Cognism
Salesforce Leads15 fieldsHow to import Cognism data into Salesforce Leads
Cognism exports prospect lists as CSV files from Prospector. This template maps the export to Salesforce's standard lead fields: names, email, job title, company, website, industry, the person's location, and the LinkedIn profile URL. Mobile (including Cognism's Diamond-verified mobiles) maps directly to Salesforce's native MobilePhone field. The remaining workplace phones (Direct, Office, HQ) coalesce into the Phone field, with the first available number winning. Cognism's Industries column is comma-separated, so the template takes the first industry. The Personal Linkedin URL column maps to the custom LinkedIn_URL__c Lead field, so create that field on the Lead object in Salesforce before importing, or repoint the mapping in the column mapper. Lead Source is set to Cognism and Status to Open - Not Contacted on every row. Phones, emails, and country names are standardized. The company's registered office address and HQ address are company-level data and belong on the Salesforce Account record, so they are listed in the Columns we don't use section. Data Salesforce has no standard lead field for is listed in the Columns we don't use section.
Field-by-field mapping
This is the complete column mapping from Cognism to Salesforce Leads. The left column is the header in your CSV export. The right column is the Salesforce Leads field it should map to.
Before you start
This template's destination has 3 required fields that need attention before upload. You can still use this template. The steps below tell you what to add and where.
- Email
Salesforce Leads require Email when org-level validation is on. Cognism's credit-based reveal model leaves Email blank for unrevealed contacts.
What to do. Reveal the contacts in Cognism and re-export, or filter rows with blank Email out of your CSV before uploading.
- Last NameLastName
Salesforce requires Last Name on every lead. Cognism exports ship a Last Name column on every row, so this is reliably populated.
What to do. Scan your CSV for blank Last Name rows before uploading.
- Company
Salesforce requires Company on every lead. Cognism exports ship a Company column on every row, so this is reliably populated.
What to do. Scan your CSV for blank Company rows before uploading. Fill any blanks with a placeholder ('Unknown').
| Cognism column | Salesforce Leads field | |
|---|---|---|
| First Name | First NameFirstName | |
| Last Name | Last Name*LastName | |
| Job Title | Title | |
| Email* TransformLowercased and trimmed | ||
| Mobile | Mobile PhoneMobilePhone Maps to Salesforce's MobilePhone field, including Cognism's Diamond-verified mobile numbers. MobilePhone is a standard Salesforce Lead field that's often hidden in the default layout. If you don't see it, add MobilePhone to your Lead page layout in Salesforce setup before importing. TransformStandardized to international format (+1, +44, etc.) | |
| Direct → Office → HQ | Phone Salesforce Leads have one Phone field. It takes the first available number: Direct first, then Office, then HQ. Whichever is present wins; the rest are skipped. Mobile maps to MobilePhone separately. TransformStandardized to international format (+1, +44, etc.) | |
| Company Name | Company* | |
| Website | Website | |
| Industries → first | Industry Cognism ships several industries per row, comma-separated and ordered primary first. Salesforce's Industry field holds one value, so the template takes the first industry. It lands as a single value Salesforce can match to its Industry picklist, instead of a comma-joined blob it can't. To keep the full list, remove the split in the column mapper. | |
| "Cognism" | Lead SourceLeadSource Set on every row. Change the value, or remove it, in the column mapper if your process records lead source differently. | |
| "Open - Not Contacted" | Lead StatusStatus Set on every row. This is Salesforce's standard new-lead status. If your org renamed its Lead Status picklist, change the value in the column mapper to match before you run the job. | |
| City | City Cognism's person-level City column maps to the Lead's City field. The company's City and HQ City columns are not mapped here; they belong on the Salesforce Account record. | |
| State | State/ProvinceState Cognism's person-level State column maps to the Lead's State field. The company's State columns are not mapped here. | |
| Country | Country Cognism's person-level Country column maps to the Lead's Country field. The company's Country columns are not mapped here. | |
| Personal Linkedin URL | LinkedIn URLLinkedIn_URL__c Maps to a custom Salesforce field called LinkedIn_URL__c. Create that field on the Lead object in Salesforce before importing, or open the mapping in Operelio and point the column at a different field instead. |
Required by Salesforce Leads.
Columns we don't use
Your Cognism export includes 44 columns this template doesn't map. Each one below explains why, plus the workaround if you want the data in Salesforce Leads.
- Seniority
Salesforce Leads have no native seniority field. The data is real and useful, Salesforce just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field such as Seniority__c if you want seniority in Salesforce.
- Department
Salesforce Leads have no native department field. The data is real and useful, Salesforce just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field called Department__c if you want department in Salesforce.
- Technologies
Salesforce Leads have no native field for a company's tech stack. The data is useful for targeting, Salesforce just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field, or land it on the Account record in a separate pass.
- Email Quality
Salesforce Leads have no native field for an email confidence flag. The Verified Email or Likely Email signal is useful for filtering, Salesforce just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field if you want to filter on email quality in Salesforce.
- Education
Salesforce Leads have no native education field.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field if you want it.
- List Name
Salesforce Leads have no native field for the source list a row came from. Salesforce campaigns are managed inside Salesforce.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field if you want to record which Cognism list a lead came from.
- Diamond Record
Salesforce Leads have no native field for Cognism's Diamond-verified flag.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field if you want to keep the flag.
- Profile ID
Salesforce Leads have no native field for an external ID on the standard layout. Salesforce matches leads on email.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field marked as an External ID if you want Cognism's ID for re-import matching.
- sId
Cognism's internal composite ID has no downstream use in a CRM.
If you need it. None needed. This column is safe to ignore.
