I’m working on connecting my homemade CRM system with HubSpot and need some guidance. Right now my team manually enters data from our custom CRM into HubSpot which takes forever. I want to build an automated sync using HubSpot’s API to make this process smoother. My main question is whether I need to use HubSpot’s internal ID system for the API calls. I really don’t want to modify my existing CRM database to store HubSpot record IDs because that would just create more work instead of solving the problem. Is there a way to sync the systems using email addresses or other matching fields instead? Any suggestions would be helpful.
Try webhooks instead of constantly polling HubSpot. Set them up to trigger updates only when data actually changes in either system. You’ll cut out tons of unnecessary API calls and make everything run smoother. I did this for a client’s old CRM - used email as the main matching key but added phone numbers as backup for contacts without emails. The key is handling partial matches well. Names and company fields often have tiny differences that’ll break your sync if you’re not careful. Here’s something people always forget: timezones. If your CRM and HubSpot handle timestamps differently, you’ll get bizarre sync conflicts. Convert all datetime fields to UTC before hitting the API.
You don’t need to store HubSpot IDs in your CRM system. When I faced a similar challenge, I found that using email addresses and your own unique identifiers as custom properties in HubSpot works efficiently. To implement this, create a custom property in HubSpot for your CRM’s unique ID, which will allow for direct lookups during the sync process. This approach maintains a clean database while ensuring effective mapping. If email addresses are unavailable, consider using phone numbers or a combination of the company name. HubSpot’s API effectively handles duplicates using these identifiers, but ensure to include error handling for any mismatches.
Manual data entry between systems is a nightmare I’ve dealt with way too many times. Good news - you can totally avoid storing HubSpot IDs in your CRM.
Everyone talks about email matching and custom properties, but there’s a cleaner way to handle this sync. Skip building your own API integration with all the rate limiting headaches and error handling mess. Set it up as an automated workflow instead.
I’ve done this for similar CRM integrations where we needed bidirectional sync without touching the existing database. Map your CRM fields to HubSpot using email addresses as the primary identifier, set up automatic duplicate detection, and handle all the API calls without writing code.
You get built-in error handling, retry logic, and can add data transformation steps if your field formats don’t match. Schedule it to run as often as needed without worrying about API limits.
This cuts out the entire development overhead and gets your sync running in days instead of weeks. Check it out at https://latenode.com
Building on what others said, I use a hybrid approach that’s worked great across multiple integrations. Email matching is solid for contacts, but companies and deals need something stronger. I create custom properties in HubSpot for my internal CRM IDs, then hit their search endpoints to check these fields before creating anything new. Stops duplicates cold and keeps your data clean. Watch out for rate limiting though - HubSpot’s API limits are brutal, so you need proper queuing and error handling. Also, run a data audit first before you automate anything. Dirty email addresses will break your sync every time.
totally agree! using emails is the easiest way to link your systems without breaking anything. hubspot’s api can search by email, so it makes it way easier. I tried it and found it to be super smooth compared to other options!
Same headache here. Batch processing saves you - don’t sync records one by one or you’ll hit rate limits instantly. Bundle 100 contacts per API call with email matching and it’s way faster. Test on a small dataset first because formatting issues always pop up.