How to Import Contacts into Salesflare

Keeping your CRM data fresh and organized is fundamental to any successful sales operation. For Salesflare users, importing contacts is a core task, but it often involves tedious, manual steps that can be prone to error. At Add to CRM, we've helped countless businesses navigate this process. We created this guide to walk you through the traditional import methods for Salesflare. But more importantly, we want to show you a better, faster way—a solution we built to eliminate the hassle of manual data entry for good.

Preparing Your Data for Import

Before you even think about uploading a file, proper preparation is key to a smooth import. From our experience, taking a few minutes to get your data in order can save you hours of frustration. Here’s what you need to do:

• Convert to .CSV: Salesflare exclusively imports data from .CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. If your data is in an Excel spreadsheet, simply use the 'Save As' function and select .CSV as the file type.
• Clean Your Data: Remove any duplicate accounts or opportunities from your file before importing. Salesflare will create duplicates if they exist in your sheet, leading to a messy database that requires manual cleanup.
• Use Correct Column Headers: For the smoothest import, name your column headers to exactly match the field names in Salesflare (found under Settings > Customize fields). This allows Salesflare to automatically map your data, saving you a tedious step.
• Create Custom Fields First: If you have data that doesn't fit into a standard Salesflare field, you must create a custom field for it before you start the import. You can do this under Settings > Customize fields.
• The Golden Rule: Import Accounts First: Salesflare is built around accounts. Contacts and opportunities are linked to them. Therefore, you must always import your accounts file first. This ensures that when you import contacts and opportunities, they can be correctly linked to their respective companies.

Manual Import Process

Once your data is prepped, you can begin the manual import. While straightforward, this process requires careful attention to detail. We've seen clients spend significant time on this, which is what inspired us to build a better alternative.

1. Navigate to Settings > Import Data in your Salesflare account.
2. Select the tab for the data you are importing (start with Accounts).
3. Drag and drop your prepared .CSV file into the upload area or click the plus sign to select it.
4. Next, you'll need to map your data. For each column in your file, select the corresponding Salesflare field from the dropdown menu. If you named your headers correctly in the prep stage, this should be done for you automatically.
5. Review your mappings carefully. Any column left unmapped will not be imported.
6. Click Start Import to begin the process.
7. Repeat this process for your Contacts and Opportunities files after the accounts have been successfully imported.

Handling Duplicates and Data Validation

Salesflare handles duplicates differently depending on the data type. If you import a file with duplicate account or opportunity names, it will create new records with a number appended (e.g., "Company Inc. (1)"). This requires you to manually find and delete the duplicates. For contacts, however, importing a record with an email address that already exists will update the existing contact, which is a helpful feature.

Supported Field Types

Salesflare requires specific formatting for certain data types. Getting this wrong is a common source of import errors we've helped clients troubleshoot.

• Required Fields: For accounts, a Name is required. For contacts, a Name or Email is required. For opportunities, the Account Name is required to link it correctly.
• Highly Suggested Fields: We strongly recommend including an Account Website when importing accounts, as Salesflare uses this to automatically enrich company data. For contacts, including both Name and Email is best practice.
• Number Fields: Fields like company size must contain only numbers (e.g., 50), not text (Fifty or Mid-size).
• Date Fields: All dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2023-10-26).

Import Limitations

Manual importing is primarily for creating new records, not for bulk updates (with the exception of contacts). The biggest frustration we've seen clients face is the dreaded "Fix Import" file. If your import fails, Salesflare provides a new .CSV file detailing the errors. You have to download this file, decipher the error messages, fix the data in each row, delete the error column, and then re-upload the file. This cycle can be incredibly time-consuming and is the exact problem that led us to create a better solution.

Importing from LinkedIn

After seeing so many users struggle with the tedious and error-prone nature of manual imports, we knew there had to be a better way. We developed LinkFlare to solve this problem. It's a simple Chrome extension that finds verified contact information directly from LinkedIn profiles and adds new contacts to Salesflare in a single click. Our vision was to eliminate manual data entry, file formatting, and error-fixing, and the results have saved our users countless hours.

Benefits of using LinkFlare

LinkFlare is a Chrome extension that finds verified contact information from LinkedIn profiles and automatically adds them to Salesflare. It was designed to be superior to the manual import process in every way:

• Speed: Add a contact in one click, directly from LinkedIn. No more spreadsheets or multi-step import wizards.
• Accuracy: Get verified, up-to-date email addresses and phone numbers. No more importing stale data from old lists.
• Efficiency: It completely eliminates manual data entry, copy-pasting, and file formatting.
• Seamless Workflow: Capture leads right where you find them without ever leaving LinkedIn. The data syncs instantly to Salesflare.

How to get started with LinkFlare

Getting started is incredibly simple:

1. Install the LinkFlare Chrome Extension.
2. Go to a person's profile on LinkedIn.
3. Open the LinkFlare extension to find the person's verified contact details.
4. Click 'Add to CRM' to add the person to your Salesflare account as a contact or lead. It's that easy.

Other Import Methods

While manual import and tools like LinkFlare are the most common methods, you can also explore other options for specific needs. For automated workflows between different apps, you can use an integration platform like Zapier to connect other software to Salesflare. For highly custom or large-scale data migrations, you can also use the Salesflare API, though this typically requires a developer.

Try LinkFlare Today

Manual importing certainly has its place, but in today's fast-paced sales environment, efficiency is everything. We invested in building LinkFlare because we believe your time is better spent building relationships and closing deals, not wrestling with spreadsheets. If you're ready to stop managing data and start using it, we encourage you to give our extension a try.

Start importing contacts the easy way with LinkFlare.