different founders are prioritizing. We spent over a yr digging deep into this free report to assist SMBs optimize their enterprise for sustainable progress. Get insights into AI instruments for SMBs, prime challenges, and tricks to navigate them. And learn the way AI brokers can enhance your corporation operations. Listed below are some takeaways:
Supply: Small and Medium Enterprise Tendencies Report
2. Gross sales for Small Enterprise Path
Need to discover ways to handle your gross sales pipeline or use automation in your gross sales journey? Gross sales for Small Enterprise, a course on Trailhead, Salesforce’s free on-line studying platform, is your finest guess. This quick Path requires solely half-hour and introduces you to buyer relationship administration (CRM) for small groups.
Listed below are some key takeaways:
3. State of Gross sales Report
Salesforce’s State of Gross sales Report attracts insights from 5,500+ gross sales professionals, overlaying all the pieces from AI adoption in gross sales to revenue-generating strategies like upselling, and cross-selling. Study concerning the prime challenges that gross sales groups are dealing with, and the way to tackle them. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Worker retention issues: Enhance your staff happiness and productiveness by common teaching and gross sales enablement on new instruments, and AI.
- Good information issues: Gross sales groups depend on information for duties like gross sales forecasting, setting targets, and quotas.
Supply: State of Gross sales Report
4. Salesforce for Small Enterprise Path
Salesforce for Small Enterprise is a Trailhead module on the advantages of a CRM for small and rising groups. In simply 10 minutes, get an outline of SMBs’ affect on the economic system and the way Starter Suite equips them for the longer term. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- CRM advantages: CRMs provide a 360-degree view of your gross sales and repair operations, serving to you make knowledgeable selections.
- Starter Suite’s scalability: Starter Suite grows as you scale, serving to you seamlessly handle leads, contacts, and general progress.
5. SMB Gross sales: A Full Information
Some say promoting is an artwork, however we are saying it may be realized. The SMB Gross sales: A Full Information is a complete useful resource on the way to go after your prospects. It dives deep into the psychology of working an SMB, exhibiting the components that affect homeowners’ buying selections. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Select scalable options: Put money into know-how that scales as you develop as a substitute of upfront investments.
- Ease of use: Spotlight your options as simple to study and implement — even with none technical abilities.
Increase gross sales with a CRM made for rising companies
Attempt Starter Suite at no cost to shut extra offers and win extra prospects, right this moment.
6. Small Enterprise Administration (SBA) Enterprise Information
The U.S. Small Enterprise Administration (SBA) presents the SBA Enterprise Information as a free useful resource on their web site. This information is designed that can assist you at each stage of your corporation journey. Study basic subjects like financing, authorized necessities, and advertising. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Step-by-step roadmap: Get steerage on all the pieces from planning and beginning a enterprise to managing day by day operations and progress methods.
- Focused help: Focused packages for underserved teams, together with girls, veterans, and companies in HUBZones or rural areas.
7. Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) Enterprise Mentorship
Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)’s Enterprise Mentorship program offers free steerage to aspiring and present entrepreneurs by a nationwide community of volunteers and mentors. These skilled professionals provide recommendation and help throughout all levels of the enterprise lifecycle, from preliminary planning to progress. Listed below are some key takeaways:
Free sources on advertising
In response to the newest State of Advertising and marketing Report, entrepreneurs use not less than eight totally different instruments and applied sciences of their work trip. Studying to market your merchandise and the worth they provide to your prospects — all whereas being constant throughout channels — is necessary. These free sources can get you there.
8. State of Advertising and marketing Report
Salesforce’s State of Advertising and marketing Report is a survey of 5,000+ international entrepreneurs, who share insights about AI in advertising, personalization, and analytics. It covers varied ideas, making it a helpful playbook for navigating the fashionable advertising panorama. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Preserve innovating: Study and constantly innovate utilizing AI to face out available in the market.
- Robust advertising ROI: Monitor gross sales pipeline and income to study which campaigns are producing conversions and buyer acquisition.
