How to Integrate HubSpot CRM With Salesforce

If you want to integrate your HubSpot CRM with Salesforce, you're in the right place. Connecting these two powerful platforms allows you to streamline your sales and marketing efforts, improve data accuracy, and gain valuable insights into customer interactions. 

This integration lets your teams have a complete view of their customer data, including contact information, purchase history, and engagement data, which can lead to more effective and efficient sales and marketing strategies. We'll walk you through integrating HubSpot CRM with Salesforce and show you how to set up popular workflows to help optimize your sales and marketing efforts.

How to Integrate HubSpot CRM With Salesforce

Popular HubSpot + Salesforce Workflows

Once connected, users can easily automate their workflows and use HubSpot's powerful Hubs paired with Salesforce capabilities to enhance their marketing efforts. Here are the workflows we see most commonly:

Lead to Contact Workflow: Create a corresponding contact in HubSpot when a new lead is created in Salesforce.

Contact to Lead Workflow: Automatically create a new lead in Salesforce when a contact is made in HubSpot.

Deal to Opportunity Workflow: Create an opportunity in Salesforce when a deal is created in HubSpot.

Lead Scoring and Grading Workflow: Assign a score to leads based on engagement and activity in HubSpot and automatically update the Lead's grade in Salesforce.

Lead Nurturing Workflow: Enlist a series of automated emails and actions in HubSpot to nurture leads and move them through the sales funnel, reflecting progress in Salesforce.

Lead Routing Workflow: Assign leads to the proper Sales representative in Salesforce based on specific criteria, such as geography, Lead score, or industry.

Creating Salesforce Leads from New Contacts: Create a new lead in Salesforce when a new contact is added to a list on HubSpot.

Creating Salesforce Opportunities from New HubSpot Contacts: Start a new opportunity in Salesforce when a new contact is added to a list on HubSpot.

Updating HubSpot Contacts from New Leads on Salesforce: Update a contact in HubSpot when a new lead is added to Salesforce.

These workflows allow teams to seamlessly track and manage leads, contacts, deals, and opportunities throughout the sales funnel while automating tasks such as lead scoring, contact segmentation, and lead nurturing. It also allows teams to have a complete view of customer data, including contact information, purchase history, and engagement data.

How to Integrate HubSpot CRM With Salesforce

Integrating HubSpot and Salesforce is a straightforward process. First, you'll need to connect both systems using the integration portal. Once connected, users can easily sync data between both platforms, allowing teams to streamline their workflows and track leads, contacts, deals, and opportunities throughout the sales funnel. Additionally, they can set up popular workflows such as lead scoring, lead nurturing, and lead routing.

The integration will help teams save time and resources while also helping them to have a complete view of their customer data. With all this information at the team's disposal, they can make smarter decisions about their outreach efforts, optimize their sales funnel, and track the success of their campaigns.

Set Up a Salesforce and HubSpot Environment

In this step, you will set up the environment for integrating Salesforce and HubSpot by connecting the systems through the integration portal.

Before starting the process, ensure you have the necessary subscriptions, access, and permissions in your Salesforce account, such as Salesforce edition with API access or Salesforce Professional, a Salesforce system administrator, or being assigned the HubSpot Integration Permission set.

Next, you will need to navigate to the App Marketplace in your HubSpot account, locate the Salesforce integration, and click Install app. This will redirect you to Salesforce to install the HubSpot integration package. Once the package is installed, you must navigate to the HubSpot connector wizard and add the HubSpot Visualforce module to Salesforce. This module will allow you to view and filter contact activity and enroll contacts in HubSpot workflows.

Define Salesforce Fields for HubSpot CRM Components

To properly use HubSpot CRM components with Salesforce, it is essential to define the Salesforce fields used. This process involves creating and mapping custom fields in HubSpot and configuring the organization's sharing settings in Salesforce.

Setting the Organization-Wide Default Sharing Settings to Private

The first step is to set the organization-wide default sharing setting for the Object to Private. This can be done by editing the settings of the Lead Object. Suppose the organization-wide default is set to Public. In that case, it is necessary to edit individual profiles to give View or Modify All access to this Object.

