Manmeet Singh
I. Introduction
II. The Core Principle: SFDC Is the Source of Truth
III. The 12-Point Pre-Go-Live Checklist
IV. The Marketo vs HubSpot Differences Worth Knowing
V. The Most Expensive Configuration Mistake
VI. After Go-Live: Keep the Sync Healthy
I. Introduction
The Salesforce sync is the most technically unforgiving part of any Marketo or HubSpot implementation. Everything downstream depends on it. Lead lifecycle tracking, MQL handoffs, sales alerts, pipeline attribution, closed-loop reporting. If the sync is misconfigured, none of that works correctly, and the failures are often silent. Records stop syncing, field values stop updating, and nobody notices until a sales rep asks why a contact they just had a demo with is still showing as a raw lead in Salesforce.
Most sync problems are not mysterious. They come from a small set of avoidable configuration errors that happen when the integration is rushed, when the field setup order is reversed, or when nobody documented what was mapped and why. This checklist covers the twelve settings that need to be right before any go-live, covering both the Marketo to Salesforce and HubSpot to Salesforce integrations with the specific differences called out where they matter.
Before the checklist, one principle underpins all of it. Salesforce is the source of truth for field creation and data structure. Both Marketo and HubSpot sync to Salesforce. Neither of them should be used to define the data model that SFDC then inherits.
For Marketo specifically, this is enforced by the platform. Fields must exist in Salesforce on both the Lead and Contact objects before Marketo will show them as available for mapping. For HubSpot, the enforcement is looser but the same principle applies. Build the field structure in SFDC first. Then map it into the MA platform. Doing it in reverse creates inconsistencies that surface as sync errors weeks after go-live.
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# |
Checklist Item |
What to Verify |
|
01 |
Database Object Mapping |
All four objects mapped: Lead, Contact, Account, and in HubSpot’s case Company. Missing object mapping is the most common cause of records syncing into the wrong place or not syncing at all. |
|
02 |
Sync to Marketo / HubSpot Field Checkbox |
In Salesforce, every field intended for sync must have the ‘Allow field to be synced to Marketo/HubSpot’ checkbox enabled. This is missed on new fields constantly. The field exists, the data exists, but nothing moves across because one checkbox was left unticked. |
|
03 |
Field Type Matching |
A text field in SFDC cannot sync to a date field in Marketo. A multi-select picklist in SFDC cannot sync to a single-select dropdown in HubSpot. Field types must match exactly across both platforms before the sync is configured, not after. |
|
04 |
Picklist and Dropdown Value Alignment |
Every dropdown value in SFDC must exist as a valid value on the corresponding field in Marketo or HubSpot. A value present in SFDC but absent in the MA platform causes that record to fail sync silently. Run a comparison of all picklist values before go-live. |
|
05 |
Mandatory Field Coverage on Lead Creation |
Any field marked required in SFDC for Lead or Contact creation must be populated at the point of entry in the MA platform. If a Marketo form or HubSpot form does not capture a mandatory SFDC field, the record will never sync. Map required fields against every form in scope. |
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06 |
Credential and Permission Configuration |
The dedicated sync user in SFDC must have the correct profile permissions for every object and field being synced. Too many permissions creates security risk. Too few breaks the sync. Marketo and HubSpot each have specific documented permission sets for their sync users. Follow them exactly. |
|
07 |
Sync Limit and API Call Allocation |
Both Marketo and HubSpot consume SFDC API calls during sync. Know your SFDC API limit and confirm the allocation is sufficient for the sync frequency and database size you are running. An org that shares API calls across multiple integrations can hit limits and cause sync queues to back up without obvious error messages. |
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08 |
Error Code Monitoring and Alerting |
Sync errors need to be surfaced, not ignored. Set up a process for reviewing sync error logs in both Marketo (Admin > Salesforce > Sync Errors) and HubSpot (Settings > Integrations > Salesforce > Sync Errors). Unmonitored errors compound. A single bad field value can block an entire record from syncing for weeks. |
|
09 |
Field Creation Order: SFDC First |
For Marketo specifically, fields must be created in Salesforce first on both the Lead and Contact objects. Once created in SFDC, they appear automatically in the Marketo field list ready to map. Creating fields in Marketo first and expecting them to appear in SFDC does not work. The creation order is not optional. |
|
10 |
API Name Consistency Across Lead and Contact in SFDC |
For the Marketo sync to work correctly, the API names for corresponding fields on the Lead and Contact objects in SFDC must match. If the API name on Lead is Company_Size__c and on Contact it is CompanySize__c, Marketo treats them as different fields. Standardise API names across both objects before creating the field in Marketo. |
|
11 |
HubSpot Manual Field Selection |
Unlike Marketo where fields flow in automatically from SFDC, HubSpot requires you to manually select which SFDC fields sync to which HubSpot properties. This step is easy to rush. Build a field mapping document before you configure the sync and work through it systematically rather than selecting fields on the fly in the integration settings panel. |
|
12 |
Pre-Go-Live Sync Test on a Sample Record |
Before enabling the full sync, run it against a small set of test records covering each object type. Verify that every mapped field populates correctly in both directions, that picklist values arrive as expected, that mandatory fields are not blocking creation, and that the sync user can read and write to every field in scope. Fix failures on test records, not on live data. |
IV. The Marketo vs HubSpot Differences Worth Knowing
Both integrations connect to Salesforce but they behave differently in ways that catch teams out if they switch between platforms or manage both simultaneously.
