Why now is the best time for sellers to join (or rejoin!) Salesforce

Lynn Knaak, Jeffrey Roy, and Ana Elena Vedoveli Francisco are all Salesforce alumni turned boomerangs – meaning they left the company and returned (to open arms!). So just what is it about Salesforce that continues to draw them, and many others, back? Let’s hear straight from the source:

Jeffrey noted that the energy at Salesforce had evolved since returning: “What feels different is the clarity of our vision. It’s more inspiring now than I remember. It feels like we’re reinventing ourselves in the most interesting and exciting way yet.”

Ana, who had been in the Salesforce ecosystem for over 8 years, found she missed being part of a company leading the way. “During my time away, I felt like I was missing out on all the innovation, especially in AI. I’m excited to be back, and being in Dublin is great because it’s the center of our EMEA operations.”

Now that they’re back with a fresh perspective, these three boomerangs have amazing insights to share on Agentforce and its transformation of the sales landscape. Let’s dive into their insights:

1. Big Tech is best positioned to win in AI

Jeffrey: Before returning, I was at a startup/scale-up where we were building an AI product. Working closely with the product and engineering teams, I got a firsthand look at just how hard it is to build AI tools that actually deliver business outcomes. The biggest challenges were compute costs – delivering AI at scale seriously impacted our business model – and data. We needed way more of it than expected to train models that actually worked. 

That whole experience led me to a realization: Big Tech is best positioned to win in AI. Companies like Salesforce have the data to build truly impactful AI products.

2.  Salesforce Account Executives use AI every day 

Ana: I’ll admit, at first  it was a challenge for me to adopt the mindset of bringing AI into our day-to-day. But now, it feels natural. It’s helped me shift into a more strategic role, rather than spending time digging through documentation or deciphering technical details we don’t really need to focus on.

Even though I was only away from Salesforce for a year, it felt like ten. The innovations I saw my colleagues working on, especially the sales team, were so advanced. Seeing that progress really motivated me to grow and step out of my comfort zone. That’s a big reason I came back; I love that we’re truly tech-driven.

3. Salesforce is uniquely prepared for this era of AI

Jeffrey:  Salesforce is more competitive than ever, and we can solve more problems for our customers than ever. As a seller, I feel equipped with tools like Tableau, Slack, and MuleSoft to partner with customers in really meaningful ways. All these technologies have come together in a way that feels almost serendipitous: companies are looking to build agentic layers over their applications. To do that, they need integration tools to take action across systems, unstructured data for training models, and robust structured data. It all exists natively within Salesforce.

We’ve been investing in AI for over a decade. So we’ve been at this for a long time – it’s just that now it’s all coming together. We’ve re-platformed much of our tech to sit on the same foundational dataset. That integration enables us to build agents that deliver consistent, reliable outcomes for customers. That’s a huge leap from where we were when I left. 

4. Salesforce offers AI training & opportunities for growth

Lynn: Now that I’m back, it’s incredible to see how people’s careers have taken off.

I’m inspired by my peers who’ve moved overseas, started new teams, and grown into new roles.

And with our AI and Agentforce initiatives, we’re not just part of the tech industry – we’re leading it.

Being part of a winning team that’s doing good work for our customers and communities is something special.

The training is top-notch. We have Agentforce Learning Days, certifications, and resources available for everyone, customized by their role.

This keeps sellers skilled up and confident. And when they go to meet with customers, it’s more of a “show and tell” rather than just a sales pitch because we’re using the very tools we are selling.

5. Agentforce is helping sellers succeed faster

Ana: This is where Salesforce – and specifically, AI – can shine. Coaching used to be 1-on-1 between a manager and rep. But now, we can scale that. You can be authentic, try different styles, even be a little awkward because you have an AI coach giving you feedback instantly in a safe environment, thanks to Salesforce Sales Coach Agent, a digital assistant who can:

• Role play customer conversations
• Give feedback on pitches
• Help AEs practice negotiation, and more

Jeffrey: We use the role-play capabilities of Agentforce to practice pitches and get feedback before meeting with customers. One thing I’ve found especially helpful is its ability to personalize pitches.

The agent can pull up information from Salesforce, the account history, and even the company’s website to provide tailored insights. This allows my presentations to be more relevant to the customer, which ultimately improves the sales process. It’s great for ensuring we’re hitting the right notes with prospects. 

Lynn: Agentforce for Sales has been one of the biggest shifts – and biggest impacts. We’re empowering our sellers to find more deals at the top of the funnel, close deals faster, and thanks to AI, we’re more confident and precise.

Within Salesforce, our AI tools identify:

• Which customers to call first (highest propensity to buy).
• Which products they already have vs. what they need, and which messaging will resonate based on usage, industry, and market insights. This means our sellers walk into every customer interaction with data-backed insights and a clear, relevant pitch. 
• As deals progress, we use AI-powered sales coaching. No need to wait for a weekly one-on-one–reps get actionable coaching immediately to make the next call even better. AI also takes care of post-call admin: It summarizes notes, highlights action items for every stakeholder, and ensures nothing falls through the cracks so we deliver faster and better to customers. 

Our sales teams are more informed, more prepared, and able to focus on relationships instead of paperwork. For an Account Executive, especially a new one, the ability to role-play and receive immediate, actionable feedback in a safe environment is invaluable. It’s a huge confidence booster, and it gives them the freedom to practice without worrying about looking bad in front of a manager.

Whether it’s early in the morning or late at night, the agent allows sellers to get feedback when they need it most.

6. AI is transforming every role and industry

Ana: We’re at a turning point, and there’s no going back. AI is transforming the way sales is done. In the past, sales executives were essentially order takers. Now, AI handles the transactional aspects, freeing us up to focus on what we do best: building relationships and delivering personalized value to customers. We’re moving beyond just being transactional and into a more strategic, consultative role.

With tools like Agentforce, we’re only going to get better, more precise, and more efficient. Every company will adopt AI, and that’s why it’s so exciting to be at Salesforce right now. We’re not just adopting the technology; we’re leading the charge. We’re bringing value to our customers in ways that no one else is. 

We’re at the forefront, and it’s a fantastic place to be.