The customer relationship management (CRM) industry has been one of the most rapidly growing industry. Along with the major players like Microsoft, SAP, SkillSoft, many small companies offer CRM solutions. These companies all together employ CRM specialists with different experience, skill set, qualifications, etc.
Your worth as a CRM specialist depends on a variety of factors. You and some other CRM professional might be working at the same position and yet getting different salary. So, what factors do companies rely on to decide your salary as a CRM specialist. But, before we discuss the factors, let’s look at the average salary in the U.S. and U.K.
The Salary Range in United States and United Kingdom
Depending on your experience, location, expertise, and qualifications, the salary would vary widely. To give, you a ball park in the United States the salary ranges from $53,000 to $150,000 per annum. In the United Kingdom, the range is from £39,000 to £42,000.
While this is the average salary range, your earning potential can also be determined if you work on hourly basis.Your salary would also vary if you are working as a freelancer or as a full-time employee for a CRM development company. A freelance CRM specialist might end up making more money than a full-time employee if he or she has the right skills and can network well.To know the exact salary that you are capable of drawing, you would need to evaluate yourself based on a few factors that will be discussed in detail in the next section.
Factors That Contribute to Your Earning Potential
When you go looking for a job a lot of generic factors like your educational qualifications, behavior, attitude, personality, etc. are considered. While these generic factors play a role in your selection, many other specific factors are also considered to determine your salary. A CRM specialist’s earnings depend on a variety of factors that include but are not limited to:
- Experience: This always matters in almost every profession. In the CRM industry, experience matters because you gain knowledge about the challenges involved and on how to tackle these. Apart from this, your experience will help you suggest suitable CRM solutions to your clients. These are just a few reasons why experienced CRM specialists are in demand and why your salary would vary according to the experience you have.
- Location: Countries where demand for CRM integration is high will have higher salaries for CRM specialist. For example, the United States is a hub of many big companies that opt for CRM integration and therefore, salaries of CRM specialist in the U.S. would be more because the clientele is more. Location also gives you an advantage if you are relocating, the difference in currency and relocation expenses are often a bonus.
- Expertise: A CRM specialist might be required to assume different roles in his or her tenure. If you are adept at coding and can also give consultation, you are worth more than CRM professionals who are good at only one thing. This versatility of skills can make a real difference in your salary. You are more likely to be hired because of what you bring and companies would not mind paying you more.
- Certifications: Getting certified is an added advantage. Many a times, you will not be able to nail an interview because of lack of a certification. Mentioning that you are certified can help you get an interview and give you a competitive edge. As a fresher, if you are certified, your salary might be more than other freshers who join the CRM industry. Also, sometimes a small interview is not sufficient to showcase your skills and therefore a certification can assure employers that you are worth the salary that you are asking.
- Brand Association: If you work with a renowned CRM development company, then your salary might be on the higher side in comparison to people with same experience and position in other companies. This is because big companies might have big client and as a result better revenues to remunerate their employees. Bigger companies also tend to give more perks to their employees. So, getting associated with a big company or a known brand will likely have impact on the salary that you will draw.
Depending on your location, there might be some other factors that would help determine your salary. Another good way of knowing your exact salary or your worth is to check employment portals where companies often mention what they are offering for a candidate with experience and skills matching your profile. You can also look at popular portals where employees post reviews and salaries of a company anonymously. While these sites will give you an idea of the salary, you now know that your actual worth depends on a variety of factors.
