When to Leave Salesforce: A 5-Year TCO Model
A decision framework for comparing the current CRM cost, migration risk, retained systems, and long-term operating responsibility.
A decision framework for comparing the current CRM cost, migration risk, retained systems, and long-term operating responsibility.
Start with the current commercial model
List the current edition, users, add-ons, support plan, contract end date, and the systems that must remain in place. Vendor list price is only one input: the written contract and the actual configuration determine the avoidable cost.
Scope the workflow, not product parity
A replacement proposal should identify the sales workflows, records, integrations, access model, reports, historical-data treatment, and ownership that are in scope. Leave specialist systems in place unless a specific change is justified and accepted.
Model a range and test sensitivity
Compare the five-year cash flows for retaining, improving, phasing, and replacing the workflow. Include discovery, migration, parallel operation, retained tools, infrastructure, internal effort, exit costs, and ongoing maintenance. A result beyond the modeled horizon is a valid result.
Illustrative five-year comparison
Illustrative assumptions, not Stack Renew pricing: a team records $40,000 per year for its current CRM, $18,000 for assigned administration, and $6,000 for integration work. Its five-year retain baseline is $64,000 × 5 = $320,000. A scoped alternative has a $145,000 one-time discovery, build, and migration input plus $22,000 per year to operate: $145,000 + ($22,000 × 5) = $255,000. If annual operating cost rises to $40,000, that alternative becomes $345,000. The useful conclusion is not a promised saving; it is that the decision changes with verified operating inputs and ownership.
When to leave and when to stay
Consider modernization when workflow friction, cost, and an accountable operating owner align. Stay when the vendor ecosystem, controls, or specialist capability provides more value than the change. The decision should document both paths and the assumptions behind them.
Limitations. This guide is a decision framework, not a price list or a savings promise. Salesforce editions, contracts, add-ons, staffing, and the replacement scope vary materially by organization.