If you’re in B2B sales or partnerships, you know the promise: connect your CRM with yet another platform and suddenly your go-to-market engine runs itself. The reality? Integrations eat time, break in weird ways, and often just shuffle data around. But sometimes—done right—you get real value: less manual work, smarter plays, and actual results.
This guide is for anyone who wants to connect their CRM (think Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar) with Partnered, a tool designed to make B2B go-to-market teams work together without losing their minds. I’ll walk you through the actual steps, flag what’s worth your time (and what isn’t), and share a few lessons from the trenches.
Why bother integrating Partnered with your CRM?
Let’s be blunt: if you’re not syncing data between these two, you’re probably duplicating work or missing out on deals. The main perks of a good integration:
- See which accounts overlap with your partners—straight in your CRM.
- Automate referrals, intros, and tracking (no more spreadsheets).
- Get alerts when partners are engaged with your prospects or customers.
- Cut down on manual updates and “just checking” emails.
But: integrations can also over-promise. If you expect magic, you’ll be disappointed. The real goal is simple—keep your team focused and avoid data messes.
Step 1: Get your basics in order
Before you even touch the integration button, do some housekeeping. Most problems with integrations come from messy data or unclear processes.
Checklist:
- Make sure your CRM data is clean. Duplicates, weird field names, and missing info will haunt you.
- Decide who owns the integration. If it’s “everyone,” it’s no one.
- Know what you want out of this. Is it account mapping? Referral tracking? Something else?
- Check which CRM edition you have. Some integrations need API access (not always included in entry-level plans).
Pro tip: If you’ve got multiple business units or wildly different CRM setups across teams, sort that out before you start. Integrations rarely fix chaos; they just spread it around.
Step 2: Understand what Partnered can (and can’t) do
Partnered isn’t a magic wand for B2B sales—think of it as a collaboration layer. It helps you spot overlaps, request warm intros, and track partner activity. The integration usually works one of two ways:
- Direct integration: Partnered connects directly to your CRM using OAuth or API keys.
- Manual import/export: If your CRM isn’t supported, you’ll be uploading CSVs.
What works well:
- Account mapping between your CRM and partner orgs.
- Tracking referrals and intros in a shared space.
- Seeing mutual opportunities, so you’re not stepping on toes.
What doesn’t:
- Complex, custom CRM fields often don’t sync well.
- Real-time updates can lag, depending on API limits.
- “Set it and forget it” is a myth. You’ll need to check on things.
Ignore: Fancy dashboards that look good but don’t help you close deals. Focus on the basics—account overlap and referral tracking.
Step 3: Connect your CRM to Partnered
Here’s where most people get tripped up. Let’s walk through the nuts and bolts, assuming you’re on Salesforce or HubSpot (the most common options).
For Salesforce:
- Go to Partnered’s integration section.
- Usually, it’s under “Settings” or “Integrations.”
- Click ‘Connect Salesforce’.
- You’ll be prompted to log in and give permissions.
- Select what to sync.
- Choose which object types (Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities).
- Map fields—don’t just accept defaults if your CRM is customized.
- Test the connection.
- Pull a test account. See if data actually shows up in Partnered.
- Set sync frequency.
- Real-time is nice, but can hammer your API limits. Hourly or daily works for most teams.
For HubSpot:
- Navigate to Integrations in Partnered.
- Choose ‘Connect HubSpot’.
- OAuth flow will ask for access. Double-check which permissions you’re granting.
- Pick your data.
- Deals, Companies, Contacts? Only sync what you need.
- Field mapping.
- HubSpot custom fields can trip you up. Make sure the key data points are covered.
- Test and review.
- Always check a few sample records.
If your CRM isn’t supported: You’ll be stuck with CSV import/export. Not fun, but doable. Export your account/opportunity lists, then upload to Partnered. Set a recurring reminder so it doesn’t get forgotten.
Step 4: Align your teams and processes
The integration itself is maybe 30% of the work. The rest? Making sure your team actually uses it.
Here’s what works:
- Train your team: A 30-minute walkthrough beats a 10-page manual every time.
- Set up alerts: Make sure reps know when a partner’s account overlaps with theirs.
- Agree on workflows: Who can request a referral? When do you log an intro? Spell it out.
- Review regularly: At least monthly, check if the integration is delivering value—or just creating noise.
What to skip: Don’t try to automate every edge case. Focus on the 80% use case—shared accounts and referrals.
Step 5: Monitor, tweak, and don’t be afraid to unplug
No integration is perfect out of the box. Expect hiccups.
What to watch for:
- Data mismatches: Names, emails, and company IDs often don’t line up. Fix at the source, not in Partnered.
- API limits: If your CRM starts hitting limits, dial back sync frequency.
- Adoption drop-off: If reps stop using Partnered, find out why. Usually it’s either clunky data or unclear value.
Pro tip: If the integration is more hassle than help, it’s okay to scale back—or even disconnect. There’s no prize for sticking with an integration that’s not working.
Common pitfalls and how to dodge them
- Assuming integration means automation: Most of the work is still human—relationships, judgment, follow-up.
- Letting bad data in: Garbage in, garbage out. Clean CRM data is non-negotiable.
- Overcomplicating field mapping: Stick to key fields. The more you map, the more can break.
- Ignoring security: Double-check what data you’re sharing, especially if you’re in a regulated industry.
The bottom line
Integrating your CRM with Partnered can save you serious time and help you close more deals—if you keep things simple and focus on what matters. Don’t expect it to fix broken processes or magically create partnerships. Start small, check results, and adjust as you go. The best integrations are the ones you barely notice because they just work. And if something’s not working? Don’t be afraid to try a different way.