So, you want your sales team to stop copy-pasting data between Apollo and Salesforce. Good call. Manual data entry is a waste of time, and your CRM is only as good as the data inside it. This guide is for sales ops folks, admins, and anyone who’s tired of “Did you update Salesforce?” messages. We’ll walk step-by-step through syncing Apollo with Salesforce, flag what actually matters, and help you dodge common headaches.
Let’s get your data flowing—without any nonsense.
Why bother integrating Apollo with Salesforce?
If you’re reading this, you probably already get it. But just to be clear:
- No more double data entry. Update a lead or contact once, and it shows up everywhere.
- Cleaner, more up-to-date CRM. Sales reps actually use it, because it’s not a mess.
- Better reporting. Leadership gets accurate pipeline data, not garbage in/garbage out.
But let’s be honest: a lot of “seamless integrations” are anything but. So I’ll call out what works, what’s clunky, and what to skip.
Step 1: Get your accounts ready
Before you touch any settings, do a quick check:
- Apollo Plan: You’ll need a paid Apollo plan with Salesforce integration included. If you’re on a free or basic tier, this won’t work.
- Salesforce Access: You need API access and admin rights in Salesforce. Not sure? Try logging into Salesforce Setup. If you can’t see “API” or “Connected Apps,” ask your admin.
- Data Review: Take five minutes to look at your fields in both systems. Are your lead/contact fields named the same? Do you have custom fields you care about? Jot them down—you’ll need this later.
Pro tip: Clean up duplicate records before you start. Integrations don’t magically fix messy data; they just spread the mess around.
Step 2: Connect Apollo and Salesforce
Here’s where most people get tripped up. Apollo’s Salesforce integration works through Salesforce’s API and OAuth. That’s a fancy way of saying: you let Apollo talk to Salesforce securely, and you control what gets synced.
1. In Apollo: - Go to Settings > Integrations > Salesforce. - Click Connect. - Log in to Salesforce when prompted. Make sure you’re using a Salesforce account with admin rights. - Approve the permissions Apollo asks for. If you’re nervous, read the fine print—Apollo needs access to read and write leads, contacts, accounts, and opportunities.
2. Choose your Salesforce environment: - If you want to test things first (which I’d recommend), use a Salesforce Sandbox. - For live data, pick Production.
3. Set up sync direction: - You can choose one-way (Apollo → Salesforce or Salesforce → Apollo) or two-way sync. In practice, two-way is the only setup that saves time long-term, but it does come with risk (accidental overwrites, etc.). - If you’re nervous, start with one-way sync and expand later.
Heads-up: If your org uses Salesforce “Person Accounts” or other custom objects, integration gets trickier. Check Apollo’s documentation or reach out to support—some stuff just won’t sync out of the box.
Step 3: Map your fields
This is where things either go smoothly, or you spend all afternoon swearing at your monitor. Field mapping tells Apollo which info matches up with which Salesforce fields.
In Apollo: - Go to Settings > Integrations > Salesforce > Field Mapping. - You’ll see default mappings for standard fields (name, company, email, etc.). - For custom fields: - Click Add Mapping. - Match your Apollo custom fields to the right Salesforce fields. - Double-check field types (text, picklist, number). If they don’t match—say, Apollo has a text field and Salesforce has a picklist—syncing will fail or data will get mangled.
What actually matters: - Don’t try to map every field “just in case.” Start with the essentials: name, company, email, phone, lead owner, and key status fields. - Skip fields you don’t use. More mapped fields = more chance for weird sync errors. - If you use custom lead statuses or pipeline stages, make sure the picklist values match in both systems—or sync will break.
Pro tip: Run a test sync with just one or two records first. See what comes through before turning on full sync.
Step 4: Set sync rules and frequency
Now decide how and when data moves:
- Sync triggers: Usually you can choose to sync instantly (real-time) or on a set schedule (every X minutes/hours).
- Real-time is great for small teams but can bog things down if you’re syncing thousands of records. Scheduled sync is safer for big databases.
- Conflict rules: What happens if the same record is changed in both systems? Pick which side “wins” (Apollo or Salesforce). There’s no perfect answer, but most teams default to Salesforce as the source of truth.
- Objects to sync: Leads, contacts, accounts, and opportunities are usually available. Only turn on what you actually use.
What to watch out for: - Don’t sync everything indiscriminately. Filtering by lead status, owner, or another field can keep junk out of Salesforce. - If you’re syncing to Salesforce campaigns, double-check campaign membership rules. It’s easy to create duplicates here.
Step 5: Run a test and check your data
Don’t trust the integration until you’ve checked what actually comes through.
How to test: 1. Create a new test lead in Apollo. Fill out all the mapped fields. 2. Wait for the sync (or trigger it manually). 3. Find the record in Salesforce. Is all the info there? Are custom fields in the right place? 4. Edit the record in Salesforce, sync again, and see if changes come back to Apollo (if you’ve set up two-way sync).
If something’s off: - Most sync errors come down to bad field mapping or picklist mismatches. - Check field types and allowed values. - Look for permissions issues—does Apollo have access to edit the fields in Salesforce? - Review Apollo’s integration logs (usually available in the integration settings).
Pro tip: Keep your test data separate from real data at first, so you don’t pollute your production CRM.
Step 6: Roll it out (and train your team)
Once you’re sure the sync works, turn it on for everyone. But don’t just flip the switch and walk away.
- Tell your team: Let sales and ops know what’s changing and how the integration works. If they keep editing in both systems “just in case,” you’ll get duplicates and sync conflicts.
- Document your process: A quick internal doc (even a Google Doc) on “How Apollo and Salesforce sync” will save you headaches later.
- Monitor the sync: Check integration logs for errors at least weekly at first. Fix small issues before they become big messes.
What actually works (and what doesn’t)
Works well: - Syncing standard fields, leads, contacts, and accounts. - Keeping lead statuses and owner assignments up-to-date. - Reducing manual data entry and basic errors.
Doesn’t work (or is a pain): - Custom objects or heavily customized Salesforce setups. You’ll need developer help or middleware. - Syncing every field “just because.” More isn’t better. - Assuming integration will magically clean your data. Garbage in, garbage out.
Ignore the hype: - “Seamless” and “real-time” aren’t always reality. Small hiccups are normal—build in a process to catch and fix them. - Don’t expect this to replace real CRM hygiene or good sales process.
Troubleshooting: Common issues and fixes
- Duplicates everywhere: Check your sync rules. Don’t sync both ways until you’re sure fields match and deduplication is working.
- Missing data: It’s almost always a field mapping problem. Double-check your mappings and sync filters.
- Sync errors: Look up the error message in Apollo’s help docs or Salesforce’s logs. Nine times out of ten, it’s a permissions issue or field mismatch.
- Sluggish performance: Real-time sync can slow down with big data sets. Switch to scheduled sync or limit what you’re syncing.
Keep it simple (and iterate)
Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with the basics: sync leads, contacts, and a handful of key fields. Get that working, then layer on more complexity if you need it. Clean data + simple sync rules = way fewer headaches.
Integrations aren’t magic. They’re just tools. If something’s not working, strip it back and build up again—your future self (and your sales team) will thank you.