In Marketo, once a field is created in Salesforce on both the Lead and Contact objects, it appears automatically in the Marketo field management panel. The API names on Lead and Contact must match or Marketo treats them as separate fields and maps them independently, which creates duplicate entries and inconsistent data flow. This is one of the most common and least obvious Marketo sync issues we see.
In HubSpot, fields created in Salesforce do not appear automatically. After creating a field in SFDC, you go into HubSpot’s Salesforce integration settings and manually select which SFDC fields map to which HubSpot properties. This is a deliberate step, not a sync. The risk is that it gets done quickly, with fields selected without a proper mapping document, and six months later nobody can explain why some fields sync and others do not.
For both platforms: build a field mapping document before you touch the integration settings. List every field, its SFDC API name, its object (Lead, Contact, Account), its field type, and its corresponding property in the MA platform. That document is also your first reference point when a sync error surfaces.
One more practical difference on sync errors. In Marketo, sync errors are visible under Admin > Salesforce > Sync Errors and they are specific. You can see exactly which record failed, on which field, and why. In HubSpot, error visibility has improved but is still less granular by default. Both require someone to actually look at them on a regular basis. Setting up a weekly sync error review is not an optional step in a production environment.
V. The Most Expensive Configuration Mistake
Across the integrations we have set up and audited over 14 years, one mistake accounts for more downstream problems than any other. Mandatory fields in Salesforce that are not surfaced on forms in the MA platform.
A contact submits a form in Marketo or HubSpot. The record is created. The sync fires. Salesforce attempts to create a Lead record and fails because a required field, often something like Lead Source or a custom required field added by the sales ops team, has no value. The record stays in Marketo or HubSpot. No SFDC record is created. No sync error appears on the contact record from the marketing side. Marketing thinks the lead is in Salesforce. Sales cannot see it. The lead sits unworked.
The fix is straightforward but needs to happen before go-live. Pull the list of mandatory fields on the SFDC Lead and Contact objects. Cross-reference against every form in scope in the MA platform. Either add the field to the form, populate it with a default value via a hidden field, or remove the mandatory requirement in SFDC if the field is not genuinely required at the point of creation.
VI. After Go-Live: Keep the Sync Healthy
A clean sync at go-live does not stay clean automatically. SFDC admins add new required fields. Picklist values get updated in one system but not the other. The sync user’s permissions change during a Salesforce profile audit. New integrations consume API calls and push the org toward its daily limit.
Build a monthly sync health check into whoever owns the MA platform. It takes twenty minutes: review the sync error log, check the API usage trend, confirm that any new SFDC fields added in the past month have been mapped and that their checkbox is enabled, and verify that picklist values are still consistent. Twenty minutes a month prevents the kind of data quality problem that takes weeks to clean up once it has been left unattended.
If you need a Marketo or HubSpot to Salesforce integration built or audited, talk to us at codeandpeddle.com
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FAQs
Most failures come from a few configuration gaps: the sync checkbox not ticked on the Salesforce field, field types that don’t match, picklist values missing in one system, or a required Salesforce field the form never captures. These failures are often silent, so check the sync error log weekly.
Salesforce first, on both the Lead and Contact objects. Once a field exists there, Marketo shows it as available for mapping. Creating it in Marketo first and expecting it to appear in Salesforce doesn’t work. For HubSpot, the same order applies, but you then select the field mapping manually.
In Marketo, Salesforce fields appear automatically once they exist on Lead and Contact, as long as their API names match. In HubSpot, you choose manually which Salesforce fields map to which properties. That manual step is where undocumented, inconsistent mappings usually start.
In Marketo, go to Admin > Salesforce > Sync Errors. It shows the exact record, the field and the reason it failed. In HubSpot, go to Settings > Integrations > Salesforce > Sync Errors, which is less detailed by default. Either way, someone has to review the log on a schedule.
Monthly, in about twenty minutes. Review the error log and the API usage trend. Confirm that new Salesforce fields are mapped with their sync checkbox enabled, and that picklist values still match in both systems.
