If you work in B2B sales, you know the drill: Salesforce is supposed to be your team’s single source of truth, but updating it eats up hours, frustrates reps, and leaves your pipeline data a mess. Enter Scratchpad, a tool that promises to make managing Salesforce a whole lot less painful. If you’re tired of chasing reps for updates or spending more time on admin than selling, this one’s for you.
Below, I’ll break down exactly how Scratchpad fits into a sales team’s workflow, what it does well, where it falls short, and how to get the most out of it—without the hype.
Why Is Salesforce Data Such a Pain?
Let’s be honest: Salesforce is powerful, but it’s also clunky. Here’s why managing data in Salesforce often stinks for sales teams:
- Slow, confusing UI: Clicking through tabs, waiting for pages to load, hunting for the right field—none of it helps you sell.
- Manual data entry: Reps have to remember what happened in calls, then type it in later. Human nature being what it is, this rarely gets done on time.
- Outdated pipeline: Management asks for accurate forecasts, but the data is always a week (or more) old. Everyone’s flying blind.
- Workarounds everywhere: Reps use spreadsheets, notes apps, and sticky notes to keep track of deals—then maybe update Salesforce later.
The end result? Everyone’s frustrated, and you can’t trust the data.
What Does Scratchpad Actually Do?
Scratchpad is basically a fast, lightweight interface that sits on top of Salesforce. The idea is simple: give reps a way to update deals, take notes, and manage tasks in seconds—not minutes.
Here’s what it brings to the table:
- Instant editing: Make pipeline updates from a grid view or note, and it syncs directly to Salesforce.
- Notes tied to deals: Take call notes and link them straight to the right opportunity or account.
- Task management: Create and check off follow-ups without ever switching tabs.
- Templates and checklists: Standardize how reps prep for calls or fill in key fields.
- Quick search: Find any account, contact, or opportunity without all the clicks.
Instead of replacing Salesforce, Scratchpad makes it bearable (even pleasant) to keep data fresh.
Step-by-Step: How to Use Scratchpad to Keep Your Pipeline Clean
Here’s how most B2B sales teams get real value from Scratchpad. You can get started in about an hour—no IT ticket required.
1. Connect Scratchpad to Salesforce
- Sign up with your Salesforce credentials. Setup is quick—no admin needed for most orgs.
- Decide who gets access. Best to start with a pilot group of reps and managers.
Pro tip: If you’re worried about data security, Scratchpad doesn’t actually store your Salesforce data. It just passes updates through.
2. Set Up Views for Your Team
- Use grid views to see opportunities, accounts, or pipeline stages at a glance.
- Filter by owner, close date, or whatever matters most to your team.
- Save views for “Deals Closing This Month,” “Stuck Opportunities,” etc.
What works: Reps actually use these views because they’re faster than Salesforce.
What doesn’t: Don’t bother making a separate view for every little thing. Too many grids = clutter.
3. Make Updating Pipeline (Almost) Painless
- Click to edit deal stages, amounts, or next steps right from the grid.
- Bulk edit multiple deals at once—no more opening a million tabs.
- Add quick notes after every call, and Scratchpad automatically links them to the right record.
Ignore the hype: This won’t magically make your team love CRM. But it does cut the “I’ll update Salesforce later” excuse by about 90%.
4. Standardize Notes and Call Prep
- Use templates for discovery calls, qualification, or pipeline reviews.
- Fill out required fields while taking notes—no double entry.
- Notes sync back to Salesforce, so managers can actually see what happened on calls (without nagging).
Heads up: Templates are great, but don’t go overboard. Keep them short, or reps will just skip them.
5. Track Tasks and Follow-Ups in One Place
- Create follow-up tasks during or right after a call.
- See your to-do list next to your pipeline. No more bouncing between apps.
- Mark tasks complete, and it all syncs to Salesforce.
Pro tip: Use task templates for common follow-ups. But don’t use Scratchpad as your main task manager if your team already lives in Outlook or Gmail—stick to sales-related tasks here.
6. Make Pipeline Reviews Suck Less
- Managers can filter for missing next steps, unqualified deals, or stale opportunities—without running Salesforce reports.
- Review notes and updates in one place, and coach reps on the spot.
- Export views if you need to share outside the team.
What works: Pipeline reviews become about the deals, not about “Why isn’t this updated in Salesforce?”
What Scratchpad Gets Right (And Where It Falls Short)
What’s good:
- Speed: Updates take seconds, not minutes.
- Adoption: Reps are much less likely to ignore data hygiene.
- Flexibility: Works with how reps actually sell, not how Salesforce wishes they would.
- No IT headaches: No need to customize Salesforce or file tickets for every tweak.
What’s not so great:
- Not a silver bullet: If your Salesforce setup is a mess, Scratchpad can’t fix your underlying process problems.
- Limited analytics: It’s not a reporting tool. For forecasting, you’ll still need Salesforce reports or something like Clari.
- Works best for opportunity management: If you’re in account management, support, or marketing, you might find limited value.
- No offline mode: You need to be online to use it.
Ignore: Any pitch that says Scratchpad will “revolutionize” your sales process. At the end of the day, it’s a fast front-end for data entry—not a miracle worker.
Real-World Tips for Getting the Most Out of Scratchpad
- Start small. Roll it out to your most motivated reps first. Let them show off how much time they save.
- Keep templates brief. The longer your call notes checklist, the less likely anyone is to fill it out.
- Review adoption, not just activity. If reps aren’t using Scratchpad, ask why. Sometimes it’s just one annoying field in Salesforce killing the workflow.
- Integrate with your sales process. Use Scratchpad as the “front door” to Salesforce, but keep your core process tight and simple.
- Don’t ditch Salesforce. You still need it for reports, dashboards, and integrations.
Bottom Line: Make Salesforce Work for You (Not the Other Way Around)
Scratchpad won’t fix a broken sales process, but it does make updating Salesforce a whole lot faster and less painful. If you’re spending too much time on admin and not enough selling, it’s worth a try. Start simple—get your pipeline updates running smoothly, cut out the busywork, and iterate from there. You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Sometimes, small wins (like reps actually updating their deals) make the biggest difference.