9. How Entrepreneurs Make Significant Moments Occur Information
Learn to make moments magical with the online useful resource How Entrepreneurs Make Significant Moments Occur by Salesforce. It is a mixture of demos, articles, webinars, podcasts, and buyer tales that’ll information you all through your advertising journey. Bookmark this web page for extra studying. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Foster loyalty: Construct model advocates and prioritize buyer retention by sustaining robust engagement with them.
- Personalize all the pieces: Prospects right this moment count on highly-tailored and related experiences because it makes them really feel heard and valued.
What are you able to do with a CRM constructed to succeed in extra prospects?
Automate your advertising campaigns with a CRM constructed to develop. All of it begins with Starter Suite.
10. Digital Advertising and marketing Roadmap Improvement Path
Digital Advertising and marketing Roadmap Improvement is a Trailhead module that helps you assess your present advertising technique and the way to change it as you develop. Snack on this 25-minute course by subjects like buyer communication lifecycle and establishing particular, measurable, achievable, related, and time-bound (SMART) metrics. Listed below are some key takeaways:
11. Salesforce Admins Podcast
Need to try a podcast? Tune in to Salesforce Admins Podcast for insights from trade leaders and consultants. From tips about constructing your corporation to understanding which applied sciences can gasoline your progress, this podcast options real-life tales and examples from Salesforce customers and prospects. Find out about problem-solving and delve into the “why” behind sure instruments and processes. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Evolve with the occasions: Find out about rising tendencies in advertising, from AI to altering buyer behaviors, to adapt and develop.
- Knowledge-driven engagement Use information and know-how to create customized and significant buyer engagement.
12. AI for Entrepreneurs Course
AI for Entrepreneurs is a group of free on-line programs and sources from Salesforce. This features a vary of selling certifications that’ll equip you with the abilities to thrive on this AI-driven world. You’ll additionally get acquainted with Advertising and marketing Cloud and the way it’s helpful for creating touchdown pages and working multichannel campaigns. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- E-mail advertising practices: Perceive the way to set metrics like open charges and engagement charges to your electronic mail advertising campaigns.
- Neighborhood studying: Be part of Second Marketer, a Trailblazer Neighborhood to work together with different entrepreneurs and keep up-to-date on advertising learnings from Salesforce.
Be part of tens of millions within the rising Salesforce ecosystem
Trailblazers are free to reinvent themselves, free to dream greater.
Free sources on service
Not less than 63% of SMB leaders imagine they meet buyer expectations compared to giant enterprises. Ship constant and immediate service to enhance your buyer satisfaction charges. These free sources present finest practices and insights into conserving your prospects proud of nice service.
13. State of the AI Linked Buyer Report
Salesforce’s State of the AI Linked Buyer Report presents recommendation from 16,000 customers and enterprise homeowners on how generative AI (Gen AI) is remodeling buyer experiences. This all-encompassing information covers each views, supplying you with deeper insights into each enterprise and shopper conduct. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Construct belief: With a rise in AI utilization, having moral AI practices in place will enhance prospects’ belief in your corporation. This will increase product adoption, too.
- Human involvement wins: Whether or not you’re utilizing chatbots or autonomous AI brokers with Agentforce 360, human supervision is very necessary.
Supply: State of the AI Linked Buyer Report
14. The Fashionable Buyer Podcast
The Fashionable Buyer Podcast, hosted by Forbes contributor and buyer expertise strategist Blake Morgan, spills the secrets and techniques of the world’s most customer-centric corporations. Every weekly episode options consultants and their recommendation on AI and management. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Prioritize buyer experiences: Superior AI like machine studying (ML) and pure language processing (NLP) may help you perceive prospects higher and automate mundane duties.
- Buyer-focused management: Efficient buyer expertise begins from the highest, requiring leaders to be deeply concerned.
