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CognismSalesforce

How to import Cognism into Salesforce Leads or Contacts

18 of the 75 columns in a Cognism export, mapped into 16 Salesforce Leads fields under Salesforce's own names.

16 of the 75 columns in a Cognism export, mapped into 13 Salesforce Contacts fields under Salesforce's own names.

Import into Salesforce as
Download the Excel templateUse this template free

Free · 20 KB · Excel 365 or Google Sheets

Download the Excel templateUse this template free

Free · 20 KB · Excel 365 or Google Sheets

Check your Cognism export first

Built on Cognism’s export columnsChecked against Salesforce’s import rulesUpdated October 3, 2026

One Cognism row, through the templatecopied as it ischanged on the way1explained below
  • First Name to First NameDavid
  • Last Name to Last NameGarcia
  • Job Title to TitleHead of Marketing
  • Email to Emaillowercaseddavid.garcia@meridian.example.com
  • Mobile to Mobile Phone+44 7700 900234
  • Direct, Office, HQ to Phone1first with a value+44 20 7946 0432
  • Company Name to CompanyMeridian
  • Website to Websitemeridian.example.com
  • Industries to Industry2first in the listWholesale
  • Not in the export to Lead Source3set to CognismCognism
  • Not in the export to Lead Status3set to Open - Not ContactedOpen - Not Contacted
  • City to CityLeeds
  • State to State/ProvinceWest Yorkshire
  • Country to CountryUnited Kingdom
  • Personal Linkedin URL to LinkedIn URLlinkedin.com/in/david-garcia-example
  • List Name, Seniority, Department to Description4joined, with labelsCognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Marketing
Not imported: Profile ID, sId, Email Quality, Lead Source, Education, Diamond Record and 51 more. The template leaves these out; map any to a custom field in Operelio.
One Cognism row, through the templatecopied as it ischanged on the way1explained below
  • First Name to First NameDavid
  • Last Name to Last NameGarcia
  • Job Title to TitleHead of Marketing
  • Email to Emaillowercaseddavid.garcia@meridian.example.com
  • Mobile to Mobile Phone+44 7700 900234
  • Direct, Office, HQ to Phone1first with a value+44 20 7946 0432
  • Department to Department2first in the listMarketing
  • City to Mailing CityLeeds
  • State to Mailing StateWest Yorkshire
  • Country to Mailing CountryUnited Kingdom
  • Personal Linkedin URL to LinkedIn URLlinkedin.com/in/david-garcia-example
  • Company Name to Account NameMeridian
  • List Name, Seniority to Description3joined, with labelsCognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head
Not imported: Profile ID, sId, Email Quality, Lead Source, Education, Diamond Record and 53 more. The template leaves these out; map any to a custom field in Operelio.

Where Cognism and Salesforce don’t line up

1

Four phone columns, two phone fields

Cognism splits numbers across Mobile, Direct, Office and HQ.

The template sends Mobile to Mobile Phone. Phone takes the first of Direct, Office and HQ that has a value.

CognismDirect empty
Office +44 20 7946 0432
HQ +44 20 7946 0111
Salesforce+44 20 7946 0432
2

A list of industry values, one Industry field

Cognism can put several values in its Industries column, one after another. Industry on a Salesforce record is a picklist that holds one value.

The template keeps the first value in the list.

CognismWholesale, Logistics, Retail
SalesforceWholesale
3

No lead source or lead status in the export

Cognism's export has no lead source or lead status column. Lead Status is a picklist: a value that isn't in it goes in as it is, unless the picklist is restricted, when the field gets its default.

The template sets Lead Source to Cognism and Lead Status to Open - Not Contacted on every row. Change either, or drop them, before you import if your process differs.

CognismNo column
SalesforceCognism · Open - Not Contacted
4

Three columns kept in Description

This template gives List Name, Seniority and Department no Salesforce field of their own.

The template writes them into Description, each with its label, and leaves empty ones out.

CognismList Name UK RevOps Q4
Seniority Head
Department Marketing
SalesforceCognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Marketing
1

Four phone columns, two phone fields

Cognism splits numbers across Mobile, Direct, Office and HQ.

The template sends Mobile to Mobile Phone. Phone takes the first of Direct, Office and HQ that has a value.

CognismDirect empty
Office +44 20 7946 0432
HQ +44 20 7946 0111
Salesforce+44 20 7946 0432
2

A list of department values, one Department field

Cognism can put several values in its Department column, one after another.

The template keeps the first value in the list.

CognismMarketing
SalesforceMarketing
3

Two columns kept in Description

This template gives List Name and Seniority no Salesforce field of their own.

The template writes them into Description, each with its label, and leaves empty ones out.

CognismList Name UK RevOps Q4
Seniority Head
SalesforceCognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head

Check your Cognism export before you import it

Looks for the 18 columns this template reads, and what Salesforce would skip.

