If you’ve ever tried to get your sales tools to talk to each other, you know it’s rarely as easy as the glossy marketing says. This guide is for anyone who wants to hook up Brevitypitch to their current CRM—no matter if you’re using Salesforce, HubSpot, or one of the hundreds of others. I’ll walk you through what actually works, where things get tricky, and how to keep your data from turning into a mess.
Why bother syncing Brevitypitch with your CRM?
Let’s be honest: if your CRM and Brevitypitch don’t share data, you’ll spend your days copying and pasting, or worse—dealing with out-of-date info. The promise is simple: connect them once, and your sales team can see pitches, notes, and follow-ups where it matters, without switching tabs or losing context.
But here’s the catch: getting “seamless” sync is more about smart setup and realistic expectations than magic.
Step 1: Map Out What Data Actually Needs to Sync
Before touching any settings, figure out what you really want shared between Brevitypitch and your CRM. Don’t just turn everything on—more data doesn’t mean better data.
Ask these questions: - What fields in Brevitypitch do you want in your CRM? (e.g., pitch status, follow-up notes, attachments) - Does your CRM need to send data back to Brevitypitch, or is it one-way? - How often do you need things updated? Real-time, hourly, daily? - Who should get notified if a sync fails?
Pro tip:
Make a simple chart with columns for “Brevitypitch field,” “CRM field,” and “Sync direction.” If you can’t fill this out in 10 minutes, you’re probably overcomplicating things.
Step 2: Check Your CRM’s Integration Options
Not all CRMs play nice the same way. Some have plug-and-play Brevitypitch connectors; others need more elbow grease.
Common CRM scenarios:
-
Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive:
These usually have either a Brevitypitch app or a Zapier/integration connector. Setup is mostly in the UI, but you’ll be limited to whatever the integration supports. -
Lesser-known or custom CRMs:
You’ll probably end up using APIs or middleware tools like Zapier, Make, or Tray.io. More flexible, but more work. -
No integration listed?
Don’t panic—check if your CRM at least has an API. If so, you can almost always hack something together, though it may not be pretty.
What to ignore:
If your CRM vendor says “native integration coming soon,” don’t hold your breath. Work with what’s actually available today.
Step 3: Connect Brevitypitch to Your CRM
Here’s how to actually wire things up:
3.1 Using a Built-in Integration
If your CRM is supported by Brevitypitch out of the box:
- Log in to Brevitypitch.
- Go to Settings > Integrations (names may vary).
- Select your CRM from the list.
- Authorize access. You’ll likely need an admin login for both tools.
- Choose which data to sync. This is where that mapping chart comes in handy.
- Set sync frequency and any notification preferences.
Gotchas:
- Watch out for duplicate records—make sure you’re matching by unique fields like email or deal ID.
- Some integrations only pull in new data, not updates. Test this before relying on it.
3.2 Using Zapier, Make, or Similar Tools
If there’s no direct integration, middleware can fill the gap:
- Sign up for Zapier (or Make, or Tray.io).
- Create a new “Zap” (automation) that triggers when something happens in Brevitypitch (e.g., new pitch created).
- Set the action to create or update a record in your CRM.
- Map the fields based on your earlier chart.
- Test it—really. Don’t skip this. Use real sample data.
- Set up error notifications (email, Slack, whatever works).
What works:
- Flexible mapping and filtering.
- Can handle weird one-off CRMs.
What doesn’t:
- Real-time sync is rare—expect a delay of a few minutes to an hour.
- Middleware can get expensive fast if you run a lot of syncs.
3.3 Custom API Integration
If you’ve got developer resources, or just like punishment, direct API integration is the most flexible—and the most work.
- Read the API docs for both Brevitypitch and your CRM.
- Set up authentication (OAuth, API keys, etc.).
- Write scripts to pull, push, and map the data.
- Schedule the scripts on a server or with a cloud function (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, etc.).
- Add logging and alerting—silent failures are the enemy.
- Keep your scripts up to date as APIs change (they will).
Honest take:
Unless you have a really unique workflow (or love debugging), stick to built-in or middleware integrations first.
Step 4: Test, Test, and Test Again
Nothing strains a sales team’s patience like broken syncs or surprise duplicates. Don’t just set it and forget it.
Checklist before going live: - Run a small batch of test data—actual records, not “test@example.com.” - Check for duplicates, missed fields, and weird formatting. - Make a change in both Brevitypitch and your CRM. Does it sync both ways (if it’s supposed to)? - Disable and re-enable the integration to see if anything breaks. - Ask a non-technical teammate to try using it—can they spot problems?
What to ignore:
Vendor claims of “instant” or “zero-maintenance” syncs. Glitches happen.
Step 5: Monitor and Maintain the Integration
After launch, you’re not quite done. Syncs break for all sorts of reasons—expired logins, new fields, API changes, or just plain gremlins.
How to keep things running: - Set up error alerts—email, Slack, whatever your team actually checks. - Review sync logs weekly, at least for the first month. - If you add fields or change workflows in Brevitypitch or your CRM, update the integration ASAP. - Schedule a quarterly check-in. Things drift.
Pro tip:
Assign one person as the “integration owner.” Doesn’t have to be IT—just someone who’ll actually notice if things break.
What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
- Do focus on syncing only the data your team actually uses. More fields = more noise and more to go wrong.
- Don’t expect perfection. Even the best integrations drop a ball now and then.
- Do keep things simple. You can always add more later.
- Don’t believe the hype. “Seamless” is an aspiration, not a guarantee.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Connecting Brevitypitch to your CRM can absolutely save you time and headaches—if you keep the setup realistic and focus on what your team actually needs. Start small, monitor closely, and don’t be afraid to tweak things as you learn what works (and what just becomes clutter). The less you try to automate everything all at once, the smoother your sync will really feel.
And if you run into trouble? Don’t be shy about reaching out to Brevitypitch and your CRM’s support teams. Sometimes the fastest fix is just getting a real person on the line. Good luck!