Step by step guide to syncing Salesforce contacts with Salesbolt

If you're tired of flipping between tabs and copy-pasting contacts from LinkedIn or Gmail into Salesforce, you're not alone. Keeping Salesforce data up to date is a headache—especially if your team hates manual entry (and honestly, who doesn’t?). This guide is for anyone who wants to sync Salesforce contacts with Salesbolt and actually have it work without a lot of hassle. We'll walk through each step, flag what actually matters, and help you dodge the usual time-wasters.

Why bother syncing Salesforce contacts with Salesbolt?

First, a quick reality check: Salesforce is powerful, but getting info into it is still a pain. That's where Salesbolt comes in. It promises to pull contact details straight from LinkedIn or your inbox into Salesforce with a couple of clicks. In theory, this means:

  • Less manual data entry (hallelujah).
  • More accurate, up-to-date contact info.
  • Sales reps spend more time selling, less time typing.

But let’s be honest: No tool is magic. Automating data entry can save time, but only if it’s set up right and your team actually uses it. So, let’s get you there.

Step 1: Check your Salesforce setup

Before you dive into Salesbolt, make sure your Salesforce account is ready. If you don’t have admin privileges, now’s the time to make friends with someone who does—some steps will need admin access.

What to check:

  • Salesforce Edition: Salesbolt works with Salesforce Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. If you’re on Essentials or a custom build, double-check compatibility.
  • API Access: If your Salesforce edition restricts API access, Salesbolt won’t be able to sync. You can check this in Salesforce under Setup > Company Information.
  • Contact Object Customizations: If you’ve got a heavily customized Contact object (custom fields, validation rules), Salesbolt might not map every field perfectly. Make a list of your must-have fields.

Pro tip: If you’re not sure whether you have API access, search “API Enabled” in Salesforce Setup and see if that’s checked for your user profile.

Step 2: Install the Salesbolt Chrome Extension

Salesbolt is a Chrome extension, so you’ll need to be using Google Chrome. (If your company mandates Edge or Firefox, sorry, you’re out of luck for now.)

How to install:

  1. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Salesbolt.”
  2. Click Add to Chrome and follow the prompts.
  3. Once installed, you’ll see the Salesbolt icon near the top right of your browser.

What doesn’t work: There’s no full desktop app or mobile version—this is browser-only. If you need mobile syncing, look elsewhere.

Step 3: Connect Salesbolt to Salesforce

Now you’ll link your Salesforce account to Salesbolt. This part is usually straightforward but can trip you up if your Salesforce org has tight security.

Steps:

  1. Click the Salesbolt icon in Chrome to open the extension.
  2. Hit the “Connect to Salesforce” button.
  3. Log in with your Salesforce credentials. If your org uses SSO (Single Sign-On), follow the SSO prompts.
  4. Authorize Salesbolt to access your Salesforce account.

Watch out for:

  • Pop-up blockers: These can prevent the login window from opening. If nothing happens, check your pop-up settings.
  • Permission errors: If you hit a wall during login, you might need your Salesforce admin to grant access or adjust your profile permissions.

Step 4: Set up Salesbolt settings and field mapping

Salesbolt will try to map standard Salesforce fields (like First Name, Last Name, Email). But most orgs have custom fields, lead sources, or picklists that matter to them.

To customize mapping:

  1. In the Salesbolt extension, go to Settings.
  2. Find the Field Mapping or Custom Fields section.
  3. Map each Salesbolt field to the right Salesforce field. If you have custom fields (e.g., “Lead Source,” “Industry Segment”), make sure they’re mapped, or they won’t sync.
  4. Decide which fields are required. If you try to push a contact without a required field (like Account Name), Salesforce will reject it.

Stuff to ignore: Don’t spend hours mapping every possible field. Focus on the handful your team actually uses. You can always tweak this later.

Step 5: Sync your first contact

Now for the fun part. Open up a LinkedIn profile, Gmail, or wherever you normally find contacts, and try syncing.

How to do it:

  1. Open a LinkedIn profile (or a supported webpage).
  2. Click the Salesbolt icon. The extension should “read” the page and auto-fill the contact’s name, company, job title, and email (if visible).
  3. Review the info. Fix anything that looks off—web scraping isn’t perfect.
  4. Click Sync to Salesforce. Pick whether you want to create a Lead, Contact, or Account (depending on your needs and how your org works).
  5. Wait for the confirmation message.

What works: For standard LinkedIn profiles, Salesbolt usually nails the basics (name, company, title).

What doesn’t: If the contact’s info is hidden or non-standard (no email address, company listed as “self-employed”), you’ll need to fill in the blanks manually.

Pro tip: Always double-check fields like email and company. Garbage in, garbage out—bad data just pollutes your CRM.

Step 6: Handle duplicates and bad data

No sync tool is perfect at catching duplicates, and Salesforce’s own duplicate rules can be both a blessing and a curse.

How to manage:

  • Salesbolt duplicate detection: Salesbolt will check for existing records based on email address or name. If it flags a potential duplicate, don’t just click “create anyway”—review it.
  • Salesforce duplicate rules: If your org has strict rules (e.g., blocking any duplicate emails), you might see errors. These rules live in Salesforce Setup under “Duplicate Rules.”
  • Merge or update: If a contact already exists, choose whether to update the record or merge. Don’t create duplicates just to “get it done.”

Stuff to ignore: Don’t try to outsmart Salesforce’s dedupe logic with workarounds—it’ll just create headaches later.

Step 7: Train your team and set expectations

The biggest cause of sync failures? People not using the tool, or using it wrong.

How to keep it simple:

  • Show your team the exact steps. Don’t assume everyone will “just get it.”
  • Make a short checklist: “Open profile, click Salesbolt, review fields, sync.”
  • Explain what to do if the sync fails (e.g., check email field, ask admin for help).
  • Don’t force every field. The more friction, the less likely people actually use it.

Pro tip: If you’re in charge, sync a few contacts in front of your team. Show both a success and a failure, so people know what to expect.

Step 8: Monitor, tweak, and don’t overcomplicate

Once you’re up and running, check back after a week or two:

  • Are contacts showing up in Salesforce as expected?
  • Any weird missing fields or data errors?
  • Is your team actually using Salesbolt, or did they give up after day one?

If you spot problems, go back to field mapping or permissions. Most issues boil down to those two areas.

What to ignore: Fancy reporting or “insights” dashboards about your syncing volume. If your data’s clean and your reps are happy, you’re winning.

Wrapping up: Keep it simple, fix what matters

Syncing Salesforce contacts with Salesbolt can save you loads of time—but only if you set it up with just the fields you need and actually check that it works. Don’t get bogged down in every last feature. Get the basics working, show your team, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s less manual entry and fewer headaches. Stick to that, and you’ll be in good shape.