15. The way to Use Slack and Salesforce to Win New Offers and Ship Higher Buyer Service Webinar
Every thing begins with efficient communication. And that’s what you’ll study from the webinar, The way to Use Slack and Salesforce to Win New Offers and Ship Higher Buyer Service. Learn to use Slack and Starter Suite collectively to enhance your productiveness and ship higher customer support. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Communication consistency: Starter Suite is built-in with Slack and offers a unified view of your prospects, letting your staff talk successfully about subsequent steps within the gross sales course of.
- Simplified operations: When Slack and Starter Suite work collectively, duties like mission administration and day by day operations are extra organized.
Webinar: The way to use Slack & Salesforce to Win New Offers and Ship Higher Buyer Service
Free sources on commerce
If you’re not busy promoting, you’re most likely busy procuring. And that’s why ecommerce is having its second. With these free sources, develop your commerce enterprise and compete with massive manufacturers.
16. State of Commerce Report
Salesforce’s State of Commerce Report presents insights from 2,700 commerce leaders and 1.5 billion prospects. From ecommerce tendencies to digital funds, buyer wants are evolving. Study all about these shifts and refine your methods utilizing this information. Listed below are some key takeaways:
Begin promoting on-line with Starter Suite
Arrange your digital storefront, have interaction prospects, and promote extra utilizing a commerce-ready platform with built-in instruments for each sale.
17. Begin Promoting On-line with Storefronts in Starter, Professional, and Foundations Webinar
Begin Promoting On-line with Storefronts in Starter, Professional, and Foundations is a free webinar that covers varied elements of your ecommerce journey. From establishing your on-line storefront to working ecommerce merchandising, learn the way Starter Suite and Professional Suite may help.
Webinar: Begin Promoting On-line with Storefronts in Starter, Professional, and Foundations
Additionally, this webinar introduces you to Salesforce Foundations, a free CRM improve for present Salesforce prospects. This presents key options throughout Agentforce 360 and varied Salesforce merchandise like Gross sales Cloud and Service Cloud. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- It’s all about unified commerce: Deliver your advertising, gross sales, and repair along with built-in instruments for a unified commerce technique.
- Storefront builders make life simple: Even with minimal or no design expertise, arrange your on-line retailer utilizing our storefront builder. This comes built-in with Starter Suite.
18. Promote In every single place With Commerce Cloud Path
Promote In every single place With Commerce Cloud is a complete Trailhead module that covers all of the fundamentals of Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Get acquainted with its key options and plan your unified commerce technique and advertising efforts. You’ll want over three hours to finish this course. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Unified buyer experiences: Ship constant, customized procuring experiences wherever your prospects are participating — on cell, social media, in-store, or by chat.
- Simplify operations: Whether or not it’s stock administration or working promotions, use a CRM that centralizes all your corporation and buyer data.
Boosting Small Enterprise with Salesforce Foundations: The VEV Story
Learn the way Foundations resolved service circumstances 40% sooner for VEV Romerike.
19. Social Commerce Methods Path
Can social commerce generate gross sales? Completely. And that’s what you’ll study in Social Commerce Methods. This Trailhead module teaches you about shoppable content material and constructing a suggestions loop to your social commerce technique. You’ll want solely quarter-hour to finish this course. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Participating shoppable content material: Create content material that resonates along with your viewers on social media and embed product hyperlinks for procuring.
- Enhance with suggestions: Use social media monitoring to understand how individuals are talking about your corporation on-line.
20. Confirmed Tricks to Make Each Season Your Peak Vacation Season Information
If you happen to’ve been questioning the way to prep for the vacation season, this fast information will turn out to be useful. Confirmed Tricks to Make Each Season Your Peak Vacation Season is a free useful resource from Salesforce with prime three suggestions that can assist you succeed through the vacation season. Learn to ship extremely customized procuring experiences utilizing Agentforce 360, taking a cue from Saks International. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Ecommerce web site testing: Vacation web site crashes price gross sales – and your popularity. Check and optimize your ecommerce web site for peak efficiency.
- Set up AI guardrails: That is the cornerstone of moral and trusted operations because it prevents unintended biases or dangerous outcomes.
