If you run a B2B sales team, you know how much time gets wasted wrangling contact details between Salesforce and LinkedIn. Messy data, forgotten updates, and manual copy-paste jobs aren’t just annoying—they lose deals. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of the chaos and wants real-world advice on syncing contacts between Salesforce and Surfe (formerly known as Leadjet). No hype, just what actually works.
Why bother syncing Salesforce with Surfe?
Quick reality check: Salesforce is great for tracking deals, but it’s a pain for capturing fresh LinkedIn contacts. Surfe is a browser extension that lets you push LinkedIn contacts straight to Salesforce—saving hours and avoiding errors.
But syncing isn’t magic. If you just turn things on and hope for the best, you’ll end up with duplicates, bad data, and frustrated reps. The key is setting things up right and sticking to a few simple rules.
Step 1: Get the basics set up
Before you start syncing, get your house in order. Here’s what you need:
- Salesforce admin access: You’ll need permission to connect apps and map fields.
- Surfe accounts for your team: Make sure everyone’s signed up and has the extension installed.
- A clean Salesforce database: If your contacts are already a mess, Surfe will just sync that mess faster.
Pro tip: Don’t let everyone run wild. Assign one person to own the setup, and make sure they know your Salesforce structure.
Step 2: Connect Surfe to Salesforce the right way
Connecting is pretty straightforward, but a few things trip teams up:
- Install Surfe on Chrome or Edge. (It doesn’t work on Safari or Firefox.)
- Log in with your Salesforce account when prompted. Use the lowest level of access needed—don’t hand out admin rights unless you have to.
- Check permissions: Surfe will ask for access to contacts, accounts, leads, and tasks. If your org restricts API access, get your Salesforce admin involved.
- Test with a dummy contact before rolling it out to the team. Sync a fake LinkedIn profile and see what lands in Salesforce.
What usually goes wrong:
- Using personal Salesforce logins instead of team ones.
- Forgetting to map custom fields (more on that below).
- Ignoring Surfe’s permissions prompts—this bites you later.
Step 3: Map your Salesforce fields carefully
This is the step most teams rush, and it’s why their data gets messy.
- Decide what matters. You probably don’t need every LinkedIn field in Salesforce. Stick to: name, title, company, email, phone, LinkedIn URL, and owner.
- Custom fields: If you use custom fields in Salesforce (like “Lead Source” or “Last Contacted”), set these up in Surfe’s settings.
- Match field types. Text-to-text, picklist-to-picklist—don’t try to squeeze phone numbers into a notes field.
- Create a LinkedIn URL field in Salesforce if you don’t have one already. This is your best defense against duplicates.
Pro tip: Map the LinkedIn profile URL to a unique field in Salesforce. This makes it easy to spot duplicates later.
Step 4: Set ground rules for your team
Syncing is as much about people as it is about tech. If everyone does their own thing, you’ll drown in duplicates and stale contacts.
Here’s what actually works:
- One person, one contact: Whoever owns the LinkedIn relationship should be the one to sync it into Salesforce.
- Update, don’t duplicate: If a contact already exists in Salesforce, update it instead of creating a new one.
- Log key info: Always fill in the “Owner” and “Lead Source” fields so you know who’s responsible and where the lead came from.
- Review before syncing: Double-check that the contact doesn’t already exist. Surfe will flag some duplicates, but it’s not perfect.
- Don’t sync every connection: Not every LinkedIn contact belongs in Salesforce. Be picky—quality beats quantity every time.
What you can skip:
- Bulk importing your entire LinkedIn network. This fills Salesforce with junk and annoys everyone.
Step 5: Watch out for common syncing pitfalls
There’s a lot of hype about “seamless” integrations. In reality, you’ll run into snags. Here’s what to watch for:
- Duplicates: The #1 issue. Use the LinkedIn URL field as your unique identifier and run regular dedupe checks.
- Missing data: Sometimes LinkedIn profiles are sparse. Don’t force these into Salesforce—wait until you have enough info.
- Field mismatches: Double-check field mappings after Surfe updates, as changes can break your setup.
- Sync errors: If something doesn’t sync, check Surfe’s error log (in the extension) and fix the source issue before retrying.
Pro tip: Schedule a monthly “data hygiene” session. Clean up duplicates, empty fields, and junk contacts.
Step 6: Make syncing part of your sales workflow
If syncing is just another chore, it won’t stick. Bake it into your team’s process:
- Add contacts during outreach, not in bulk. Sync as you go—right after a promising LinkedIn conversation.
- Review new contacts weekly. Have your team lead or ops person spot-check new records for completeness and accuracy.
- Train new hires on your process. Don’t assume they’ll just “get it.” Walk them through Surfe and your rules.
What doesn’t work:
- Leaving syncing to the end of the week. People forget, details get lost, and you end up with out-of-date data.
Step 7: Keep it simple—and stay skeptical
It’s tempting to automate everything or buy expensive add-ons, but most sales teams don’t need more bells and whistles. A simple, disciplined workflow—built around clean field mapping, clear ownership, and regular reviews—beats a bloated tech stack every time.
- Ignore features you don’t use. If Surfe tries to push new integrations or “AI enrichment,” test it before rolling out. Most teams never use half the features they pay for.
- Stick to your process. Tech is only as good as your team’s habits.
Wrapping up: Don’t overthink it
Syncing Salesforce contacts with Surfe doesn’t have to be a mess. Get the basics right, keep your process simple, and don’t chase shiny new features unless they actually solve a problem you have. The best B2B sales teams are boringly consistent. Set your process, review it every few months, and tweak as needed. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.