If you’re running B2B forms on your website and piping leads or customer data into Salesforce, you know the pain: missing fields, duplicate records, botched mappings, and weird sync bugs. It’s tempting to duct-tape things together and hope for the best, but you’ll end up cleaning up that mess later. This guide is for anyone who wants to connect Feathery forms to Salesforce and keep data flowing cleanly—no fancy consulting required.
Let’s get right to it.
Why bother syncing Feathery with Salesforce?
If you’re reading this, you probably already know why: you want your sales, marketing, and customer success teams working from the same source of truth. Feathery is a flexible form builder that makes it easy to collect B2B data, but if that data just sits in a spreadsheet (or worse, gets lost in email), it’s not helping anyone. Salesforce is the de facto CRM for B2B, so syncing data means:
- Sales gets leads instantly, with no manual entry.
- Marketing can trigger automations or campaigns based on real form submissions.
- No more “Hey, did you get that lead?” Slack messages.
But that’s only true if the integration actually works. Let’s make sure it does.
Step 1: Get your house in order
Before you even think about connecting Feathery to Salesforce, take a look at both systems. The cleaner your setup, the fewer headaches later.
On the Feathery side
- Audit your forms. Are you collecting all the fields you need? Are there fields you never use?
- Name your fields clearly. “Company_Name” beats “Field_4” every time.
- Avoid one-form-fits-all. If you have wildly different data needs for different flows, use separate forms.
On the Salesforce side
- Know what objects you’re syncing to (Leads, Contacts, Accounts, or custom objects).
- Check for required fields. If Salesforce requires “Company Name” but your form doesn’t have it, that’s a problem.
- Clean up validation rules or automations that could block new records from being created.
Pro tip: Make a quick chart mapping your Feathery fields to Salesforce fields. You’ll need this later, and your future self will thank you.
Step 2: Decide on your integration approach
There are a few ways to connect Feathery to Salesforce. Some are easier, some are more robust. Here’s the honest rundown:
1. Native or built-in integrations
Feathery offers some direct integrations, but as of now, Salesforce isn’t always a default option. If you see a native Salesforce connector in Feathery, start there—it’ll save you time.
- Pros: Easiest setup, usually supports basic field mapping.
- Cons: Limited to what the integration supports; may not handle custom objects or workflows.
2. Zapier or similar middleware
You can use Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or Tray.io to bridge the gap. Feathery pushes submissions to the middleware, which then creates or updates Salesforce records.
- Pros: No code required, flexible, works with custom objects.
- Cons: Prone to hitting Salesforce API limits if you have lots of submissions. Zaps can break if you change field names.
3. Custom API integration
If you need full control, you can hook Feathery’s webhook or API to your own backend, then call Salesforce’s API directly.
- Pros: Handles any use case, supports custom logic, best for complex needs.
- Cons: You’ll need a developer, and you’ll need to maintain it.
What works best?
For most B2B teams, Zapier or Make hits the sweet spot: flexible, fast to set up, and doesn’t require a full-time developer to babysit.
Step 3: Map your fields (and get picky)
This is where most integrations go off the rails. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Map every field intentionally. Don’t just “match by name” and hope for the best. Decide exactly where every piece of form data lands in Salesforce.
- Handle picklists and dropdowns carefully. Salesforce is picky—if you send a value it doesn’t recognize, it’ll reject the record.
- Decide what to do with extra fields. Not every form field needs to end up in Salesforce. Sometimes it’s better to store notes or meta info elsewhere.
- Think about data types. Dates, numbers, text—make sure your form fields match what Salesforce expects.
Pro tip: Test with real data, not just “Test” or “123”. You’ll catch issues with name formats, phone numbers, and weird company names.
Step 4: Handle duplicates and updates
If you’re sending B2B leads to Salesforce, you will run into duplicate records unless you’ve got a plan.
- Choose your deduplication strategy. Salesforce dedupes by email by default, but B2B often means multiple people from one company. Do you want to create a new Lead every time, or update existing records?
- Consider matching on domain or company name. Some middleware lets you check if an Account or Lead with the same company already exists.
- Set up update logic. If someone resubmits a form, should their info overwrite the old record, or create a new one?
What to ignore: Don’t bother building fancy deduplication logic inside Feathery; handle it during the sync to Salesforce, where you have more control and context.
Step 5: Secure your data (don’t skip this)
You’re dealing with customer data, maybe even stuff that’s covered by GDPR or other privacy rules. Don’t get sloppy.
- Use OAuth or another secure auth method when connecting to Salesforce.
- Never store API keys in plain text or in your frontend code.
- Limit permissions for your integration user in Salesforce—only give it access to the objects and fields it needs.
- Log all sync activity, so you can spot issues or investigate weirdness later.
Pro tip: If you’re using middleware, regularly review what data is being passed through and who has access to those tools.
Step 6: Test the whole flow (not just the pieces)
Don’t just test Feathery. Don’t just test Salesforce. Test the whole journey:
- Submit a real form with edge-case data (weird company names, long email addresses, international phone numbers).
- Check that the record appears in Salesforce exactly as you expect.
- Trigger any automations (like sales alerts or follow-up emails) and make sure they fire off correctly.
- Try to break your own setup: submit duplicate records, leave required fields blank, etc.
Pro tip: Set up automated tests or notifications for failures. It’s easy to miss a sync issue until someone complains.
Step 7: Maintain and improve (without overcomplicating things)
Integrations rot over time. Fields change, forms get updated, Salesforce admins tweak validation rules. Make it a habit to:
- Review your sync logs weekly (or at least monthly).
- Spot-check a few records in Salesforce to make sure everything is still mapping correctly.
- Document your setup somewhere simple—just a Google Doc is fine. Future-you (or your teammates) will need it.
- Don’t be afraid to cut or simplify. If a field isn’t actually used in Salesforce, consider removing it from the sync.
What to skip (unless you really need it)
- Syncing every Feathery form. Only sync what’s necessary. A “Contact Us” form may not need to create a Salesforce record.
- Custom code for basic flows. If Zapier or Make does the job, don’t overengineer it.
- Bi-directional sync. Most B2B teams only need to push data from Feathery to Salesforce, not the other way around. Two-way sync is a pain and rarely worth the hassle.
Wrapping up
Integrating Feathery with Salesforce doesn’t have to turn into a six-month IT project. Nail the basics: clean forms, clear field mapping, solid deduplication, and regular check-ins. Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Start simple, get your core data syncing, and iterate as you go. If something feels overcomplicated, it probably is.
Focus on making your sales and marketing teams’ lives easier—not harder. That’s what a good integration should do.