If you’re tired of copy-pasting data between Sailes and Salesforce, or you just want your sales stack to stop dropping the ball, you’re in the right place. This guide is for busy folks who need both platforms to talk to each other—without a bunch of manual work, data messes, or “it just doesn’t sync” headaches.
I’ll walk you through connecting Sailes with Salesforce, the honest way: what actually works, what snags to look out for, and how to set it up so you’re not babysitting your integration every day.
Why bother integrating Sailes and Salesforce?
Let’s be real: if you’re using Sailes and Salesforce separately, you’re missing a trick. Sales reps waste time on double entry, managers can’t trust their reports, and deals slip through the cracks. Integrating the two means:
- No more copy-pasting leads or notes.
- Cleaner, more accurate data for everyone.
- You can automate follow-ups and workflows without duct tape.
But integration isn’t magic. If you set it up wrong, you’ll trade one headache for another (think: duplicate records, missing updates, or syncs that break after every Sailes or Salesforce update). So let’s do this the right way.
Step 1: Get your ducks in a row
Before you start clicking “connect,” make sure:
- You have admin access to both Sailes and Salesforce.
- You know which data you actually want to sync. (Leads? Contacts? Activities? All of it?)
- You’ve cleaned up obvious junk or duplicates—syncing bad data just gives you more bad data.
Pro tip: Write down what should happen when you update a record in Sailes versus Salesforce. This helps you avoid surprises later, and it keeps your integration focused on what matters.
Step 2: Check Sailes’ Salesforce integration options
Sailes offers a native Salesforce integration, but the details can change depending on your Sailes plan. Here’s what usually matters:
- Most Sailes business plans include Salesforce integration, but check your contract or Sailes admin page to be sure.
- If your Sailes plan doesn’t include it, you’ll need to talk to their support or upgrade.
Don’t waste time trying to “hack” an integration with Zapier or third-party tools unless you have a very simple use case. Native is almost always more reliable for two-way sync.
Step 3: Connect Sailes to Salesforce
Assuming your plan includes it, here’s how to get started:
- Log into Sailes as an admin.
- Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Salesforce (the path might be slightly different, but it’s usually under Integrations).
- Click Connect or Add Integration.
- You’ll be prompted to log into Salesforce. Use your Salesforce admin credentials.
- Review and accept the permission requests. Don’t skip this—Sailes needs access to read/write the right objects (Leads, Contacts, etc.).
What to watch for:
- If you’re using Salesforce’s “Sandbox” environment, connect to it first for testing. Only connect to “Production” when you’re confident everything works.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) in Salesforce can trip up integrations. Make sure your Salesforce org allows API logins from Sailes.
Step 4: Map your data fields
Here’s where things get either smooth or messy. Sailes will prompt you to map fields between Sailes and Salesforce—basically, you tell it how “First Name” in Sailes matches “FirstName” in Salesforce, and so on.
- Do this carefully. If you map fields wrong, you’ll get weird results (like phone numbers in the email slot).
- Most platforms offer default mappings, but double-check custom fields you’ve added in either system.
- Decide if you want all records to sync, or just specific ones (like leads with a certain status).
Got custom objects or fields in Salesforce? Make sure Sailes can see and sync with them. Some integrations only handle standard objects unless you ask Sailes support to enable custom ones.
Step 5: Set your sync rules
Not every record needs to sync every time. Here’s what you can usually control:
- One-way vs. two-way sync: Do changes in Sailes update Salesforce, and vice versa? Or just one direction? Two-way is powerful, but it can create loops if you’re not careful.
- Conflict resolution: If a record is updated in both places at once, which wins? Pick a “source of truth.”
- Sync frequency: Real-time is great, but sometimes a 5- or 15-minute delay makes more sense (and breaks less often).
What to ignore: Don’t bother syncing every single field “just in case.” More data means more things to break. Stick to what you need.
Step 6: Test, test, and test again
Before you roll this out to your whole team:
- Create a few test records in Sailes and see if they appear in Salesforce, and vice versa.
- Update records and check if changes sync both ways.
- Try “weird” things: delete a record, change a status, add a note. Does everything work as expected?
If you find issues:
- Double-check your field mappings and sync rules.
- Look for error logs in Sailes’ integration dashboard or Salesforce’s “Connected Apps” section.
- Don’t be shy about reaching out to Sailes support. Integration bugs are common, and they’ve probably seen your issue before.
Step 7: Train your team (and set expectations)
Even the best integration won’t save you if your team doesn’t know what’s happening.
- Tell your team which system is the “source of truth” for each kind of data.
- Show them what will (and won’t) sync automatically.
- Remind people not to panic if a record takes a few minutes to show up—instant sync isn’t always possible.
Pro tip: Document your sync setup. If you ever need to troubleshoot or hand things off, future-you (or your replacement) will thank you.
Step 8: Watch for common gotchas
Integration isn’t “set it and forget it.” Keep an eye out for:
- Duplicate records: If the same person is in both systems with slightly different info, you’ll get messy merges.
- API limits: Salesforce has daily API call limits. If you sync too often, you can hit your cap—especially if you have other integrations running.
- Field mismatches: If someone adds a new field in Salesforce, it won’t sync unless you update your mapping in Sailes.
- Permissions: If a user loses access in one system, syncs can fail without clear errors.
Ignore the hype: No integration is 100% “seamless.” There will be hiccups. That’s normal.
Step 9: Set up ongoing monitoring
- Check your integration dashboard in Sailes weekly for errors or failed syncs.
- Schedule a quarterly review: Are you syncing what you actually need, or just creating clutter?
- If you upgrade Salesforce or Sailes, re-test the integration. Updates can break things quietly.
The honest bottom line
Integrating Sailes with Salesforce is worth it, but only if you do it with eyes open. Don’t try to sync everything, and don’t expect perfection. Start with the basics, get your sync working, and build from there.
The fewer moving pieces you have, the fewer things can go sideways. Keep it simple, document what you do, and tweak as you go. That’s how you end up with data you can trust—and a sales team that spends more time selling, less time wrestling with software.