If you’ve ever tried to keep opportunity stages in Salesforce and Marketo in sync, you know how messy it can get. Data goes out of date. Sales and marketing teams end up arguing about what’s real. And somewhere along the way, the “single source of truth” becomes a punchline. This guide is for folks who want things to just work—using Syncari as the glue.
Below, you’ll find a practical, step-by-step approach that skips the hype and tells you what you actually need to do (and what’s not worth your time). If you’re technical enough to understand fields and flows, but don’t want to drown in documentation, this is for you.
Before You Start: The Reality Check
Let’s be clear: syncing opportunity stages between Salesforce and Marketo isn’t just about flipping a switch. The two systems treat opportunities differently, and neither plays nice out of the box. Marketo doesn’t have native opportunity management—so you’re mostly working with its CRM sync and custom objects.
The truth: Even with Syncari, you’ll need to make some decisions about what wins when there are conflicts, what to do about custom stages, and how to avoid turning your marketing reports into chaos.
Step 1: Map Out Your Opportunity Stages (Don’t Skip This)
Start by listing out your opportunity stages in Salesforce. Then, figure out how those should be represented in Marketo. Even if both teams swear they’re in sync, write them down side by side. You’ll almost always find differences.
What to look for: - Stages that exist in Salesforce but not in Marketo, or vice versa. - Stages with the same name but different meanings. - Stages used only for internal reporting (these usually shouldn't sync).
Why this matters: If you don’t know exactly what you want synced, Syncari can’t help you. Garbage in, garbage out.
Pro tip: Involve both sales and marketing. Otherwise, you’ll wind up with “Closed Won” in Salesforce and “Customer” in Marketo, and nobody will know which is right.
Step 2: Audit Your Fields and Data Types
Syncari can sync anything, but mismatched fields will break things or result in silent errors. Check the following:
- Salesforce: Opportunity object’s “Stage” (usually a picklist).
- Marketo: Opportunity custom object’s “Stage” (often a text field).
What to check: - Are the data types compatible? (Picklist vs. string is usually fine, but be careful with custom fields.) - Do both systems use the same field names? If not, note the mapping. - Are there any lookup fields or dependencies? (E.g., probability, forecast category.)
What to ignore: Don’t waste time syncing every single opportunity field. Stick to what matters for reporting and campaigns.
Step 3: Decide on Your Source of Truth
This is where folks get tripped up. You have to decide which system “owns” the opportunity stage. Here are your options:
- Salesforce as source of truth: This is almost always the best call. Sales updates stages, and Marketo uses that data for campaigns and segmentation.
- Bi-directional sync: Only do this if you have a real need for Marketo to update opportunity stages (rare, and risky).
- Marketo as source of truth: Honestly? Avoid this unless you have a very unusual setup.
Recommendation: Stick with Salesforce as the source. Let Syncari push updates one-way to Marketo.
Step 4: Set Up Syncari Connections
Assuming you’ve already got Salesforce and Marketo connected in Syncari, here’s what to do:
- Connect Salesforce and Marketo as data sources in Syncari. Authenticate both.
- Create a new Syncari pipeline (or “Syncari sync flow”) focused on opportunity data.
- Map the fields: Map the Salesforce “Opportunity.StageName” to the equivalent field in the Marketo opportunity custom object.
- Set transformation rules: If your stage names differ, use Syncari’s transformation logic to convert values as they flow between systems.
- Configure filters: Only sync opportunities that matter. For example, you might want to exclude “Internal Review” or test opportunities.
- Set conflict resolution: Default to “Salesforce wins” for stage updates. If you must allow Marketo to update, set very specific rules.
What works well: Syncari’s drag-and-drop mapping and value transformation are solid. You can handle even complex mappings (e.g., “Negotiation” in Salesforce = “Late Stage” in Marketo).
What doesn’t: Don’t expect Syncari to magically fix poor data quality or fill in missing fields. If your Salesforce data is a mess, clean it up first.
Step 5: Test with a Sandbox (Seriously, Do This)
Never sync production data until you’ve tested in a sandbox environment. Even small mapping errors can create a mess that’s hard to unwind.
- Use a Salesforce sandbox and a Marketo sandbox if you have them.
- Run a test sync with a small set of opportunities.
- Check for:
- Data loss or overwrites.
- Stage mismatches.
- Sync errors in Syncari logs.
Pro tip: Have someone from sales and someone from marketing eyeball the results. If they both agree it looks right, you’re probably good.
Step 6: Monitor and Maintain (Don’t Set and Forget)
Once you go live, keep an eye on things. Opportunity processes change. Someone will add a new stage or rename an old one, and your sync will break if you’re not watching.
Best practices: - Set up alerts in Syncari for failed syncs or unmapped values. - Review field mappings and stage lists quarterly. - Document your sync logic, so future-you (or your replacement) knows what’s what.
What’s not worth it: Don’t try to sync every possible change instantly. Nightly or hourly syncs are fine for most teams. Real-time sync is overkill unless you have a very specific need.
Honest Pros and Cons of Using Syncari for This
What works: - Handles field mapping and transformation better than native tools. - Reduces the risk of duplicate or missing data. - Lets you control sync direction and conflict resolution.
What doesn’t: - Won’t fix underlying process disagreements between teams. - Can get complicated if you try to sync too many fields or allow bi-directional updates. - If you’re not careful, you can still end up with a mess—just faster.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the mapping step and assuming both systems use the same stage names.
- Not involving both teams in the mapping and testing process.
- Trying to sync every field “just in case.” Focus on what’s actually used.
- Ignoring error logs in Syncari. Silent errors are still errors.
- Letting things drift. Opportunity stages and field names will change over time—stay on top of it.
Wrap Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Syncing opportunity stages between Salesforce and Marketo with Syncari doesn’t have to be a headache, but it’s never truly “set and forget.” Get the basics right, keep your mappings up to date, and don’t overcomplicate things. If something breaks, fix it fast, and document what you’ve done. Simple beats clever—every time.
If you’re still stuck, talk to the people actually using the data before you tweak the sync. They’ll usually spot what’s wrong before you do. And remember: a clean, reliable sync beats a fancy, fragile one every day.