Complete Checklist Before Connecting Marketo and Salesforce

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Thiago Terzi April 15, 2026

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As a Marketo integration Salesforce consultant at a leading Salesforce integration company, I’ve helped many businesses merge their marketing automation with CRM. One thing I’ve learned in 17+ years: preparation is everything. Marketo and Salesforce have a powerful native connector, but you must set things up correctly for a smooth sync. Before sales and marketing data start flowing, ensure you’ve covered all the bases. The Marketo and Salesforce connecting checklist below details every step to take before connecting Marketo and Salesforce. By following this guide, you can avoid common pitfalls and launch the integration with confidence.

Complete Checklist for Connecting Marketo and Salesforce

Before connecting Marketo and Salesforce, make sure to complete the following checklist. These steps will prepare both systems and prevent integration issues:

1. Verify Compatibility and Access

• Salesforce Edition & API: Confirm your Salesforce edition supports the Marketo integration. Enterprise or Unlimited editions include API access, which Marketo’s connector needs. If you use Professional edition, ensure you have API access enabled (this may require purchasing API access from Salesforce). Marketo connects via the Salesforce API, so this is non-negotiable.
• Marketo Subscription: Ensure your Marketo instance is licensed for CRM integration (most Marketo Engage subscriptions include the Salesforce sync by default). You’ll need Marketo Admin privileges to set up the sync.
• System Health: Clean up your data and configurations. Remove obvious duplicate leads/contacts in Salesforce and fill in any critical missing data. The effectiveness of the Marketo and Salesforce sync depends on clean, accurate data in both systems. It’s much easier to fix data issues before syncing than after. Also, review any Salesforce validation rules or required fields that could block Marketo records (e.g. if Company is a required field on Leads, be prepared with a default value or relax that rule to avoid “required field missing” sync errors).

2. Set Up a Dedicated Salesforce Sync User

• Create a Sync User: In Salesforce, create a new integration user account that Marketo will use for the sync (often named “Marketo Sync”). This user will serve as the bridge between Marketo and Salesforce. Using a dedicated user ensures a consistent integration and makes it easier to track integration activities (all Marketo-triggered changes will be under this user’s name).
• Profile & Permissions: Create a custom profile for the Marketo sync user (you can clone the Standard User profile and modify it). Enable API Enabled on this profile, and grant Read/Edit (and Create as needed) permissions for all objects Marketo will sync: typically Leads, Contacts, Accounts, Opportunities, and Campaigns. Also include any custom objects you plan to sync. By giving least-privilege access (only what’s needed), you keep data secure while ensuring Marketo can see and update the necessary records. For example, one guide recommends enabling API access and read/write on all lead/contact data, but not much beyond that.
• Avoid Password Expiry: If possible, set the sync user’s password to never expire (or have a plan to update it in Marketo when it does). An expired password or changed security token will break the sync. Marketo will not automatically pick up password changes – you must update credentials in Marketo if the Salesforce password/token changes.

3. Prepare Salesforce Fields for Marketo

• Add Marketo Fields: Create any custom fields in Salesforce that Marketo uses to write data. Common ones are Lead Score, Acquisition Program, Acquisition Date, Behavior Score, etc. If you’re using Marketo Sales Insight, there will be fields like Priority or Urgency. Add these fields to both the Lead and Contact objects (and map them, so Lead field maps to Contact field) before the sync. This allows Marketo to populate these values in Salesforce (e.g. updating a lead’s score or noting which campaign acquired them). It’s much easier to add needed fields upfront than to do it mid-integration.
• Visibility to Sync User: Ensure the Marketo sync user’s profile can see all fields you want synced. In Salesforce, set field-level security so that the sync user has access to those custom fields and any standard fields Marketo should read/write. Conversely, hide any fields that you don’t want Marketo to access. Marketo will import and sync every field visible to the sync user – which can include sensitive or unnecessary data. Take time to review field visibility: for example, you might exclude internal-use fields or PII that marketing doesn’t need. This cleanup will make your Marketo database leaner and avoid clutter. (Tip: Once a Salesforce field is synced into Marketo, you can’t fully remove it from Marketo, so it’s best to expose only what’s needed from the start.)
• Check Required Fields: Identify any Salesforce fields that are marked “Required” at the API level (e.g. Last Name is always required for Leads/Contacts; Company is required for Leads by default). Marketo will not be able to create a Lead in Salesforce if those required fields are blank. Decide how to handle this: you may set a default value (Marketo can be configured to pass a placeholder like “N/A” for Company if blank), or remove the requirement on the Salesforce side if feasible. Also review validation rules or triggers in Salesforce that could reject records coming from Marketo (e.g. a rule that Lead Source cannot be blank). Either relax these rules during initial sync or ensure Marketo will provide the necessary data to satisfy them. Planning for this prevents a flood of sync error alerts later.