Free sources on productiveness
Switching between instruments and distractions are frequent culprits that affect productiveness: SMB homeowners usually juggle 4 totally different instruments, apps, or packages each workday. Get on observe with these free sources.
21. The way to Maximize Your CRM Productiveness E-book
Salesforce’s free e-book The way to Maximize Your CRM Productiveness helps you keep productive and scale quick with the proper instruments. It shares methods to avoid wasting time by automation, and increase worker effectivity.
The information additionally covers how a well-integrated CRM reduces prices and simplifies varied enterprise processes, from managing gross sales cycles to advertising segmentation. And that’s why Salesforce CRM is growing gross sales productiveness by 30% and worker productiveness by 31%. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Allow self-service: On-line portals with solutions to frequent issues permit prospects to troubleshoot points, and handle their accounts independently.
- Practice your staff: Create customized studying paths or entry free coaching on Trailhead to upskill your staff.
Supply: The way to Maximize Your CRM Productiveness Information
22. Private Productiveness Path
Private Productiveness is a Trailhead module on the way to handle your time like a professional. Learn to do your routine duties in a brand new means and make your calendar be just right for you. Additionally, get tips about time blocking to work on high-priority duties. You’ll want solely quarter-hour to study these abilities. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Do deep work: Flip off notifications, shut down distractions, and provides your self the stable, unbroken time it is advisable end these massive, necessary duties.
- Set clear agendas: Set clear agendas to your conferences, and supply read-ahead paperwork to respect everybody’s time.
23. Drive Productiveness With Salesforce AI Path
Drive Productiveness With Salesforce AI is a Trailhead module that covers all the pieces from prompts to utilizing out-of-the-box Salesforce AI merchandise. Study the fundamentals of immediate fundamentals and the way they’ll improve operations throughout your corporation. Arrange Agentforce 360 to your SMB and get all of the required data on Agentforce Specialist Certification. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Prompts simplify operations: Whether or not you’re utilizing AI prompts for gross sales or to enhance customer support, prompts information AI to generate related and useful responses.
- Save extra time: Agentforce 360 helps you construct AI brokers to simplify operations by dealing with repetitive duties and offering brokers with the proper data on the proper time.
24. How Small and Rising Companies Can Use Generative AI to Drive Productiveness Webinar
How can AI affect gross sales and repair throughout SMBs? In How Small and Rising Companies Can Use Generative AI to Drive Productiveness, a Salesforce webinar, learn the way AI allows personalization and effectivity throughout your corporation. This free useful resource additionally takes you thru a fast demo. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- AI for lead administration: From lead scoring to guide nurturing, AI helps you prioritize your most promising leads and recommends the way to convert them quick.
- Extra alignment: A unified dashboard with AI insights creates extra collaboration throughout your staff.
Webinar: How Small and Rising Companies Can Use Generative AI to Drive Productiveness
Free sources on AI
A whopping 87% of SMB leaders imagine AI will equip them for the longer term. Maintaining with AI tendencies and studying is essential for each SMB founder. The next sources will preserve you up to date with the newest and one of the best in AI.
25. Develop Your Enterprise With AI Brokers E-book
Develop Your Enterprise With AI Brokers is a free e-book from Salesforce that highlights the important thing use circumstances of AI brokers in an SMB. This covers the important thing elements and sorts of AI brokers that rising companies usually use. As most SMBs function with lean sources, AI brokers assist them handle their rising enterprise wants with out growing the headcount. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Practice your AI: Your AI brokers are solely pretty much as good as the info you practice them with. So, preserve coaching them on clear, up to date information for data-driven selections.
- Round the clock service: In contrast to people, AI brokers don’t sleep and may ship 24/7 service — irrespective of the place, how, or when your prospects contact you.
Develop Your Small Enterprise With AI Brokers
Learn the way autonomous AI can scale your small enterprise for environment friendly progress in our free e-book.