Drop your Cognism CSV here

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and results are counts only.

Looks for the 16 columns this template reads, and what Salesforce would skip.

Drop your Cognism CSV here

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and results are counts only.

Cognism to Salesforce in three steps

Step 1Export from Cognism
  1. Run a Contact Search in Cognism, or open Lists and pick All Contacts, My Contacts or one of your lists.
  2. Use the checkboxes to choose Select Page, Select All or Custom Selection.
  3. Click the option to export the contacts as a CSV file in the toolbar at the top of the page.

You can export up to 10,000 contacts at once from Search, and up to 1,000 per action from All Contacts or My Contacts.

Exporting reveals any contact not yet revealed in the current contract period, and credits are used only for newly revealed contacts.

Cognism: Manage search resultsCognism: Lists
Step 2Paste into the template
  1. Paste the export at A1 of Paste Cognism export here.
  2. Start here checks all 18 columns were found.
  3. Save Salesforce Leads import as a CSV.

Works in Excel for Microsoft 365 and Google Sheets. Excel 2019 and older, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice can't run the formulas this file uses.

Just the 16 headers as a CSV

Step 3Import into Salesforce
  1. From Setup, type Data Import Wizard in Quick Find, select it and click Launch Wizard.
  2. Under Standard Objects, choose Leads.
  3. Choose whether to add new records, update existing ones or both, and how to match them.
  4. Drag in your CSV, check the encoding and click Next.
  5. Check the mapping, map any field left over, click Next, then Start Import.
Salesforce's Data Import Wizard, screen by screen

Operelio, with the same template

Fixes the capitals in names, formats phone numbers, standardizes countries, removes duplicate and blank rows, which the Excel file leaves to you. On every plan. Email verification, a check against your Salesforce records and dropdowns, and the push, from Starter.

Use this template in Operelio
Step 1Export from Cognism
  1. Run a Contact Search in Cognism, or open Lists and pick All Contacts, My Contacts or one of your lists.
  2. Use the checkboxes to choose Select Page, Select All or Custom Selection.
  3. Click the option to export the contacts as a CSV file in the toolbar at the top of the page.

You can export up to 10,000 contacts at once from Search, and up to 1,000 per action from All Contacts or My Contacts.

Exporting reveals any contact not yet revealed in the current contract period, and credits are used only for newly revealed contacts.

Cognism: Manage search resultsCognism: Lists
Step 2Paste into the template
  1. Paste the export at A1 of Paste Cognism export here.
  2. Start here checks all 16 columns were found.
  3. Save Salesforce Contacts import as a CSV.

Works in Excel for Microsoft 365 and Google Sheets. Excel 2019 and older, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice can't run the formulas this file uses.

Just the 13 headers as a CSV

Step 3Import into Salesforce
  1. From Setup, type Data Import Wizard in Quick Find, select it and click Launch Wizard.
  2. Under Standard Objects, choose Accounts and Contacts.
  3. Choose whether to add new records, update existing ones or both, and how to match them.
  4. Drag in your CSV, check the encoding and click Next.
  5. Check the mapping, map any field left over, click Next, then Start Import.
Salesforce's Data Import Wizard, screen by screen

Operelio, with the same template

Fixes the capitals in names, formats phone numbers, standardizes countries, removes duplicate and blank rows, which the Excel file leaves to you. On every plan. Email verification, a check against your Salesforce records and dropdowns, and the push, from Starter.

Use this template in Operelio

Questions

Where does Cognism's export fill Last Name and Company, which Salesforce requires?

Last Name comes from Cognism's Last Name column; Company comes from Cognism's Company Name column. The checker above counts the rows with Last Name or Company blank.

Where do List Name, Seniority and Department go?

Into Description on each lead, labeled like "Cognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Marketing".

Does this template handle Cognism's Diamond Data mobile numbers?

Yes. Diamond-verified mobile numbers come through in the Mobile column, which maps directly to Salesforce's native MobilePhone field. The verified mobile lands on the Lead's MobilePhone field whenever it is present.

Where does Cognism's export fill Last Name, which Salesforce requires?

Last Name comes from Cognism's Last Name column. The checker above counts the rows with Last Name blank.

Where do List Name and Seniority go?

Into Description on each contact, labeled like "Cognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head".

Should I use the Leads template or the Contacts template?

Use the Leads template for cold prospecting lists you want to work before they convert. Use this Contacts template when you want the people to land directly as Contacts, for example because they already belong to Accounts you track. Salesforce Leads and Contacts are different objects with different fields, so the two templates map the export differently.

Duplicates and undoing an import: Salesforce import questions.

Try this template free

Upload your Cognism export and download a file Salesforce can import. No credit card needed. The push into Salesforce is from Starter.

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