If you spend any time in Salesforce wrangling leads, you know there's a ton of hype about sales data tools. Sometimes that hype's deserved. Sometimes… not so much. If you've landed here, you're probably wondering if connecting Salesintel to Salesforce is worth the trouble — and if so, how to actually do it without losing your sanity.
This guide is for sales ops folks, admins, or anyone who just wants fresh, accurate data inside Salesforce without the headaches. We'll go step-by-step, flag the pitfalls, and skip the marketing fluff.
Why Bother Integrating Salesintel with Salesforce?
Let’s keep it real: Salesforce only delivers value if your data’s up to date. Salesintel promises to pump fresh B2B contacts and company info into your CRM. The point is less manual hunting for emails, less duplicate data entry, and more selling.
But here’s the catch: If you don’t set this up right, you’ll end up with a mess — duplicate records, fields that don’t match, and users who ignore the tool. So, go in with your eyes open.
What You Need Before You Start
Do NOT skip this. Missing a step here will burn time later.
- Salesintel license: Obviously, you need an active Salesintel subscription with Salesforce integration enabled. Not all plans include it.
- Salesforce access: You’ll need admin rights in Salesforce to install the integration and map fields.
- Browser: Chrome is safest. Firefox is usually fine. Avoid Internet Explorer (seriously).
- A test Salesforce environment: If you’re able, use a Salesforce sandbox first. Don’t risk your live data on the first try.
- Decide on your workflow: Will reps push data into Salesforce, or do you want Salesintel to auto-update records? Get buy-in now to avoid confusion later.
Pro tip: Have a list of the Salesforce fields you care about. Knowing what you want to sync (and what you don’t) makes this way less painful.
Step 1: Install the Salesintel Salesforce App
Here’s where most people get tripped up by permissions or miss a step.
- Log in to Salesforce as an admin.
- Go to the Salesforce AppExchange. Search for “Salesintel” and find their official app.
- Click “Get It Now” and choose where to install (production or sandbox — sandbox is safer if you’re testing).
- Approve the requested permissions. Salesintel needs access to your Leads, Accounts, Contacts, and sometimes Opportunities. Don’t grant more access than necessary.
- Finish the install. You’ll see a new Salesintel tab in Salesforce if it worked.
Watch out: If your org has tight security settings, you may need to whitelist Salesintel’s IPs or adjust profile permissions before it works.
Step 2: Connect Your Salesintel Account
Now, you need to link your Salesintel account to Salesforce so data can flow.
- Go to the new Salesintel tab inside Salesforce.
- Log in using your Salesintel credentials. You may need an API key or to authorize via OAuth — follow the prompts.
- Grant access when prompted. This is what lets Salesintel push/pull data.
If you get authentication errors, double-check your user permissions in both tools. Sometimes the sticking point is a mismatch between user emails or missing integration rights.
Step 3: Set Up Field Mapping
This is where you decide what info goes where. If you rush this, you’ll end up with garbage data or missing info.
- Open the Salesintel integration settings (usually within the Salesintel tab inside Salesforce).
- Review default field mappings. Salesintel will try to match things like “First Name” to “First Name,” but custom fields won’t map automatically.
- Map custom fields. If you use custom lead or account fields in Salesforce, you’ll need to link them manually.
- Decide what to skip. Not every Salesintel field needs to land in Salesforce. Keep it minimal — more fields means more clutter and more places for things to break.
- Save your mapping. Test with a single record before going big.
Pro tip: Document your mapping. You’ll thank yourself later when someone asks why “Industry Segment” is blank everywhere.
Step 4: Choose Your Sync Settings
Salesintel gives you options on how and when data moves to Salesforce.
- Manual push: Sales reps pick which leads/contacts to send to Salesforce. Good for control, but slower.
- Bulk import: Pull a list from Salesintel and import a batch. Best for big updates, not ongoing sync.
- Auto-sync: Some plans let you set rules (e.g., auto-update existing Accounts if new info found). Powerful, but risky if your field mapping isn’t spot-on.
To configure: 1. Open the sync settings in Salesintel. 2. Decide on sync frequency (real-time, daily, weekly). 3. Set up filters if you don’t want every last record to sync (e.g., only companies with 100+ employees). 4. Test sync with a small batch. Don’t turn on auto-sync for your whole org until you’ve seen it work.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by fancy enrichment options you don’t need. Focus on what your sales team actually uses.
Step 5: Test the Integration
Don’t trust that it “just works.” Test it.
- Pick a handful of test contacts/accounts in Salesintel.
- Sync them to Salesforce using your chosen method.
- Check the data in Salesforce. Look for:
- Missing fields
- Duplicates
- Overwritten data you still needed
- Field values in the wrong place
- Ask a rep to sanity-check in their workflow. Does it actually help, or does it get in their way?
If you find problems, adjust your field mapping or sync rules and try again.
Step 6: Train Your Team and Set Guardrails
A tool is only as good as the people using it.
- Give your sales team a 10-minute walkthrough. Show them what’s new, how to push leads, and how to spot errors.
- Set clear rules: Who can import data? How often? What should they do if something looks off?
- Monitor usage for the first month. Are people using it? Are there more duplicates showing up? Tweak your process as needed.
Honest take: If your users hate using the tool or find it confusing, they’ll ignore it—and your nice clean data will rot.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Duplicate records: Salesintel isn’t magic. If your Salesforce deduplication rules are weak, you’ll get duplicates.
- Field mismatch: Custom fields often don’t map cleanly. Always double-check.
- Over-enrichment: More data isn’t always better. Too many fields = user overwhelm.
- Out-of-date data: Salesintel is good, but not perfect. Always double-check critical info before blasting an email campaign.
- Integration breaks after Salesforce updates: Keep an eye on both platforms' release notes.
Keeping It Simple — and Useful
Integrating Salesintel with Salesforce isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Focus on syncing only the data your team uses, test before rolling out to everyone, and check in after a few weeks to see what’s actually helping.
Remember: No tool is a silver bullet. Start small, fix what breaks, and resist the urge to turn on every bell and whistle.
Good luck — and may your Salesforce instance stay (relatively) sane.