Should Salesforce Admins Have a Say in Budget Decisions?

When you think about Salesforce budget planning, you probably picture executive meetings, spreadsheets full of license costs, and finance teams making big calls. But what about the Salesforce Admin? The person who lives and breathes the platform every single day – the one who knows exactly what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s needed next.

Our latest Salesforce Administrator Survey reveals a big gap between budget decision-making and the people closest to the platform. Admins are the first to spot inefficiencies, the first to champion better tools, and often the ones scrambling when a budget choice doesn’t align with reality. Yet, only 3% of admins have full control over their company’s Salesforce budget. Nearly 47% have no control at all. It’s time for that to change.

What the Data Tells Us

We asked admins to shed light on how much their companies are spending on Salesforce – not just licenses, but also third-party tools, AppExchange products, and additional features. The average annual Salesforce budget sits between $50,000 and $350,000, but there’s a wide range depending on company size and industry.

The top three budget brackets were:

• $1,000,000+ (21.3%)
• $100,000–$199,999 (20.5%)
• $200,000–$349,999 (14.8%)

Unsurprisingly, the companies spending over $1M are large enterprises, typically with 5000+ employees, operating in sectors like technology, healthcare, and financial services.

Over half of respondents (52.3%) reported a budget increase in the past 12 months, particularly in organizations within the technology, non-profit, and financial services sectors. This is great news, as it shows that many companies are investing more in Salesforce. But if admins aren’t part of the conversation, those investments might not be used in the most effective way.

The Admin Perspective Matters

Although 50.4% of admins say they have some control over how their budget is spent, it still leaves a huge number who are either sidelined or completely excluded from budget decisions, which is a big missed opportunity.

Salesforce Admins are the ones who:

• See which licenses are actually being used (and which are not).
• Know when a third-party tool is saving time (or creating headaches).
• Understand which features are mission-critical and which could be retired.
• Tasked with rolling out whatever gets purchased, with or without proper resources.

In short, admins are a goldmine of budget insight. They bridge the gap between business needs and system capabilities, yet they’re often asked to make do with tools they didn’t choose or to explain purchases they didn’t recommend.

Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Reality

It’s time for organizations to recognize that budget planning is not just a financial exercise – it’s a strategic one. Admins with platform expertise and frontline experience are critical to ensuring budget decisions align with business goals.

Involving admins in budgeting doesn’t mean handing over full financial control. It means giving them a voice. Ask them what tools are truly valuable. Loop them in before signing off on expensive new features. Make sure they have the resources they need to maintain and scale the system that your business runs on.

Summary

Salesforce Admins are more than just technical support. We are strategic partners who understand the platform, the users, and the goals of the business. If you want to get the most value from your Salesforce investment, bring your admins into the budgeting process.

We’re not asking for control; we’re asking for collaboration. Because when admins are part of the conversation, everyone wins.