If you’re wrangling B2B contacts, you know it’s not just about dumping a CSV and hoping for the best. If you want real results, you need to import clean data and segment your audience in a way that actually helps sales—not just ticks a box. This guide is for folks who want to use Salesforge to work smarter, not harder, and avoid the messes that slow teams down.
Let’s get your contacts in, cleaned up, and organized so you can actually use them. No fluff, just real steps.
1. Get Your Data Ready Before Importing
You can’t fix garbage data after the fact. Well, you can try, but it’ll waste more time than just doing it right from the start.
What to do before you touch Salesforge:
- Standardize your fields: Make sure your columns are labeled clearly. “First Name” and “Last Name,” not “fname” or “Surname.”
- Ditch duplicates: Don’t rely on Salesforge to catch these automatically. Run a dedupe in Excel or Google Sheets first.
- Scrub for obvious errors: Blank emails, weird symbols, multiple contacts in one cell (yes, it happens)—clean ‘em up now.
- Consistent formatting: If you’re importing company sizes, pick a single format. Don’t mix “100-500” with “mid-size.”
- Remove junk contacts: No test records, fake emails, or old leads you know are dead.
Pro tip: The less you trust your source data, the more time you should spend on this step. It’s almost always worth it.
2. Prepare Your Import File for Salesforge
Salesforge isn’t all that picky, but you’ll save headaches by matching its expected formats.
- Use CSV format. XLSX sometimes works, but CSV is safest.
- Match field names. Use plain English headers. If you’re not sure what Salesforge expects, check their import template.
- One contact per row. No stacking extra emails or phone numbers in the same cell.
- Include segmentation fields. Think through what you’ll want to filter or group by later. Examples:
- Industry
- Job Title
- Company Size
- Region
- Lead Source
What to ignore: Don’t bother importing every possible field “just in case.” Stick to what your team actually uses.
3. Import Contacts into Salesforge
Here’s where you actually bring your data into Salesforge. It’s pretty straightforward, but there are a few spots to watch out for.
Step-by-step:
- Go to the Contacts section. Look for an “Import” or “Add Contacts” button.
- Upload your CSV. Drag and drop, or select the file.
- Map your fields. Salesforge will try to match your columns to its fields. Double-check these. If “Company” is mapped to “Notes,” that’s on you.
- Choose your deduplication rules. If you skipped deduping earlier, now is your last chance. Usually, email address is safest as a unique identifier.
- Preview the import. Most systems let you do a quick preview—use it. If something looks weird, fix your CSV and start over.
- Run the import. Don’t click away until it’s finished. If you’re importing thousands of records, grab a coffee.
What can go wrong:
- Bad field mapping: Suddenly you have job titles where emails should be. Always check the preview.
- Failed uploads: Usually from weird characters, empty rows, or broken formatting. Open your file in Notepad if Excel is hiding the mess.
- Partial imports: Sometimes Salesforge will import what it can and skip the rest. Download the error log and fix the issues, don’t just ignore them.
4. Segment Your Contacts for Smarter Outreach
Here’s where most folks mess up: they dump all their contacts into one giant pool, then wonder why campaigns flop. Segmenting isn’t about making pretty lists—it’s about sending the right message to the right people.
Useful ways to segment in Salesforge:
- By persona: Group by role or seniority (e.g., “VP of Sales,” “IT Manager”).
- By company size: SMBs and enterprises buy differently. Treat them that way.
- By industry: Tailor your message for tech, finance, healthcare, etc.
- By engagement: Who’s opened your last emails? Who’s never replied?
- By lead source: How did you get this contact? Referrals, events, inbound—track what works.
How to do it:
- Use custom fields: If Salesforge lets you add custom fields, use them. Don’t try to shoehorn everything into “Notes.”
- Tagging: Tags can be a lifesaver. Use them for campaigns, product interest, or anything you want to filter by later.
- Lists or segments: Some CRMs call these “lists,” others call them “segments.” Either way, build them around how you actually sell, not how marketing wants to report on things.
What to ignore: - Don’t over-segment. If your team is tiny, you don’t need 40 lists. - Don’t create segments you’ll never use. “People I met at 2019 trade shows” is probably dead weight.
5. Keep Your Data Clean Over Time
It’s tempting to treat imports as a one-and-done job, but your database will rot if you don’t keep it in check.
Habits that make your life easier:
- Set up regular deduplication. Once a month is usually enough for most teams.
- Archive or delete junk. Contacts that bounce, opt out, or go cold for years? Get rid of them.
- Enforce field consistency. If you see new fields popping up (“Size_of_company” vs. “Company Size”), standardize them before things get out of hand.
- Log changes. If someone mass updates a field, make a note. Surprises here are never good.
Pro tip: Don’t be the person who imports 100,000 contacts without telling anyone. Communicate big changes.
6. When to Use Automation (And When Not To)
Salesforge and other CRMs love to pitch automation. It’s useful, but it won’t fix a messy list or magically write better emails.
Good uses of automation:
- Auto-assigning leads based on industry or company size
- Triggering follow-up tasks for new segments
- Enriching data from third-party sources (careful—these aren’t always accurate)
Things automation can’t fix:
- Bad data in, bad data out. Automation just makes mistakes faster.
- Overly broad segments. If your triggers aren’t specific, you’ll annoy people with irrelevant messages.
- List decay. Bots don’t know if your contacts have moved jobs or left the company.
If you’re new to Salesforge, start manual. Once you trust your process, layer in automation where it makes sense.
7. Mistakes to Avoid (Seriously)
Let’s be honest—everyone screws this up at least once. Here’s what to watch for:
- Importing unvetted lists from the web. Just don’t. You’ll tank your deliverability and annoy everyone.
- Ignoring the error logs. If Salesforge tells you something failed, fix it.
- Letting “legacy” data pile up. If nobody knows where it came from, delete it or quarantine it.
- Overcomplicating segmentation. Simple wins. Only build what you’ll actually use.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Most of the pain in B2B contact management comes from overthinking it, ignoring the basics, or trying to automate away common sense. Start with a clean, well-organized import, segment only as much as you need, and revisit your data regularly. You’ll save yourself and your team hours of frustration—and your salespeople will thank you for it.
Don’t wait for “perfect.” Get your contacts in, start using them, and tweak your process as you go. That’s how you actually win with Salesforge.