Sync Salesforce Leads and Contacts with HubSpot
Connecting Salesforce with HubSpot lets your teams work from accurate, consistent CRM data. When you set up the integration correctly, leads and contacts created in Salesforce can automatically sync to HubSpot, keeping both platforms aligned for sales, marketing, and reporting.
This guide walks through how the sync works, the differences between leads and contacts, and the exact steps to configure, test, and manage your integration.
How the HubSpot and Salesforce Sync Works
Before changing any settings, it is important to understand how data moves between Salesforce and HubSpot. The integration uses a bidirectional connector that can be configured per object and per field.
Supported objects in the HubSpot integration
For lead and contact management, the integration focuses on these core objects:
- Salesforce Lead → HubSpot Contact
- Salesforce Contact → HubSpot Contact
- Salesforce Account → HubSpot Company
- Salesforce Task → HubSpot Task (if enabled)
Salesforce leads and contacts ultimately become contacts inside HubSpot. Accounts sync to companies based on your chosen matching rules, such as company domain name.
Record creation rules between Salesforce and HubSpot
When a record is created in Salesforce, the connector checks for a matching contact in HubSpot using your sync mapping and matching logic. Depending on your settings:
- A new Salesforce lead can create a new HubSpot contact.
- A new Salesforce contact can create a new HubSpot contact.
- If a matching record already exists in HubSpot, the integration will update that contact.
Similarly, contacts created in HubSpot can create or update leads or contacts in Salesforce, based on which sync rules you select.
Key Differences Between Salesforce Leads and Contacts in HubSpot
Salesforce separates people into leads and contacts, but HubSpot stores them all as contacts. Understanding this difference helps you avoid confusion when reviewing synced data.
How Salesforce leads appear inside HubSpot
When a Salesforce lead syncs, HubSpot creates or updates a contact record and records the Salesforce Lead ID on that contact. The integration can also store whether the original Salesforce record type was a lead or a contact using custom properties.
- There is no separate “lead” object in HubSpot.
- Lifecycle stage and lead status properties are used to distinguish qualification levels.
- Salesforce lead status can be mapped to HubSpot properties so your sales team can filter appropriately.
How Salesforce contacts appear inside HubSpot
Salesforce contacts also sync into the same HubSpot contact object. A single person in HubSpot might be associated with both a Salesforce lead and contact over time, depending on your Salesforce process for converting leads.
During a Salesforce lead conversion, the integration detects the new Salesforce contact and account created by the conversion and updates the existing record in HubSpot rather than making duplicate contacts.
Preparing to Sync Salesforce Data With HubSpot
Before you enable automatic sync, confirm your data model and rules in both systems. A bit of planning helps you maintain clean contact data inside HubSpot.
Decide which Salesforce records should sync to HubSpot
Not every Salesforce record needs to exist in HubSpot. Use inclusion lists or criteria to limit the sync to marketing‑relevant or active records. For example, you might only sync:
- Leads with a specific status, such as Open or Working.
- Contacts associated with customers or qualified opportunities.
- Records owned by certain teams that rely heavily on HubSpot.
Filtering at the integration level keeps HubSpot focused on the people your teams actually engage.
Plan field mappings between Salesforce and HubSpot
The power of the integration comes from accurate field mapping. For each property you want to sync, decide:
- Which Salesforce field maps to which HubSpot property.
- The direction of sync: Salesforce to HubSpot, HubSpot to Salesforce, or bidirectional.
- How to handle picklists and multi‑select fields so values stay standardized.
Review default mappings created by the connector and adjust them before turning on a full sync.
Step‑by‑Step: Enable the Salesforce and HubSpot Sync
Use the following high‑level process to connect the systems and start syncing leads and contacts.
1. Connect Salesforce and HubSpot
- Sign in to your HubSpot account with super admin or integration permissions.
- Navigate to your integrations settings and select the Salesforce connector.
- Authorize the connection using your Salesforce login and grant the requested permissions.
- Install the HubSpot managed package in Salesforce when prompted so the integration can add fields and layouts.
After authorization, the connector is ready, but the sync does not run until you configure each object and field.
2. Configure object sync settings in HubSpot
- Open the Salesforce integration settings in HubSpot.
- Select the Contacts object settings to manage how Salesforce leads and contacts sync.
- Choose whether records are created in both systems or only in one direction.
- Define matching rules, such as using email address as the primary unique identifier.
These settings determine how the connector reacts when similar records already exist in either system.
3. Set up field mappings for leads and contacts
- In the integration settings, go to the field mappings area.
- Review default mappings for standard fields like First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone.
- Add custom mappings so your Salesforce custom fields map to appropriate HubSpot properties.
- For each mapping, pick the sync direction and conflict behavior when fields differ.
Be sure to map lead status, lifecycle stage, and any segmentation fields that marketing and sales teams rely on inside HubSpot.
4. Configure ownership and assignment rules
Ownership is critical for routing and reporting in both Salesforce and HubSpot. In the integration settings, you can:
- Map Salesforce Owner to HubSpot contact owner.
- Control whether changes to ownership in Salesforce overwrite the value in HubSpot.
- Decide if newly created records inherit default owners in either system.
Align these rules with your internal lead routing so your teams always see the right owners.
5. Test the sync with a small record set
Before enabling a full sync for your entire database, test the integration:
- Create a test lead in Salesforce with unique data.
- Confirm that a new contact appears in HubSpot with the correct mapped fields.
- Edit the contact in HubSpot and verify that updates appear on the Salesforce record, if you selected bidirectional sync.
- Convert a lead to a contact in Salesforce and ensure the associated HubSpot contact updates instead of duplicating.
Fix any mapping or ownership issues before scaling up.
Managing Ongoing Sync Between Salesforce and HubSpot
Once the integration is live, admins should periodically review sync performance and adjust settings as business processes change.
Monitor sync health in HubSpot
Use the integration’s sync health tools to watch for errors or rejected records. Common issues include:
- Required fields in Salesforce missing values from HubSpot.
- Picklist value mismatches between systems.
- Permission errors preventing updates in Salesforce.
Resolve recurring errors by adjusting field mappings or validation rules in either Salesforce or HubSpot.
Handle duplicates across Salesforce and HubSpot
Even with careful planning, duplicates can appear. To minimize this:
- Use email address as the primary unique identifier wherever possible.
- Regularly run duplicate management tools in both Salesforce and HubSpot.
- Train users to search before creating new records in either CRM.
Clean data improves segmentation, automation, and reporting for both marketing and sales.
Learn More About the Official HubSpot Salesforce Integration
The official documentation provides detailed screenshots and field‑level behavior for the Salesforce and HubSpot connector. For full technical specifics, including advanced sync rules and limitations, review the guide on syncing Salesforce leads and contacts to HubSpot.
If you need help designing a scalable integration strategy, a consulting partner can be valuable. You can explore CRM and RevOps services at Consultevo to align your Salesforce and HubSpot setup with your broader go‑to‑market process.
With a properly configured integration, Salesforce and HubSpot work together as a unified system, giving sales, marketing, and operations a consistent, reliable view of every contact and company.
Need Help With Hubspot?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.
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