Defining Sharing Rules Based on Criteria

The second step is to create a new sharing rule to choose which records sync with HubSpot. This can be done by creating criteria such as a 'true' value in a custom field named Sync to HubSpot and an '@' symbol in the email field to verify that the Lead has an email address.

Ensuring Accounts and Contacts Share a Field

Ensure the accounts and contacts pulled across have a shared field in Salesforce. This can be done by creating a workflow rule within Salesforce to copy the field value from the Account Industry field to the Contact Industry field.

Finally, the settings configuration for when information is passed from HubSpot to Salesforce can be done by going to the App Marketplace, clicking the HubSpot > Salesforce tab, and viewing basic information on how the HubSpot and Salesforce integration works.

Create a Workflow Rule

Ensure that the accounts and contacts you pull across have a shared field in Salesforce. To do this, create a Workflow Rule within Salesforce to copy the field value from the Account Industry field to the Contact Industry field. You'll also need to create a Workflow Action using a Cross Object Formula and a Workflow Rule that triggers the Action. Once the criteria are met, the Workflow Action will copy the value over from Account to Contact so that they're in sync.

Once these steps are complete, your Salesforce Organization's Sharing Settings should be configured to hide or expose the desired records to HubSpot, allowing you to get the most out of your integration.

Map HubSpot Properties to Salesforce Fields

Mapping HubSpot contact, company, and deal properties to Salesforce lead, contact, account, and opportunity fields is straightforward and requires careful configuration. 

There are four different update settings to choose from when mapping properties and fields – Prefer Salesforce Unless Blank, Always Use Salesforce, Two-Way, and Don't Sync – and the "most recent value" setting should usually be chosen to keep all information in both systems as up-to-date as possible. A dropdown select or radio button is preferable over an open text field.

Default field mappings are created for common HubSpot contact properties such as Account ID, Annual Revenue, City, Country, Email, First Name, Last Name, Lead Source, Business Phone, Business Fax, Title, Salutation, Zip/Postal Code, Status, Website, and Rating. 

Custom field mappings can also be created to sync other HubSpot contact properties with Salesforce fields. HubSpot will sync data to both leads and contacts in Salesforce if a lead field and contact field share an internal name. Additionally, Salesforce campaigns associated with a lead or contact in Salesforce will be synced to the HubSpot contact property Salesforce Campaigns.

Enable Selective Sync Between Platforms

If you want to enable selective sync between HubSpot and Salesforce, you must take the following steps.

1. Set up an inclusion list in HubSpot. This list serves as a means of limiting and managing the contacts that can sync between HubSpot and Salesforce. It can be any list and is enabled and selected from the Salesforce integration settings in your HubSpot portal. Consider excluding internal team members, competitors, and top-of-funnel leads until they are more sales-ready.

2. Set up a custom Salesforce integration user or use a HubSpot inclusion list. This will ensure that the shared data is accurate and the integration is not broken.

3. Set up selective sync on the Salesforce side. Establish a user or role as the gatekeeper for syncing with HubSpot. Only leads assigned to or touched by that user or role will be synced to HubSpot. Ensure the user has sufficient permission to write to all your synced fields.

4. Enable syncing between contacts, companies, and deals. Toggle on to turn on syncing. Manage your mappings in the section Contact Property Mappings.

5. Establish an automatic, bi-directional sync between HubSpot and Salesforce. Install the HubSpot Certified App, authenticate HubSpot and Salesforce, and choose a resulting action from the other app.

By following these steps, you can enable selective sync between HubSpot and Salesforce and ensure that the shared data is accurate.

Align property mappings and property values or picklists

Step 1: Log in to your HubSpot CRM and select the "Integrations" tab.

Step 2: Toggle the "Sync?" icon for Contacts, Companies, and Deals to "On" to enable syncing between HubSpot and Salesforce CRM objects.

Step 3: Select the "Contact Property Mappings" tab to manage your property mappings.

