Sales Foundations
The Salesforce Certified Sales Foundations credential is the entry point for a career in B2B sales. It tests your knowledge of the full sales cycle -- territory planning, prospecting, qualifying deals, building value propositions, handling objections, closing, and keeping customers after the sale. This exam does not test Salesforce platform configuration. If you have ever worked a sales role or studied sales methodology, a lot of this will feel familiar. If not, the official trailmix walks you through everything from scratch.
3-Step Path to Passing
- 1
Complete the Sales Foundations Trailmix
Work through the official Salesforce trailmix first. It covers all six exam topics in order, with Trailhead modules and external reading for each one. Pay extra attention to the Deal Management section -- it carries 37% of the exam. - 2
Attempt Practice Exams
I recommend my own practice exams, but I have linked other options in the Study Resources section below. These are the best indicators for how you should expect to do on the real exam. - 3Exams run every day, at all hours of the day. There is no need to schedule your exam in advance. You should schedule your exam with short notice when you are ready.
Core Resources
Exam Overview
Questions
65
60 scored + 5 unscored
Duration
105 min
1 hour 45 minutes
To Pass
65%
Minimum Score
Question Format
Scored
92%60questions
Unscored
8%5questions
Exam Details
Pricing
$200 registration · $100 retake
Delivery
Online proctored or at a testing center
Experience
Sales experience or coursework in B2B sales methodology recommended
Prerequisites
No prerequisites required
Exam Topics
Each topic section shows the topic weight, learning objectives, and links to study resources.
Planning21%
Territory planning models, account segmentation and tiering, quota calculation and attainability, stakeholder mapping, and building partnerships with key roles and personas.
- Describe the elements of territory planning.
- Create an approach to engage key accounts.
- Calculate sales quota attainability based on account, territory, and prospect insights.
- Develop business relationships and build partnerships with key roles and personas.
Resources
Customer Engagement15%
Thought leadership and credibility-building, multi-touch prospecting strategies, relationship nurturing, and driving product adoption after the initial sale.
- Demonstrate thought leadership and build credibility to shift the customer's thinking.
- Leverage multiple touchpoints to build prospect interest and align on why a solution meets their needs.
- Nurture relationships and drive product adoption to maximize value for the customer.
Resources
Deal Management37%
Prospect qualification frameworks (BANT, MEDDIC), customer discovery, value proposition development, objection handling, negotiation, and formal contract close.
- Identify how to qualify a prospect and when to move to the next stage of the sales process.
- Determine customer's business strategies, goals, initiatives, and challenges to define the scope of the solution.
- Develop and present the value proposition of a solution based on customer needs.
- Identify and remove all challenges to finalize the deal.
- Gain customer commitment and close formal contract.
Resources
Pipeline Management12%
Pipeline generation tactics, pipeline health metrics (coverage ratio, stage conversion rates), CRM data integrity, stage velocity, and pipeline inspection.
- Identify and generate new pipeline.
- Analyze pipeline health insights ensuring data integrity to improve customer relevance.
- Explain pipe progression and stage velocity.
Resources
Forecasting6%
Forecast categories (commit, best case, pipeline), historical win rates, stage velocity inputs, deal risk and upside identification, and forecast accuracy assessment.
- Assess forecast accuracy to drive opportunity consistency.
- Measure the risks and opportunities associated with a business deal.
- Explain key inputs that drive the forecasting process.
Resources
Customer Success9%
Order booking and fulfillment, post-sale customer journey stages (onboarding, adoption, expansion, renewal), value realization measurement, and customer retention.
- Identify the actions needed to book and fulfill orders.
- Identify the post-sales customer journey.
- Assess customer realized and expected value.
Resources
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