How to Import Google Sheets Leads into Salesforce with N8n

Workflows > New Workflow

Create New Workflow

Start a fresh workflow in N8n to handle the Google Sheets to Salesforce sync. You'll build this as a polling workflow that checks for new rows every 15 minutes.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow' from the N8n dashboard
2. 2Name your workflow 'Google Sheets Lead Import'
3. 3Click 'Save' to create the empty workflow canvas

Node Library > Trigger Nodes > Schedule Trigger

Add Google Sheets Trigger

Connect to your lead spreadsheet and configure N8n to poll for new rows. Set this up as a schedule trigger since Google Sheets doesn't support real-time webhooks.

1. 1Click the '+' button next to the Start node
2. 2Search for 'Schedule Trigger' and select it
3. 3Set interval to 'Every 15 Minutes'
4. 4Toggle 'Trigger at startup' to ON

Node Library > Google > Google Sheets

Configure Google Sheets Connection

Add the Google Sheets node to read your lead data. You'll need to authenticate with Google and specify which spreadsheet contains your leads.

1. 1Click '+' after the Schedule Trigger node
2. 2Search for 'Google Sheets' and select it
3. 3Click 'Create New Credential' for Google Sheets API
4. 4Follow OAuth flow to authenticate with your Google account
5. 5Select 'Read' operation and choose your spreadsheet

Node Library > Data > Set, Filter

Set Up Row Detection Logic

Configure the workflow to only process new rows since the last run. N8n doesn't track this automatically, so you'll use a simple timestamp comparison.

1. 1In Google Sheets node, set Range to 'A:Z' to capture all columns
2. 2Set 'Return All' to get complete dataset
3. 3Add 'Set' node after Google Sheets
4. 4Create a variable 'last_run_time' with value '{{ $now.minus({minutes: 15}) }}'
5. 5Add 'Filter' node to compare timestamps

Node Library > Logic > Function, IF

Add Data Validation

Clean and validate the lead data before sending to Salesforce. Check for required fields like email and company name to avoid API errors.

1. 1Add 'Function' node after the Filter
2. 2Write validation logic to check for empty email fields
3. 3Add 'IF' node to branch valid vs invalid records
4. 4Route invalid records to a separate 'Set' node for logging

Node Library > CRM > Salesforce

Connect Salesforce Credentials

Set up authentication to your Salesforce org. N8n supports both username/password and OAuth flows, but OAuth is more secure for production.

1. 1Add 'Salesforce' node on the valid records path
2. 2Click 'Create New Credential' for Salesforce
3. 3Choose 'OAuth2' authentication method
4. 4Enter your Salesforce domain (e.g., https://yourorg.salesforce.com)
5. 5Complete OAuth authorization flow

Salesforce Node > Parameters

Configure Lead Creation

Set the Salesforce node to create leads and handle potential duplicates. Use upsert operation to update existing leads based on email address.

1. 1Set Operation to 'Upsert'
2. 2Set Object to 'Lead'
3. 3Choose 'Email' as the External ID field
4. 4Enable 'Return All' to get created record IDs

Salesforce Node > Fields

Map Lead Fields

Connect your Google Sheets columns to Salesforce Lead fields. Map the essential fields first, then add custom fields as needed.

1. 1Click 'Add Field' in the Salesforce node
2. 2Map 'Email' field to your sheets email column
3. 3Add mappings for FirstName, LastName, Company
4. 4Map 'LeadSource' to a static value like 'Web Form'
5. 5Add any custom fields your org requires

Node Settings > Error Handling

Add Error Handling

Configure what happens when Salesforce API calls fail. Set up retry logic and error logging so you don't lose lead data.

1. 1Click the Salesforce node settings gear icon
2. 2Set 'On Error' to 'Continue Next Item'
3. 3Add 'HTTP Request' node connected to error output
4. 4Configure error webhook or email notification
5. 5Add 'Set' node to log failed records

Workflow Canvas > Execute Workflow

Test with Sample Data

Run the workflow manually with a few test rows to verify field mapping and error handling. Check both success and failure scenarios.

1. 1Add 2-3 test rows to your Google Sheet
2. 2Click 'Execute Workflow' button
3. 3Check execution log for any errors
4. 4Verify test leads appear in Salesforce
5. 5Test with an invalid email to trigger error path

Workflow Settings > Active

Enable Production Monitoring

Set up logging and monitoring for the live workflow. Configure alerts for failures and track import volume over time.

1. 1Add 'Set' node at workflow end to log success metrics
2. 2Configure webhook to your monitoring system
3. 3Set workflow to 'Active' status
4. 4Add workflow to a monitoring folder
5. 5Test the 15-minute schedule fires correctly

Drop this into an n8n Code node.

// Clean company names from email domains when company field is empty
if (!items[0].json.Company && items[0].json.Email) {
  const domain = items[0].json.Email.split('@')[1];

// Clean company names from email domains when company field is empty
if (!items[0].json.Company && items[0].json.Email) {
  const domain = items[0].json.Email.split('@')[1];
  items[0].json.Company = domain.split('.')[0].replace(/^\w/, c => c.toUpperCase());
}
return items;