Who inside Salesforce actually approves my deal?

Most of the companies seem to find it difficult to deal with the high complexity of Salesforce. During our Live Q&As and our meetings with our clients, we have seen that in their minds it is a bit blurred who the decision-maker is inside Salesforce and who approves the discounts.

A businessman seen from behind, scratching his head, facing three arrows pointing in different directions and surrounded by question marks, illustrating the uncertainty of who makes the decision.

What is the Salesforce Deal Desk?

Deal Desk is a cross-functional team inside Salesforce that reviews, structures, and approves complex, high-value, or non-standard sales deals. It decides on discounts, unit prices, and contract terms, and works with the AE who presents your request.

What does an AE do inside Salesforce?

Most of the time, companies tend to believe that the AEs they are speaking with have the power to offer them better discounts. Unfortunately, that’s not the full picture. AEs are the intermediary between you and the Deal Desk.

Why does your relationship with your AE still matter?

Many times, the ultimate decision-maker and the one who approves discounts, better unit prices, and overall a more appealing contract for your business is the Deal Desk. The only problem with that is that you don’t have a way to approach them; that’s why your relationship with your AE is so important. The whole Salesforce team can fight for you, but the AE is the first touchpoint. If they are not pushing for it, no one else will.

A good relationship with your AE is always helpful because it makes the renewal process easier, and at the same time, your AE might push a bit more for a better discount for you. Although the Deal Desk is the final decision-maker, it is always good to have someone within Salesforce who is willing to push for you.

Levels of escalation inside Salesforce

Diagram of the levels of escalation inside Salesforce, from the Account Executive at level 0, through three levels of managers, up to the Deal Desk at level 4.

Levels of escalation inside Salesforce, from lowest to highest: the Account Executive (AE) is level 0. Levels 1 to 3 are the AE’s managers, which are sometimes a Sales Director and sometimes a Regional Vice President (RVP), if there is no Sales Director. The Deal Desk is level 4. The AE is the person who submits and pushes your request internally.

How does the Salesforce discount approval process work?

There is an approval matrix for discounts and deals that says who has to sign off, based on the size of the deal. Salesforce measures this with AOV (Average Order Value).

Smaller deals go to the Pricing Deal Desk. Larger deals go up the chain to senior executives, and the biggest ones also need the SVP of Strategic Business Practices to be brought in.

So if you have a large deal, you can get large approvals. If you have a small deal, you will get a small approval.

We don’t name specific thresholds here, because they change over time.

What can you do to achieve the best possible discount?

If you want to achieve the best for your company, you need to be prepared accordingly. Some advice that we also give to our clients is:

Start early (ideally 12-18 months to build enough leverage to achieve the best possible deal).
Create an internal Roadmap (map what you have, then identify what you need and when you need it).
Do a proper SKU audit and a Benchmark against what other companies are paying for Salesforce software. You can use tools like our own Dioro.
Build a relationship with your AE so they push for a better discount or unit price for you.

Each of these steps gives you the leverage you need to enter the negotiations with confidence. If you still feel that you don’t know where to start, you can read our article When Does Your Salesforce Renewal Actually Start?

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Who approves discounts at Salesforce: The Account Executive or the Deal Desk?

The Deal Desk is ultimately responsible for the discounts. There are some small exceptions that AE can approve a discount, but only for very small deals. On the other side, for larger deals, the Deal Desk is not the only one: senior executives also have to approve.

Is the end of the quarter or fiscal year really the best time to negotiate?

Yes, because AEs are trying to hit their quota, so a possibility for a better deal is always there because they are willing to push more than usual.

Is it true that the first discount offered is never the best one?

In most cases, yes. The truth is that if you are well prepared and enter the negotiations having enough leverage, then you know the first discount you get is not the best they can do, so you can push for more.

Do I need an independent adviser to negotiate with Salesforce?

The short answer here is yes. You don’t need an external consultant because you are not capable; you need it because they have a better understanding of how Salesforce operates, and also they know how far they can push.

Conclusion

To conclude, the first step towards a successful negotiation is preparation. If you are not sure about your readiness, you can take our Salesforce Renewal Readiness Assessment. The second step is to know who is the one inside Salesforce that is responsible for the discounts. The third step is to know when you need external advisory to help you build a winning strategy.