4. Configure Marketo and Confirm Credentials

• Marketo Sync Settings: In your Marketo instance, navigate to Admin > Salesforce (sometimes labeled “Integrations > Salesforce”). This is where you’ll enter Salesforce credentials to connect Marketo to Salesforce. Marketo provides a built-in Marketo and Salesforce connector interface. If your Marketo uses OAuth for Salesforce, you’ll see a “Login to Salesforce” button – click it and log in with the Salesforce sync user. Otherwise (for older versions), Marketo will ask for the Salesforce username, password, and security token for the sync user. Enter those and Confirm Credentials. Marketo will verify it can log in to Salesforce with those details.
• Review Field Mapping Schema: Do not start the full sync yet. First, let Marketo fetch the Salesforce schema (the list of fields). Marketo will display the fields it found and map standard ones automatically. Take this opportunity to double-check that only the intended fields appear. If you see extraneous fields (especially custom fields you don’t use), it means the sync user still has visibility to them. It’s wise to go back into Salesforce and hide those fields from the profile before initiating the sync. This prevents Marketo from pulling in unnecessary data. In Marketo’s Field Management section (Admin > Field Management), you can also review the field mappings.
• Configure Sync Options: Decide how you want new leads to flow. By default, once connected, all Marketo leads will attempt to sync to Salesforce (and vice versa for applicable objects). If you prefer to only sync certain leads (e.g. only MQLs or those that request contact), you might plan to use Marketo smart campaigns with the “Sync Lead to SFDC” flow step instead of allowing auto-sync for every person. Marketo’s native connector can work either way, but it’s important to know your strategy now. Configure any Marketo sync behavior settings accordingly (for example, you can disable auto-create of new leads in Salesforce via a Marketo setting if you plan to control it manually).

5. Plan Sync Filters & Scope Before Connecting Marketo and Salesforce

If your Salesforce org has thousands of old or irrelevant records, you may not want all of them in Marketo. Before the full integration sync runs, decide if you need to limit the scope:

• Use a Custom Sync Filter (Optional): Marketo allows implementing a custom sync filter to include/exclude records based on a Salesforce field. Typically, this is a Boolean checkbox like “Sync_to_Marketo__c” on Leads and Contacts. If set to TRUE, the record can sync; if FALSE, Marketo ignores it. Setting up this filter requires coordination with Marketo Support, but it can drastically reduce clutter. For example, you might only sync leads with an email address or only active customers/prospects (and exclude archived, dead leads). To use this:
• Create the checkbox field on Salesforce Lead and Contact (make sure to map them together so a lead converting to contact carries the value). Expose this field to the Marketo sync user profile.
• Determine the criteria for syncing. Often, companies start with the field defaulted to FALSE and write a Salesforce workflow to flip it to TRUE for records that meet criteria (e.g. Email Address is not empty or Lead Status = “Open”). Update existing records accordingly (via bulk update or data loader) so only desired records are marked TRUE.
• Before kicking off the initial sync, open a ticket with Marketo Support to activate the custom sync filter using that field. The ideal timing is after Marketo has fetched the field list (schema) but before the first big sync of records. Provide Marketo Support the API name of your filter field. Once they enable the filter, Marketo will only sync records where that field is TRUE (for both direction sync). This prevents unwanted data from flooding into Marketo (keeping your database smaller and more focused).
• Selective Initial Import: Even if you don’t use a formal custom filter, you might decide to segment your Salesforce leads for the first sync. For instance, some teams temporarily apply a Salesforce sharing rule or permission set to limit what the Marketo sync user can see (perhaps only leads from certain regions or created in the last few years) to avoid pulling in very old data. You can relax these after initial testing. The key is to be intentional about what you bring into Marketo on day one.

6. Decide on Campaign Sync and Sales Insight (Optional)

• Salesforce Campaign Sync: Marketo can mirror program membership to Salesforce Campaigns – a feature known as Marketo Salesforce campaign sync. If you plan to use this, do some upfront planning. Ensure corresponding Salesforce Campaigns exist for your marketing initiatives, or decide if Marketo will create campaigns on the fly. In Marketo, you’ll link Programs to Salesforce Campaigns (under a program’s settings, enable Salesforce Campaign Sync) and map the member statuses. For example, a Marketo webinar program could sync members to a Salesforce Campaign for that webinar. Align the status values (Responded, No Show, Attended, etc.) between systems. Setting this up early means as soon as leads flow, sales can see campaign history. If you don’t want to use campaign sync initially, you can skip this – it can be enabled later as well.
• Marketo Sales Insight (MSI): If your organization has purchased Marketo Sales Insight (an add-on that surfaces Marketo data in Salesforce), consider installing it around the same time. MSI is a managed package from Marketo (available on AppExchange) that gives Salesforce users a view of lead scores, interesting moments, and emails. The Marketo and Salesforce connector will work with or without MSI, but if you do use it, include in your checklist: install the MSI package in Salesforce, and add the Marketo Insight Visualforce components to Lead and Contact page layouts. This ensures sales reps can immediately benefit from seeing Marketo activity data once the sync is live. (MSI installation steps are a separate process provided by Adobe Marketo docs.)

