Import People from a CSV

A bulk import is the best method for creating more than one Person to SalesLoft. When you are importing People in bulk, you have two options: Import from Salesforce or import from a CSV. 

CSV files can be created in a spreadsheet tool, like excel. The spreadsheet will contain all of your Leads or Contacts along with columns for data relevant to that contact. These columns will ultimately be the fields that you can view in SalesLoft and use as dynamic fields in your emails. 

Once the spreadsheet is complete, you will save the document as a .CSV. From there, you can upload it to SalesLoft. All of the contacts will become SalesLoft People. Each Person, plus their data, now exists in your SalesLoft and you can begin engaging with those People. 

Things to Note:

• Prior to June 22, 2020: Imports from CSV files will import a maximum of 1,000 People at a time. If your list contains more than 1,000 People, you will receive an error message informing you of the 1,000 People limit.
• After June 22, 2020: The import maximum has increased to 5,000 People at a time. 
• When importing date fields, we only accept the international yyyy-mm-dd format.
  

In this article, you will learn about CSV imports, including: 

• Create People from a CSV Import
• Import and Add to a Team Cadence
• Assign SalesLoft Owner When Importing from a CSV
• SLU: Importing to SalesLoft via CSV (Video)

Create People from a CSV Import

When you are ready to import from a CSV, follow these steps:

1. Create a spreadsheet with the list of People. Include column headers to designate field types (e.g., “First Name,” “Account Name”).
2. Save your list as a CSV file.
3. From the People page, click Create People in the upper right-hand corner.
4. Select Import from CSV.
5. From the Import from CSV page, click Choose a CSV file.
6. Select your CSV file. Click Open.
7. On the Map Your Fields page, you will match your CSV column headers to the appropriate field in SalesLoft. Use the dropdown in the SalesLoft Field column to select the best field to match the column. The third column shows the Mapped Data Preview. It pulls information from the CSV so you know what data would map to the field. 
   • Things to Note: Only map column headers that exist as SalesLoft fields. Learn how to create custom fields in the Manage Salesforce Field Configuration article. 
8. Click Next.
9. Finish your import.

Import and Add to a Team Cadence

Based on the territory, persona, or account, you may need to add People to different Cadences upon import. 

SalesLoft team Cadences have a specific Cadence ID number. When this ID is listed in a CSV import, SalesLoft will add that Person the the team Cadence with that ID.

Things to Note: 

• You can only add prospects to the team Cadences, system will not recognize any personal Cadences.
• Number of cadences users can add people to within one import is not limited.

To add a Person to a Team Cadence upon import, follow these steps: 

1. Create a CSV file. Label one of the column headers Cadence.

2. Copy the Cadence ID number. You will find the Cadence ID number on the Cadence Settings page of you Team Cadences. The Cadence ID will be listed below the Cadence Name. 

3. Paste the Cadence ID in the CSV file under the Cadence column and on the rows of any contact you want added to that Cadence. 

4. Follow the steps listed in the section above to Import from a CSV. During step 7 (Map your CSV column headers to the appropriate field in SalesLoft.), the field mapping should recognize Cadence → Cadence ID. Once your CSV is prepared in SalesLoft, click Next.

5. On the Complete Your Import page, you will see an additional column for Add to Cadence. This field will display the name of the Cadence recognized by Cadence ID. As long as the Cadence ID field is mapped, you will only have the option to Finish Import and Add to Cadence. Click Finish Import and Add to Cadence to complete your import. 

• Things to Note: Any records that don't have Cadence ID specified in CSV will be imported to SalesLoft without adding to Cadence.

Assign SalesLoft Owner When Importing from a CSV

By default, People being imported into SalesLoft will be assigned to the user that does the importing. The user who is assigned a Person is none as the SalesLoft Owner since they will own that Person's record in SalesLoft.  

When importing a CSV, you can assign the contact to any SalesLoft user. This way, you can import new People to SalesLoft and assign them to multiple different users at the same time. 

Things to Note:

• Ownership for the existing records cannot be updated via CSV. 
• Ownership does not impact Cadence assignee.
• If the owner was not specified in the CSV file, SalesLoft will automatically assign the record to the user completing the import.

To assign a user as the owner of a Person record during a CSV import, follow these sets: 

1. Create your CSV file with a column designated to the SalesLoft users. We recommend that you name the column SalesLoft Owner (or SL owner). When the column is titled as such, SalesLoft can automatically map the column to the required field.
   • Things to Note: REQUIREMENT The SalesLoft Owner field must match the user's SalesLoft email address. To avoid mistakes, we recommend copying the email from the Users list found in your Team Settings.
   • If SalesLoft was not able to recognize the owner by email, the record will be marked as an error and the user will be provided a tooltip explaining the error reason.
2. Follow steps 2-6 to import from a CSV.
3. Map your CSV fields. Make sure your SalesLoft Owner column is mapped to the SalesLoft Owner field. Click Next
4. Preview your list and view the Owner column on the Complete Import page.

SLU: Importing to SalesLoft via CSV (Video)

Want to know about how to import from a CSV, but prefer a video format? Visit SalesLoft University to see the Importing to SalesLoft via CSV video tutorial.