How to Manage a HubSpot and Salesforce Integration | Expert Guide

A well-managed HubSpot and Salesforce integration is the backbone of a high-performing revenue operation. 

When configured correctly, it creates a single, trusted source of truth for marketing, sales, and leadership, eliminating data silos, reducing manual work, and improving visibility across the entire funnel. 

Instead of teams working across disconnected systems, both platforms operate in lockstep, ensuring that leads, contacts, companies, deals, and activities stay aligned from first touch through close/won and beyond.

At its core, the HubSpot–Salesforce integration synchronizes records, lifecycle stages, ownership, and engagement data between systems so automation and reporting can function reliably. But success is not automatic. 

Poor field mapping, unclear ownership rules, or misaligned lifecycle definitions can quickly undermine trust in the data. This guide walks through how to manage the integration the right way—focusing on structure, governance, and long-term reliability—so your revenue teams can scale without friction.

How the HubSpot and Salesforce Integration Works

The HubSpot and Salesforce integration bi-directionally syncs data based on field mapping, lifecycle stages, and data ownership rules. This allows marketing and sales teams to work from the same records rather than separate systems.

By default, HubSpot syncs all contacts to Salesforce. However, an inclusion list or similar filter can sync only specific contacts. You can do this by creating an inclusion segment inside HubSpot’s Salesforce Contacts tab.

Not everything syncs automatically between HubSpot and Salesforce. Core standard objects, such as contacts, companies/accounts, deals/opportunities, and activities, will sync once mapped, but custom objects must be explicitly enabled and mapped before they sync. To do this, you must create appropriate mappings and ensure compatibility between formats.

Example: picklist or state/country fields must have matching values across both systems. Otherwise, the sync will fail rather than silently transfer incorrect data.

HubSpot and Salesforce match contacts primarily by email address and use record IDs. The integration also supports domain-based matching for companies/accounts.

When duplicates or conflicts occur, predefined sync direction and ownership rules (such as "use most recent") determine which system’s data takes precedence. This protects critical information from being overwritten. 

But the integration is about more than just synchronizing data. It also delivers:

• Lead flow, handoff, and lifecycle stage alignment

• Clear accountability and ownership across teams

• Reliable pipeline reporting, forecasting, and performance visibility

• A foundation that can scale as data and processes evolve

Ultimately, the greater impact comes from aligning the operating model across marketing, sales, and RevOps. This drives faster lead conversion, more accurate forecasts, and higher confidence in revenue data.

You achieve this by defining planning processes before implementation. That includes lifecycle stages, lead qualification criteria, and data governance rules.

Benefits of Integrating HubSpot and Salesforce

The Salesforce and HubSpot integration creates consistency across your organization. It aligns marketing and sales around shared data, processes, and performance metrics. This delivers several clear benefits.

• Removes redundancies: Running two disconnected systems creates data fragmentation and risk of duplicate or conflicting records. Integration ensures every team views the same contact, account, and deal data.

• Improve lead handoff and follow-up: Leads move from HubSpot to Salesforce automatically with full engagement history. Therefore, sales teams can follow up faster without manual data entry.

• Prepare for scalability: Automated data flows reduce operational overhead. This also means you can grow databases and support more complex sales cycles without breaking existing processes.

• Improve the customer experience: Consistent data across platforms enables timely, relevant communication. This can improve retention, trust, and conversion rates.

HubSpot vs. Salesforce Data: Key Differences

HubSpot and Salesforce serve different roles in the revenue stack. Understanding these differences explains why integration is necessary.

HubSpot excels at marketing automation and inbound lead generation. Salesforce excels at managing complex sales pipelines and enterprise CRM operations.

Both platforms deliver measurable value. According to user-reported data, 90% of marketers see improved personalization with HubSpot, while 95% of Salesforce users report better sales visibility and strategy execution. 

But as mentioned, there are also distinct differences. The table below provides more details on them.

3 Steps for Integrating HubSpot and Salesforce

The integration is initiated in HubSpot, but both platforms are involved. Setup requires switching between systems to authorize access and configure sync behavior.

1. Connect Salesforce in HubSpot

Go to the HubSpot Marketplace, select Connected Apps, and choose Salesforce.

2. Authorize access in Salesforce

Log in to the Salesforce portal when prompted and grant the required data-sharing permissions.

3. Enable activity syncing

In HubSpot, select which activities, such as emails, calls, tasks, and meetings, should sync to Salesforce.

Once enabled, records will sync when they are created or updated; however, records created before the integration won’t. To backfill historical data, you must use a manual import via CSV or XLS files.

Challenges of Integrating Salesforce and HubSpot

The Salesforce and HubSpot integration introduces several operational challenges. These issues can slow teams down, distort reporting, and reduce trust in data. Common challenges that occur during integrations include:

• Complex setup: Hubspot-Salesforce mapping and picklist mismatches often cause sync errors. This can be difficult to resolve without technical prowess.
  
  
  

• Unclear data ownership: HubSpot and Salesforce optimize different stages of the revenue lifecycle. Without clearly defined governance rules, updates can conflict as teams prioritize growth, pipeline accuracy, and forecasting differently. 

• API limits: The HubSpot and Salesforce integration operates within daily API call limits. High data volumes can create sync delays and backlogs.
  
  
  

• Automation conflicts: Workflows in both platforms can overlap. This can trigger unintended updates and damage data quality.

Hiring a HubSpot Specialist to Manage Your Integration

Challenges in integrating Salesforce and HubSpot can lead to operational bottlenecks without expert help. That’s why many businesses choose to work with HubSpot specialists. 

These specialists help reduce risk, improve data reliability, and accelerate time-to-value. It’s important to choose the right CRM integration specialist, but there are a few things to consider:

• Proficiency with HubSpot and Salesforce platforms

• Understanding of your business operations

• Proven integration track record

• Time zone alignment and availability

• Cost structure and pricing transparency

Some providers separate strategy pricing from implementation or operate within rigid project scopes. This creates handoff risk, delays, and rework when assumptions made during planning don’t hold up during execution.

Other providers deliver strategy, architecture, and execution through a single, blended hourly model. This approach keeps decision-making and delivery aligned and is better suited for organizations that prioritize flexibility, speed, and transparency.

FAQs

What data should I sync between HubSpot and Salesforce?

Sync contacts, companies/accounts, deals/opportunities, and key engagement activities.

This matters because both teams need shared visibility. You control this by mapping only revenue-impacting fields.

Do I need custom field mapping for a successful integration?

Yes, in most cases. Custom field mapping ensures that critical business data flows correctly by aligning required fields and values between the two systems.

How do I prevent duplicate records during the sync?

Use consistent matching rules based on email address and company domain. This works because both systems rely on unique identifiers to merge or update records rather than create new ones.

Who should “own” the source of truth—HubSpot or Salesforce?

Ownership should change by lifecycle stage. HubSpot typically owns pre-sales data, while Salesforce owns pipeline and customer records to protect forecasting accuracy.

How often does data sync between the two systems?

Data syncs in near-real time, usually within minutes. Delays can occur due to API limits or validation errors, which is why monitoring is important.

Can I control which leads sync to Salesforce?

Yes. You control this by setting lifecycle, ownership, or manual-inclusion rules, so only qualified leads enter Salesforce.

What happens if fields or objects don’t match?

They won’t sync. Fields must exist in both systems with matching formats; otherwise, updates fail or are skipped.