7. Final Validation Before Syncing

• Double-Check Permissions: Perform a last review of the Salesforce Marketo-Sync user profile. Are all needed objects (Leads, Contacts, etc.) accessible? Are all relevant fields visible (and only the ones you want)? It’s worth having your Salesforce admin profile impersonate the Marketo user or use a profile comparison tool to ensure nothing critical is missing. This user should also have no triggers or workflows tied specifically to it that might interfere (generally not an issue, but confirm no odd automations will try to update records as the sync user).
• Communicate with Teams: Let your marketing ops and sales ops teams know when you plan to start the sync. The first sync can put some load on Salesforce (Marketo will query a lot of records), so doing it during off-peak hours or after work hours can be wise if you have a very large database. Additionally, once you start syncing, salespeople might suddenly see a flood of new leads (if many leads were only in Marketo before). Make sure stakeholders are prepared for that influx and any workflow rules in Salesforce (like lead assignment rules) are ready for new records.
• Pause Automation (If Needed): Review active smart campaigns in Marketo that trigger lead creation or data value changes. When the sync runs, thousands of leads could be created/updated in Marketo in a short time. You might not want all those events to fire automated emails or scoring campaigns immediately. It’s a best practice to temporarily disable or put filters on certain campaigns (for example, “New Lead welcome” emails) so they don’t accidentally send to every old lead that just synced from Salesforce. You can re-enable these automations after the initial sync is done (and perhaps let Marketo finish processing the backlog). This prevents an accidental “email blast” to contacts that were simply imported. Also consider enabling Marketo’s communication limits or marketing suspension for these imported leads until you’re ready to actively market to them.

8. Start the Sync and Verify Data

Summary of the Marketo-Salesforce initial setup: configure Salesforce sync user (with proper permissions), enter credentials in Marketo Admin, and then start the sync. The first full sync may take some time, after which updates flow continuously.

• Connect and Kick Off Sync: Now it’s time to connect Marketo to Salesforce for real. In Marketo’s Salesforce integration screen, if credentials are verified and everything is ready, click “Start Salesforce Sync” (or the equivalent button). Confirm any prompts and initiate the sync. Marketo will begin the initial synchronization. Keep in mind, that first sync can take hours or even days if you have a very large Salesforce database. (A smaller org might finish a large Salesforce database in minutes or a couple of hours.) Marketo will show a status like “Sync in Progress” along with the number of records processed. Be patient and let it run to completion.
• Monitor for Errors: While the sync runs, periodically check the Sync Status or Sync Errors section in Marketo (Admin > Salesforce > Sync Status/Errors). Marketo logs any issues it encounters, such as validation errors or permissions problems. If you see errors, read the messages – many come directly from Salesforce. Common ones might be “FIELD_CUSTOM_VALIDATION_EXCEPTION” or “REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING” which indicate something in a record didn’t meet Salesforce’s rules. If it’s a large sync, you might not fix errors one by one during the initial run, but take note of them. For example, if many leads failed to sync due to a required field, you’ll know that field needs attention (you can update those in Salesforce and Marketo will retry on the next cycle).
• Validate Data Flow: Once the initial sync completes, perform spot checks to ensure data is flowing correctly. In Salesforce, verify that a few Marketo leads have been created/updated as expected. In Marketo, confirm that Salesforce lead/contact records appeared. A great test is to create a test lead in Marketo (or identify a specific new lead) and see that it gets created in Salesforce with the right field values, and then edit a field on that lead in Salesforce and check Marketo for the update. Also test the reverse if you push a new lead from Salesforce to Marketo (by simply creating a Salesforce lead that meets sync criteria). Both systems should reflect changes on each other for the fields that are synced.
• Bi-Directional Sync Behavior: Remember that for standard objects, updates should sync both ways. Leads/Contacts and campaign membership are two-way: e.g., if a lead’s status changes in Marketo, Salesforce gets the update, and vice versa. Accounts, Opportunities, and other objects sync read-only into Marketo from Salesforce. Keep this in mind when verifying – some fields (like Opportunity Stage) only flow one direction (SF → Marketo). It’s a good idea to verify an Opportunity in Salesforce made it over into a Marketo opportunity record (for reporting), if that’s in scope.
• Post-Sync Adjustments: After confirming the sync is successful, address any errors that were logged. For instance, if 100 records failed because of a missing state/province (due to a Salesforce picklist restriction), clean up those values and let Marketo retry, or export and import those few manually if needed. You may also re-enable any Marketo smart campaigns that were paused, now that the initial flood is over. At this stage, your Marketo Salesforce connector is live and keeping data updated every few minutes, congratulations!

Summary

In summary, careful preparation is the key to a successful connecting Marketo and Salesforce project. By following this checklist, from user permissions and field setup to optional sync filters and final testing, you set a strong foundation for the integration. As Adobe’s documentation notes, once the sync is live and configured properly, updates between Marketo and Salesforce “feel like magic” with data flowing in near real-time. Both teams will have a unified view of leads and contacts, improving alignment and efficiency. Remember the best practices: grant only needed permissions, add custom fields up front, and verify the first sync completes successfully. With the Marketo and Salesforce connector running smoothly, your marketing and sales can operate in lockstep, using shared data, coordinated campaigns, and accurate insights to drive revenue. By investing the effort upfront with this checklist, you avoid integration headaches and ensure your Marketo-Salesforce sync is a long-term success.