ISV and SI Partners who treat Agentforce like “just another Salesforce product to sell” risk missing the biggest transformation since Salesforce’s core CRM offering launched. This isn’t about adding AI features to your service portfolio, it’s about fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate through autonomous decision-making.
The stakes are significant. According to IDC’s latest research, over 22% of Salesforce partners’ revenue already comes from AI-specific activities, with the former Einstein AI as an add-on generating $6.87 for every $1 of Salesforce revenue, the highest ratio across all technology categories.
Partners are expecting 39% growth in AI headcount over the next 12 months.
Yet for all this momentum, most partners approaching Agentforce are making a critical error: they’re focusing on technical readiness while ignoring business strategy fundamentals.
Where most advisors focus on enablement paths and product training, Get There works with executives to build the strategy, structure, and culture shifts that turn technical adoption into revenue growth. Because in the agentic era, business readiness, not technical competency, predicts partnership success.
Beyond technical readiness: The business strategy gap
The shift from AppExchange to AgentExchange represents more than a technology evolution. Traditional apps extend Salesforce functionality; agents replace human decision-making in business processes. This distinction changes everything about how you approach partnerships, customer conversations, and value creation.
The four pillars of agentic readiness:
- Market understanding: Which customer business processes are ready for autonomous AI, and why will those specific processes deliver measurable ROI?
- Value proposition clarity: How do agents create different economic value than traditional software implementations?
- Delivery capability: Are your teams structured for ongoing agent optimization rather than one-time implementations?
- Leadership commitment: Is your executive team prepared for the investment and cultural shift required?
Partners who demonstrate competency across all four areas require less ongoing support from Salesforce and achieve revenue targets faster.
Need to benchmark where you stand? Get There’s readiness framework helps identify strategic gaps before they become costly mistakes. Get in touch.
Market understanding in the agent economy
The agentic era demands sophisticated market analysis. You need to understand which organizations have business processes mature enough for autonomous AI intervention.
Quick diagnostic checklist for agent-ready customers:
- Process standardization Business rules are clearly defined with manageable exceptions. Highly variable or relationship-dependent processes aren’t suitable for early agent implementations.
- Data quality and accessibility Clean, structured data enables reliable autonomous decisions. Companies with siloed systems or poor data governance will struggle regardless of enthusiasm.
- Change management maturity Employees must trust autonomous systems with decisions they previously controlled. Poor change management track records create adoption barriers technical solutions can’t solve.
Use case validation means distinguishing between AI that impresses stakeholders and AI that transforms operations. Successful implementations solve specific, measurable business problems rather than demonstrating technological capabilities.
Competitive positioning requires focusing on business outcomes rather than features. Compete on your ability to identify the right use cases, manage organizational change, and deliver measurable results—not agent capabilities.
Resource allocation for sustained growth
IDC research shows 34% growth in partner AI headcount with 39% expected growth ahead. But rapid hiring without strategic planning creates more problems than it solves.
- Skills gap analysis: The most in-demand roles are AI solution architects, business analysts, and data architects positions that bridge technology and business strategy rather than pure technical implementation.
- Investment planning: Agentic partnerships require different resource allocation. Agents need ongoing optimization, performance monitoring, and business process refinement. This creates recurring revenue opportunities but demands different team structures.
- Repeatable delivery models: Develop frameworks that apply across customers and use cases while maintaining quality. Partners with proprietary methodologies command higher margins and build stronger relationships.
The goal isn’t hiring AI specialists quickly, it’s building capabilities that scale with demand while maintaining quality differentiation.
Leadership commitment assessment
Leadership commitment often determines the difference between successful transformation and expensive failed experiments.
- Genuine pivot or channel experiment? Is your leadership prepared for long-term investment in agent expertise, or seeking quick wins for quarterly reports? Agent partnerships require sustained investment in new capabilities and customer engagement models.
- Realistic expectations: Success requires honest conversations about timelines, investment requirements, and competitive landscape. Customer adoption of autonomous AI is still early-stage, demanding patience and strategic thinking.
- Accountability metrics: Establish clear progress measures beyond revenue targets. Track customer AI maturity progression, agent adoption rates, and business process improvements—leading indicators that predict long-term success.
Leadership teams that understand these realities and commit appropriate resources consistently outperform those treating Agentforce as an add-on activity.
The strategic advantage of comprehensive readiness
The agentic era rewards partners who understand that selling autonomous AI requires different skills, processes, and customer relationships than traditional software partnerships. Technical competency is table stakes. Strategic business readiness separates market leaders from the competition.
The question isn’t whether your organization can learn Agentforce features. It’s whether you’re prepared to help customers transform how work gets done and build partnerships that create value in an agent-first world.
Ready to benchmark your readiness? Get There’s framework helps Salesforce partners close strategy gaps and accelerate Agentforce success with results including ~$15M uplift and 16x ROI.
Get There Group specializes in helping Salesforce partners develop business strategies that accelerate partnership success.
Speak to us to learn more about our Agentforce readiness assessment.