- Company Alias
Salesforce Leads have no native field for an alternate company trading name. It is often the same as Company Name anyway.
If you need it. Map it by hand to a custom Lead field if you want it.
- Lead Source
The template already sets Lead Source to 'Cognism' on every row, so the per-row column has nothing to add. Every Cognism row carries the literal value 'Cognism' anyway.
If you need it. None needed. Change the Lead Source value in the column mapper if your process uses a different label.
- Headcount, Financials, Company Type, Company Description, Company Founded Year, Company Linkedin URL
These are company-level data points. Salesforce Leads have no native fields for them, they belong on the Salesforce Account record.
If you need it. Run a separate Cognism to Salesforce Accounts pass to land these on the Account record.
- Company Address Line, Company City, Company Post Code/ZIP, Company County/State, Company Country
These are the company's registered office address. The Lead's address fields are filled from the person-level Country, City, and State columns instead, since those describe where the contact actually is. The company's registered office belongs on the Salesforce Account record.
If you need it. Land the registered office address on the Salesforce Account record in a separate pass. If you would rather use the company's office address on the Lead, swap the mappings by hand in the column mapper.
- Company HQ Address Line, Company HQ City, Company HQ Post Code/ZIP, Company HQ County/State, Company HQ Country
These are the company's HQ address, a second company-level address. The Lead's address fields are filled from the person-level columns. The HQ address belongs on the Salesforce Account record.
If you need it. Land the HQ address on the Salesforce Account record in a separate pass if you need it.
- SIC, ISIC, NAICS
Salesforce Leads have no native fields for industry classification codes. They are company-level data.
If you need it. Run a Cognism to Salesforce Accounts pass, or map them by hand to custom fields.
- Hiring Title, URL, Location, and Date columns (1 through 5)
These columns capture roles the lead's company is hiring for, a real buying signal. The Lead's Description field is for a rep's own written context, not imported signal data, so the template leaves it alone.
If you need it. Map them by hand to custom Lead fields if you track hiring activity as a buying signal.
- Job Change - Previous Company, Previous Title, New Company, New Title, Date
A recent job change is a useful champion signal. The Lead's Description field is for a rep's own written context, not imported signal data, so the template leaves it alone.
If you need it. Map them by hand to custom Lead fields if you track job changes.
- Location Move - From Country, From State, To Country, To State, Date
The location-move signal is useful for territory planning. The Lead's Description field is for a rep's own written context, not imported signal data, so the template leaves it alone.
If you need it. Map them by hand to custom Lead fields if you use them for territory planning.
Formatting and cleanup
Cognism exports rarely match the format Salesforce Leads expects. Fix these before you import.
- 1.Lowercases and trims email addresses
- 2.Standardizes phone numbers to international format (+1, +44, etc.)
- 3.Maps Mobile directly to MobilePhone; fills Phone with the first available of Direct, Office, HQ
- 4.Takes the first industry from Cognism's comma-separated Industries list, so a single value lands in Salesforce's Industry field
- 5.Maps the person-level City, State, and Country to the Lead's address fields
- 6.Maps Personal Linkedin URL to the custom LinkedIn_URL__c Lead field
- 7.Sets Lead Source to Cognism and Status to Open - Not Contacted on every row
- 8.Title-cases name fields, including Cognism's ALL-CAPS job titles
- 9.Normalizes country names to a standard form
- 10.Trims whitespace and removes blank rows
Or skip the manual work
Operelio runs this cleanup and mapping for you. Upload your Cognism export and download a clean, import-ready file for Salesforce Leads.
Cognism to Salesforce Leads FAQ
How do I export from Cognism?
In Cognism Prospector, build your search, save the contacts to a list, then click Download CSV from the list view. Upload that file to Operelio.
How does the template handle Cognism's four phone columns?
Cognism ships Mobile, Direct, Office, and HQ. Mobile (including Cognism's Diamond-verified numbers) maps directly to Salesforce's native MobilePhone field. The Phone field is filled from the first available of Direct, Office, and HQ. All numbers are standardized to international format before import. MobilePhone is a standard Salesforce Lead field that's often hidden in the default layout; add it in Salesforce setup if you don't see it.
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.
Why aren't Seniority, Department, and the other Cognism signals mapped?
Salesforce Leads have no standard fields for Seniority, Department, Technologies, Email Quality, and similar Cognism signals. The data is real and useful, Salesforce just has no native place for it. Those columns are listed in the Columns we don't use section. If you want them in Salesforce, create a custom Lead field and map the column to it by hand in the column mapper.
Where does the Industries column go?
Cognism ships several industries per row, comma-separated and ordered primary first. Salesforce's Industry field holds one value, so the template takes the first industry. That lands a single value Salesforce can match to its Industry picklist, instead of a comma-joined string it can't. If you want the full list instead, remove the split on the Industry row in the column mapper.
Why does the template set Lead Source and Status?
A freshly sourced Cognism list is a new lead from Cognism, so the template sets Lead Source to Cognism and Status to Open - Not Contacted on every row. Open - Not Contacted is Salesforce's standard new-lead status. If your org renamed its Lead Status picklist, change the value in the column mapper to match before you run the job.
Which address does the template use?
Salesforce Leads have one address block, and this template fills it from Cognism's person-level Country, City, and State columns. Those describe where the contact actually is. Cognism also ships two company-level addresses (the registered office and the HQ); both are listed in the Columns we don't use section because they belong on the Salesforce Account record, not the Lead.
Will this create duplicate leads?
Salesforce checks for duplicates based on your org's matching rules. Review your duplicate settings in Salesforce Setup before importing to control how matches are handled, especially if you already have leads from the same Cognism searches.
