If you're tired of leads falling through the cracks, or you’re fed up with clumsy spreadsheets and copy-pasting, this guide is for you. I’m walking through exactly how to connect LeadFeeder to your CRM—step by step. This isn’t magic, and it won’t solve every sales problem, but a good integration can save your team hours and keep your pipeline from turning into a mess. Let’s dig in.
Before You Start: What You Need (and What You Don’t)
Before you dive into setup, let’s be honest about what you actually need:
- A LeadFeeder account (any paid plan, or a trial for testing)
- Access to your CRM (like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.)
- The right permissions (admin or integration access for both tools)
- A clear goal (Are you trying to send all leads? Only qualified ones? Just notifications? Decide first.)
Pro tip: Don’t get bogged down automating everything on day one. Start simple—just get leads flowing, then improve as you go.
Step 1: Map Out Your Lead Flow
Don’t skip this. If you just connect all the things without knowing why, you’ll end up with noise instead of value.
Ask yourself: - Who should get notified about new leads? - Should you send all website visitors, or only qualified companies? - What info do you actually need in your CRM?
What works: Sketch a basic flow—on paper or in a doc. Example: “When a company visits our pricing page AND matches our target industry, create a CRM lead assigned to sales.”
What to ignore: Fancy automations, scoring systems, or “AI” features until you’ve nailed the basics.
Step 2: Connect LeadFeeder to Your CRM
The process is pretty similar across CRMs, but details vary. Here’s how it usually goes:
2.1. Log In to LeadFeeder
- Head to your LeadFeeder dashboard.
- Go to Settings > Integrations.
2.2. Choose Your CRM
Most popular CRMs (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho) are listed. If yours isn’t, skip to the “What if my CRM isn’t supported?” section below.
- Click “Connect” next to your CRM.
2.3. Authorize the Connection
- You’ll be asked to log in to your CRM.
- Grant LeadFeeder permission to read/write leads.
- If you hit a wall with permissions, check if you’re using the right role (you usually need admin rights).
What works: OAuth logins are fastest. If you see a screen asking for an API key or webhook URL, you may need to fetch those from your CRM settings.
What to ignore: Multiple connections to the same CRM “just in case.” One solid connection is plenty.
Step 3: Set Up Lead Sync Rules
This is where most people get tripped up. LeadFeeder can send every website visitor to your CRM, but that’s usually a bad idea (you’ll annoy your sales team and clutter your CRM fast).
3.1. Use LeadFeeder’s Filtering
- In LeadFeeder, set up filters for things like:
- Page visits (e.g., only send people who visit “/pricing” or “/contact”)
- Geography (e.g., only US companies)
- Company size or industry (if available)
3.2. Create Automation Rules
- Under Automation in LeadFeeder, set rules like:
- “When a lead matches Filter X, create a new CRM contact and assign to [salesperson].”
- “If a company already exists in the CRM, update the record instead of duplicating.”
Pro tip: Start with a manual review—send filtered leads to yourself or a test user before you automate sending to the entire sales team.
Step 4: Map Fields Between LeadFeeder and Your CRM
This is where integrations usually get messy. If you don’t map things carefully, you’ll end up with blank or weird fields in your CRM.
- Decide which fields matter (company name, website, lead source, key pages visited, notes).
- In LeadFeeder’s integration settings, map these fields to your CRM’s fields.
- Example: LeadFeeder “Company Name” → CRM “Account Name”
- Example: LeadFeeder “Visited Pages” → CRM “Notes” or custom field
Watch out for: - Field mismatches (e.g., LeadFeeder uses “Industry,” but your CRM has “Sector”) - Character limits (some CRM fields get cut off) - Overwriting existing data (don’t let an integration erase valuable CRM notes)
What works: Keep the mapping simple at first. You can always add more fields later.
Step 5: Test the Integration (Don’t Skip This)
You want to catch problems before your team does.
- Run through a real scenario: Visit your website (use incognito or a VPN if you want to simulate a real visitor).
- Check LeadFeeder: Wait for the visit to show up. Make sure the lead gets identified and picked up by your filter.
- Check your CRM: Was a new contact or lead created? Do the fields look right?
- Check automation rules: If you set up assignments or notifications, did they trigger?
Pro tip: Break things on purpose! Try sending a bogus lead, or mess up a field mapping, to see what happens. Better you than your sales manager.
Step 6: Train Your Team (and Set Expectations)
Even the best integration won’t work if your team ignores the leads or can’t find them.
- Show your sales team where new leads will appear in the CRM.
- Explain what info comes from LeadFeeder and how to spot an “enriched” lead.
- Set up notifications—email, Slack, or CRM alerts—so reps see new leads without hunting for them.
What works: Quick screenshare or 10-minute demo. Written docs alone usually get ignored.
Step 7: Monitor, Tweak, and Don’t Overcomplicate
The first week is when you’ll spot most issues:
- Are too many junk leads coming through? Tighten your filters.
- Is data missing or garbled? Fix your field mapping.
- Are sales ignoring the leads? Ask them what’s missing or confusing.
Don’t fall for: Endless tweaking or “we’ll automate everything!” It’s better to have a few good leads showing up reliably than a firehose of unqualified noise.
What If My CRM Isn’t Directly Supported?
Not every CRM is on the official LeadFeeder list. If yours isn’t, you’ve got a few options:
- Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat): Both connect LeadFeeder to hundreds of other apps. You’ll use a trigger (like “new lead in LeadFeeder”) and an action (like “create lead in [Your CRM]”).
- Downsides: More moving parts, and these tools can break or get pricey at scale.
- CSV or Email Automation: LeadFeeder can send you a daily CSV or email with new leads. You can import these into your CRM or use a simple script to automate it.
- Downsides: Not real-time, and takes more manual work.
- Custom API: If you have a developer, both LeadFeeder and most CRMs offer APIs. This is the most flexible but also the most work.
What works: Start with Zapier or a CSV import if you’re non-technical. Go custom only if you really need it.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Sending too many leads: Your CRM fills up with junk and sales tunes out. Filter aggressively.
- Duplicate records: If you don’t de-duplicate leads, you’ll annoy everyone. Use company website or domain as the unique key.
- Ignoring data privacy: Make sure you’re not sending PII (personally identifiable info) you shouldn’t, especially in Europe.
- Over-customizing on day one: You’ll just create a headache to maintain. Nail the basics first.
Summary: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t expect instant magic—integrations always need a little tuning. The real trick is to start small: send only the leads that matter, keep your field mappings clean, and get feedback from your team. If you do that, you’ll spend less time chasing ghosts and more time working actual leads. Keep it simple, fix what’s broken, and remember: no integration will fix a broken sales process, but a good one can sure help.