If you work in sales ops, you know the drill: messy data slows down everything. You can’t prioritize leads, reps waste time on dead ends, and your reporting is basically guesswork. This guide will walk you through how to import and enrich your sales data in Propensity—without pulling your hair out or overcomplicating things. If you want real tips (not just “import clean data!”), you’re in the right place.
1. Get Real About Your Data Sources
Before you even touch Propensity, look at what you’re working with. Most companies have data scattered across CRM, spreadsheets, marketing tools, and maybe a few random CSVs someone found on their desktop. Don’t romanticize it—assume it’s messy.
Questions to ask yourself: - Where is your “source of truth”? (Hint: it’s probably not your CRM alone.) - Are there duplicates? Outdated records? Weird formatting? - Who’s responsible for keeping each data source up to date?
Pro tip: Don’t waste time cleaning every field “just in case.” Focus on the data you actually use for lead scoring, routing, and reporting.
2. Prep Your Data — But Don’t Aim for Perfection
You’ll hear people say, “Clean your data before you import!” That’s true, but don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough. Propensity has tools to help with deduping and enrichment, so do the basics:
- Standardize formats: Make sure emails, phone numbers, and company names are consistent.
- Remove obvious garbage: Blank rows, “test” accounts, or anything wildly out of date.
- Consolidate sources: Combine files where you can. Fewer files = fewer headaches.
What’s not worth your time:
Obsessing over address formatting, or filling in every missing zip code by hand. If Propensity can enrich it, let the tool do the heavy lifting.
3. Choose the Right Import Method
Propensity lets you bring in data a few ways. Here’s what actually matters:
a. Bulk Upload (CSV/XLSX)
- Good for: Initial big imports, or when you get a data dump from another platform.
- Avoid if: You need real-time updates (obviously).
b. CRM Integration
- Good for: Ongoing sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.
- Watch out for: Field mappings. Propensity isn’t magic—if your CRM fields are a mess, that mess comes along for the ride.
c. API
- Good for: Custom workflows, or if your dev team likes to automate everything.
- Skip if: You have no developer resources. Don’t overengineer this.
Honest take:
Start with a bulk upload to get your data in, then set up CRM sync for ongoing updates. Don’t try to automate everything from day one.
4. Map Your Fields—Carefully
This is where most headaches start. Propensity needs to know where to put your data. If you get this wrong, you’ll have mismatched records and useless reports.
- Match fields one by one: Don’t rely on auto-mapping unless your headers are perfect.
- Don’t import junk: If you’re not going to use a field, skip it.
- Use consistent naming: “Company Name” vs. “Account Name”—pick one.
What to ignore:
Don’t get bogged down matching every obscure field. Focus on what sales actually uses: names, contact info, company, deal stage, scores, notes.
5. Set Rules for Deduplication
Duplicates are the enemy. Propensity has deduplication logic, but you need to set the rules:
- Pick a primary key: Usually email for contacts, domain for companies.
- Decide on overwrite logic: Should new imports update existing records, or skip them?
- Flag potential duplicates: Let Propensity show you conflicts before importing.
Pro tip:
Don’t blindly merge records—sometimes “John Smith” at “Acme” is two different people. Have a human sanity-check the merge suggestions if you’re unsure.
6. Use Enrichment, But Stay Skeptical
Propensity can enrich your records with data like company size, industry, social profiles, and more. This is great—but don’t assume it’s always accurate or up-to-date.
- Prioritize key fields: Enrich what you care about—usually firmographics, job titles, and contact info.
- Spot-check results: Don’t just trust the enrichment blindly. Look for weird outliers (e.g., “company size: 1-10” for a Fortune 500).
- Automate cautiously: Automatic enrichment on import is handy, but if you’re charged per record, costs can add up fast.
What works:
Enriching company data for lead scoring or routing.
What doesn’t:
Relying on enrichment for direct mail campaigns or phone numbers—it’s rarely perfect.
7. Monitor the Import (and Fix Mistakes Fast)
Once you hit import, watch what happens. Propensity will usually give you a summary of what went in, what failed, and why.
- Check the error log: Fix formatting issues, missing required fields, or duplicates flagged.
- Test with a small batch first: Don’t import 50,000 rows at once if you’ve never done it before.
- Have a rollback plan: If something goes sideways, know how to undo or fix it quickly.
Pro tip:
Keep an “import log” spreadsheet. Note what you imported, from where, and when. Future-you will thank you.
8. Keep Data Fresh—But Don’t Overcomplicate It
Data decays. People quit, companies merge, emails bounce. Don’t obsess over keeping everything perfect in real time.
- Schedule regular imports or syncs: Weekly is usually fine for sales ops.
- Set up automated enrichment for new records only: No need to re-enrich the whole database every week.
- Purge junk quarterly: Archive or delete dead leads, bounced emails, and duplicates.
What to ignore:
Daily syncs or enrichment. It’s overkill, and you’ll burn through credits or API calls for no real gain.
9. Show Your Work: Document Everything
No one likes documentation, but future-you (and your team) will need it. Keep it simple:
- Field mappings: What goes where.
- Import schedules: When and how data comes in.
- Enrichment rules: What you enrich, and when.
- Deduplication logic: Your primary keys and merge rules.
Don’t bother with a 20-page playbook. A shared doc or spreadsheet is enough.
10. Don’t Believe the Hype—Iterate and Adjust
Propensity is a solid tool, but it’s not a silver bullet. You’ll still need to tweak things as your process changes, or when you find new data sources.
- Start simple: Get data in, see what works, then layer on complexity.
- Iterate: Adjust enrichment, dedupe rules, and field mappings as you go.
- Listen to your sales team: If they’re not using the data, you’re wasting your time.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Importing and enriching data in Propensity doesn’t have to be a monster project. Start with the basics, focus on the fields that matter, and don’t get suckered by buzzwords or “set-and-forget” promises. The best way to stay ahead? Keep your process simple, document what you do, and plan to clean things up a little at a time. No tool, no matter how slick, fixes messy habits overnight—so just keep at it.