If you’re tired of copy-pasting leads between tools, you’re not alone. Syncing your lead gen system with your CRM should be simple, but often isn’t. This guide is for anyone who wants to connect Leadleaper (a Chrome extension for grabbing leads from LinkedIn) directly to Salesforce CRM, without the fluff or vague promises. We’ll walk through the actual steps, point out what’s likely to break, and show you what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).
Who Should Use This Guide
- Sales reps who already have access to both Salesforce and Leadleaper
- SDRs/BDRs who want to stop doing manual data entry
- Ops folks setting this up for a team
If you’re looking for a quick one-click solution, prepare to be disappointed. It’s not hard, but it does take some setup and sanity checks.
Step 1: Get Your Accounts and Permissions Ready
Before you do anything, make sure you’ve got the right access.
You’ll need: - A Salesforce account with permissions to add leads/contacts (and ideally, API access) - A Leadleaper account (the free plan gives you the basics, but exporting to Salesforce requires a paid plan) - Google Chrome (Leadleaper is a Chrome extension) - Admin approval to install browser extensions and connect to Salesforce
Pro Tip:
If you’re part of a bigger org, double-check with IT or your Salesforce admin before connecting anything. Security folks get twitchy about third-party integrations.
Step 2: Install the Leadleaper Chrome Extension
- Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Leadleaper.”
- Click Add to Chrome and follow the prompts.
- Pin the extension to your toolbar for easy access.
What to watch for:
- If Chrome blocks the extension, you might have company restrictions.
- Some ad blockers or privacy plugins can mess with Leadleaper’s scraping—disable them on LinkedIn if you run into issues.
Step 3: Log Into Leadleaper and Salesforce
- Click the Leadleaper icon in your Chrome toolbar.
- Log in with your Leadleaper credentials.
- In a separate tab, log in to your Salesforce account.
Why both?
Leadleaper needs to connect to Salesforce through your browser session. If you’re not logged into Salesforce, the sync won’t work.
Step 4: Connect Leadleaper to Salesforce
Leadleaper talks to Salesforce via the official API—no sketchy password sharing.
- In Leadleaper, click your profile icon (usually top right).
- Select Integrations or Settings (depends on the version).
- Find the Salesforce CRM integration option.
- Click Connect Salesforce.
- A Salesforce login window or popup will appear. Log in and allow Leadleaper to access your Salesforce data.
Heads up:
- You’ll be asked to grant permissions. Double-check you’re using the correct Salesforce account (especially if you have multiple orgs or sandboxes).
- If your company has “OAuth whitelisting” or tight security policies, this might get blocked. You’ll need admin help.
Step 5: Set Up Lead Field Mapping
Leadleaper tries to guess how its fields map to Salesforce fields (like First Name, Last Name, Email, etc.), but it’s not always perfect.
- In the Leadleaper integration settings, look for Field Mapping or Customize Fields.
- Review each mapping. Make sure:
- Leadleaper’s “Email” matches your Salesforce “Email” field.
- Job Title, Company, and LinkedIn URL are mapped correctly.
- Any custom fields you care about are mapped; ignore the rest.
- Save your changes.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother mapping every possible field. Focus on what your sales process actually uses. More fields = more headaches when something breaks.
Step 6: Test the Connection with a Dummy Lead
Never trust an integration until you see it work. Save yourself cleanup later.
- Go to LinkedIn and find a test contact (not a real prospect—use your own profile or a test contact).
- Use Leadleaper to capture the contact:
- Click the extension on the LinkedIn profile.
- Click Save to List or similar.
- In Leadleaper, select the lead and click Export to Salesforce (might say “Push to Salesforce”).
- Wait for confirmation (usually a pop-up or green checkmark).
- Go to Salesforce and search for the newly created lead.
If it worked:
- The lead should show up in Salesforce, with the correct fields populated.
- LinkedIn URLs often get stuck in custom fields—don’t worry unless you need them.
If it didn’t work:
- Double-check that you’re logged into both systems.
- Check for error messages in Leadleaper (sometimes they’re buried in the UI).
- If you see “API not enabled” or “permissions error,” you’ll need to talk to your Salesforce admin.
Step 7: Bulk Import — Do It In Small Batches
Once the test works, you might be tempted to blast in 200 leads at once. Don’t.
Here’s why: - Salesforce API limits can throttle or block you if you go too fast. - Leadleaper sometimes “skips” leads if LinkedIn changes its layout or you get rate-limited. - Clean data in = clean data out. Garbage in = support tickets later.
How to do it: 1. Select 10-20 leads in Leadleaper. 2. Export to Salesforce. 3. Check Salesforce to make sure they all arrived and fields look right. 4. Repeat as needed.
Pro Tip:
If you’re working from big lists, sort out duplicates and incomplete leads before exporting. Salesforce gets cranky about duplicate emails.
Step 8: Set Up Automation (If You Need It)
If you want new leads to go straight into campaigns or get routed automatically, you’ll need to do that in Salesforce—not Leadleaper.
- Use Salesforce’s assignment rules, workflows, or process builder to handle new incoming leads.
- Don’t expect Leadleaper to update existing records or handle deduplication perfectly. It’s a one-way push.
What doesn’t work:
Leadleaper isn’t a full-blown data sync tool. It won’t update existing records or push notes/activities. If you need that, look for a more robust integration platform (like Zapier or a custom API connector).
Step 9: Troubleshooting and Common Pitfalls
Stuff that breaks (and how to fix it):
- Permission errors: Usually a Salesforce profile issue. Ask your admin to check API and object permissions.
- Leadleaper UI not matching instructions: The UI changes often. If you can’t find a button, search their help docs or contact support.
- Data mismatches: If fields aren’t mapping, revisit the mapping step.
- Export fails silently: Try logging out and back in, or clear your cookies.
When to give up:
If you’re spending more than an hour chasing weird errors, escalate to your admin or Leadleaper support. Life’s too short.
Step 10: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t overthink this. Start by syncing the basics (name, email, company), make sure it works, and build from there if you need more. Skip mapping every field or setting up fancy workflows until you’re sure the basics are rock solid.
Integrations are supposed to save you time, not eat up your week. Once things are flowing, check in now and then to make sure nothing’s broken—LinkedIn and Salesforce love to change APIs when you least expect it.
Bottom line:
Get the core export working, keep your process lean, and only add complexity when you actually need it. Your future self will thank you.