26. Discover Generative AI Instruments Path
Favor to start out with the basics? In Discover Generative AI Instruments, study the fundamentals of enormous language fashions (LLMs) and AI fashions. This Trailhead module covers AI capabilities and the way it can perceive human conversational language. Right now, AI chatbots use this as the inspiration to ship contextual and correct customer support. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Nice-tune your mannequin: Based mostly on your corporation wants and evolving objectives, mannequin fine-tuning enhances AI efficiency and accuracy.
- Fewer communication gaps: NLP helps computer systems perceive and create human language, making communication between folks and machines extra pure and efficient.
27. AI Technique Information
With the AI Technique Information, discover ways to put together your corporation for and with AI, and the significance of getting a strategic roadmap for it. This information covers the need of setting AI guardrails and the way Gen AI tips contribute to reliable AI growth. From enabling your staff to having a stable guidelines prepared, the following pointers will get you began with ease. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- AI literacy: Steady AI studying will make it easier to adapt and keep related in our ever-changing world. Search for trusted sources like Salesforce AI Analysis to construct information.
- Foster belief: Constructing belief in AI is essential because it improves adoption and allows secure, moral integration of its advantages.
28. Unlocking Development: AI and Tech Methods for SMB Success Webinar
How can SMBs successfully introduce AI into their operations? Discover out within the webinar Unlocking Development: AI and Tech Methods for SMB Success in 2025. We cowl the way to use tech, significantly AI, as a catalyst in scaling your corporation. Additionally, perceive the largest challenges that SMBs are dealing with — together with their options. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Elevated optimism: SMB founders are feeling assured about their future, due to accessible know-how and AI.
- Deep buyer connections: SMBs really feel they’re extra linked with their prospects, which supplies them a bonus whereas delivering custom-made options.
Webinar: Unlocking Development: AI and Tech Methods for SMB Success
29. The way to Get Began With Voice AI Information
Voice AI brokers are dramatically remodeling buyer experiences. In The way to Get Began With Voice AI, you’ll learn how. This complete information covers why automated brokers aren’t sufficient for right this moment’s customers — and why they require voice AI brokers to be on par with human service.
The largest advantage of voice AI brokers is their capability to conduct sentiment evaluation whereas on name with their prospects. They’ll customise their service primarily based on the client tone, and shortly escalate the calls to the suitable division. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Multilingual help: With voice AI brokers, you’ll be able to prolong help in a number of languages, thus bettering buyer satisfaction.
- Higher time administration: Deal with high-priority and high-value duties, since voice AI brokers can seamlessly handle repetitive or low-value duties.
Supply: The way to Get Began With Voice AI Information
30. Develop Your Enterprise With Salesforce Foundations Path
Every thing it is advisable learn about Salesforce Foundations is correct inside Develop Your Enterprise With Salesforce Foundations. This all-encompassing Trailhead module introduces you to the varied options packed inside Foundations. This consists of gross sales, advertising, service, and commerce. You’ll want about 14 hours to wrap up this course. Listed below are some key takeaways:
- Personalised advertising campaigns: Foundations provides a 360-degree view of your prospects throughout varied contact factors, optimizing your conversion charges.
- Knowledge Cloud’s affect: Find out about Knowledge Cloud and the way it works throughout your entire AI ecosystem at Salesforce.
Get your information prepared for AI with Salesforce Foundations
Simply activate Foundations in your present CRM so as to add key options in Agentforce 360, Gross sales, Service, Advertising and marketing, Commerce, and Knowledge — all at no cost.
Entry extra sources for your corporation with Salesforce
A few of the finest enterprise sources on this planet are utterly free — you simply must know the place to seek out them. That is the place Salesforce is available in. We’re obsessed with bringing you the newest tendencies and free instruments designed to help your progress. Starter Suite is constructed for small and impressive companies like yours. Consider it as a launchpad, filled with pleasant, built-in steerage and simple onboarding tutorials.
All set? Begin your journey with a free trial of Starter Suite right this moment. On the lookout for extra customization? Discover Professional Suite. Already a Salesforce buyer? Activate Foundations and check out Agentforce 360 right this moment.
AI supported the writers and editors who created this text.