Step 4: Select the "Sync?" checkbox for Contacts, Companies, and Deals to enable syncing between respective properties in HubSpot and Salesforce.

Step 5: Select from one of the four update settings for most properties: Prefer Salesforce unless blank, Always use Salesforce, Two-way, and Don't sync.

Step 6: For most properties and fields, use the "most recent value" setting to keep all information in both systems as up-to-date as possible.

Step 7: Use dropdown select or radio buttons instead of an open text field whenever possible.

Step 8: Use clear and consistent naming conventions so that any team member can understand how a property is used.

Step 9: If a Lead field and a contact field share an internal name in Salesforce, HubSpot will sync data to both leads and contacts in Salesforce.

Step 10: If a property field in HubSpot is not automatically mapped to a Salesforce field, you can manually map it by selecting the "New Mapping" button.

Define your lead intake process and execute a clean lead-to-contact conversion process

Integrating HubSpot CRM with Salesforce can help define and streamline the lead intake and lead-to-contact conversion process. First, it is crucial to establish Salesforce's minimum conversion criteria and validation rules. This will give the team criteria when converting leads to contacts. Additionally, the team should decide who handles the conversions and the consequences for leads that do not meet the minimum standards.

When converting leads to contacts, it is necessary to either add the contact to an existing account or create a new one. This ensures the contact and account are linked appropriately in both Salesforce and HubSpot. It is also important to assign the primary contact at the conversion time so that HubSpot will mirror this relationship with deals.

Finally, comprehensive playbooks should be developed to ensure everyone handles the process similarly. Consider establishing an SLA between marketing and sales teams. This will create a shared responsibility to define a "qualified lead" and provide a more accurate depiction of the ideal customer.

Overall, the integration can help to define and execute a clean lead-to-contact conversion process. This will help ensure leads are appropriately managed, contacts are linked to accounts, and the team is on the same page regarding the lead intake process.

Use a Sandbox to Test Integrations

Testing HubSpot CRM and Salesforce integration can be more accessible and less time-consuming using a sandbox. A sandbox is a virtual environment that allows you to test changes without impacting your production environment. Connecting HubSpot to Salesforce Sandbox is very simple. It can be done in HubSpot from the Salesforce Sync Settings Tab under the actions drop down menu. Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up the sandbox environment for testing HubSpot CRM and Salesforce integration.

Step 1: Authenticate HubSpot and Salesforce.

Step 2: Pick one of the apps as a trigger to kick off your automation.

Step 3: Choose a resulting action from the other app.

Step 4: Select the data you want to send from one app to the other.

Step 5: Connect apps.

Step 6: Connect HubSpot + Salesforce.

Step 7: Complete the HubSpot integration wizard.

Step 8: Install HubSpot in Salesforce by clicking the 'Start the Salesforce Package Installation' button.

Step 9: Grant access to third-party websites.

Step 10: Set up your contact sync settings.

Following these steps, you can easily set up and test the integration between HubSpot CRM and Salesforce in the sandbox environment. This will limit any potential errors in the sandbox environment and save hours of troubleshooting later.

Address Potential Naming Conventions Mismatches

Identifying and addressing potential naming convention mismatches when integrating HubSpot CRM with Salesforce can help ensure that data is correctly synced between the platforms. For instance, when making comparisons, people often take an apples-to-apples approach, but when talking about a HubSpot integration with Salesforce, what is expected to be an apple may be an orange. This is because, in HubSpot, a person is usually called a contact and has a contact record. 

In contrast, there are both leads and contact records in Salesforce. The terms mean different things depending on the Salesforce setup. To synchronize data between the two platforms, establish property mapping, minimum conversion criteria, and validation rules in Salesforce, to ensure that the data is transferred seamlessly. Additionally, assigning the primary contact at the time of conversion is important, as this will ensure that both HubSpot and Salesforce properly understand the relationship between the contact and account.

Monitor and Analyze Performance

Monitor the performance of your HubSpot CRM and Salesforce integration. This can help you identify potential areas for improvement, such as synchronization issues or naming convention mismatches. Additionally, it allows you to track data flow between the two systems, allowing you to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of your integration.

Analytics tools such as Salesforce Reports and Dashboards are essential to understanding the performance of your HubSpot CRM and Salesforce integration. This data can be used to determine lead conversion rates, identify any potential communication disconnect between the two platforms, or track response times for customer inquiries. Monitoring and analyzing your integration's performance can help you identify any potential bottlenecks or issues and take action to remedy them.

By following these steps, integrating HubSpot CRM with Salesforce will become a smoother and more efficient process. With the proper setup, you can ensure that data is correctly transferred between the two platforms, allowing you to maximize your investments in both platforms.

How to Migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot

Migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot can be daunting, but with the right plan in place, it can be a smooth and seamless process. Whether you're looking to improve your sales and marketing efforts or streamline your data management, HubSpot offers a variety of features that can help you achieve your goals. In this section, we'll walk you through the steps of migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot, including mapping your Salesforce fields to HubSpot properties, auditing and cleaning your data, and rebuilding and migrating custom objects.

Step 1: Map Your Salesforce Fields to HubSpot Properties

The first step in migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot is to map your Salesforce fields to HubSpot properties. This will prevent unnecessary data transfers that will clutter your new platform. To do this, use HubSpot's Data Migration Property Matching Template. This template will help you match up your Salesforce fields with the corresponding HubSpot properties.

Step 2: Audit and Clean Your Data

Before migrating your Salesforce data to HubSpot, audit your instance and remove any data you don't plan to use in the future. Ensure your data meets all relevant compliance requirements so you can import explicit consent alongside contact information. This will help you maintain data quality and ensure compliance, both of which are important boxes to check in today's world.

Step 3: Create a Backup Plan and Configure Your HubSpot Instance

After mapping out your data and clearing the excess, you can create a backup plan and configure your HubSpot instance. Import your data into the HubSpot CRM and activate field/property sync. Be sure to leave data sync inactive to prevent premature data transfers. This will ensure that your data is properly transferred without any issues.

Step 4: Rebuild Templates and Custom Objects

Based on your data mapping spreadsheet, you'll need to rebuild various templates within your HubSpot CRM, including email templates, forms, and landing pages. To migrate custom objects to HubSpot, you'll need to set up an API to sync data between the two systems. The Salesforce/HubSpot integration makes it easy to migrate specific Salesforce fields over to HubSpot but doesn't account for all data types.

Step 5: Test and Scale Your Migration

Once you've migrated data, conduct testing and associated bug fixes with a small, dedicated team before scaling the tool to various marketing and sales users. This will ensure that your data is properly transferred and that your teams are trained on the new system.

Step 6: Prioritize Data Management

With your teams and systems aligned, it's time to prioritize data management. Validate lead data as it enters your CRM and streamlines data entry with HubSpot's automation software. HubSpot helps you manage and clean your customer, sales, and marketing data to create exceptional experiences for everyone who interacts with your brand.

The Takeaway

Now that you have successfully integrated HubSpot CRM with Salesforce, take steps to maintain the connection. This means updating property mappings, minimum conversion criteria, validation rules, and contact assignments in both systems. Additionally, it's essential to review and monitor the performance of your integration to ensure that everything is working as expected. With regular maintenance and oversight, you can keep your HubSpot and Salesforce integration up-to-date and maximize the value of both platforms.

Contact a qualified integration specialist if you need help starting the setup process or additional support integrating HubSpot CRM with Salesforce. They can provide guidance and help you make informed decisions about the best approach for your organization. Additionally, they can offer expertise and best practices for managing integrations, ensuring your HubSpot CRM and Salesforce integration is as successful as possible.

Not sure where to start? Consider a HubSpot audit with New Breed. New Breed is a RevOps and integration specialist that can help you customize your configuration according to your unique needs. With our deep expertise, we can identify the best approach and provide guidance throughout the setup process!