Salesforce iframe Setup
The Apollo panel inside Salesforce gives reps access to enrichment, sequences, and AI Research without leaving a record. Here's how to install it, configure field mapping for BDR ownership, and validate that everything works.
Install from AppExchange
Go to Salesforce AppExchange and search Apollo.io. Click Get It Now. When prompted, choose Install for All Users (not just admins). This ensures BDRs and AEs can access the panel without individual installs.
Add the Apollo component to page layouts
In Salesforce: Setup > Object Manager > Contact > Page Layouts. Drag the Apollo Visualforce component into the layout. Repeat for Lead and Account objects. Save each layout. The panel appears in the right sidebar of every record.
Assign the Apollo User permission set
In Salesforce: Setup > Permission Sets > Apollo User. Click Manage Assignments > Add Assignments. Select all BDR and AE users. Without this permission set, the panel loads but prompts for login in a loop.
Configure BDR owner field mapping
In Apollo: Settings > CRM Sync > Field Mappings > Contacts. Add a new mapping:
- Apollo field:
Owner (BDR) - Salesforce field:
BDR_Owner__c(or your custom field name) - Sync direction: Apollo > Salesforce
This ensures that when a BDR works a contact in Apollo, their ownership is reflected in Salesforce without manual updates.
Test the integration
Open any Contact record in Salesforce. The Apollo panel should appear on the right side. Click Enrich on a contact - Apollo should return email, phone, and title data. If the contact is already in Apollo, you'll see their sequence history and activity log.
app.apollo.io as a trusted site.BDR_Owner__c field is read-only for the API user. Grant write access in Salesforce field-level security.Sequences: Getting Started
Sequences are Apollo's outreach engine. This guide covers how to build one from scratch, the right structure for BDR prospecting, enrollment best practices, and how to read performance to know when to fix copy vs. fix targeting.
Create and name it
In Apollo: Engage > Sequences > + New Sequence. Use a consistent naming convention your team can filter by: [Team]-[Persona]-[Use Case]. Example: BDR-VP_Sales-Outbound_Q2. This keeps the sequence library scannable as you scale.
Add email steps with A/B subject lines
Every email step should have an A/B subject line from the start - not after you see bad open rates. Split by approach: one curiosity subject, one direct one. Keep the first email under 100 words.
Use these personalization variables: {{first_name}}, {{company}}, {{title}}. Apollo pulls these from the contact record automatically.
Add call and task steps
Call steps appear in the BDR's Task Feed on their Apollo home screen. Add a call task on Day 3 or Day 7 to break up the email cadence. Optionally add a LinkedIn connection request step between Day 1 and Day 4 for a warm touchpoint before the follow-up email.
Sample 5-step cadence:
- Day 1: Email (A/B subject)
- Day 3: Call task
- Day 5: LinkedIn connect
- Day 8: Email (follow-up)
- Day 12: Email (breakup)
Enroll your first contacts
Go to the People tab. Use filters to build a list (title, company size, industry, region). Select contacts > click Add to Sequence. Start with 10-20 contacts to validate performance before scaling. Apollo sends emails at the intervals you set - no manual follow-up required.
Read performance and iterate
In the sequence: Analytics tab. The three metrics that matter:
- Open rate below 30%: Fix the subject line. The email itself isn't the problem.
- Reply rate below 2%: Fix the copy. People opened but didn't respond.
- Bounce rate above 5%: Pause the sequence immediately and check mailbox health.
- Always A/B test subject lines from step one - not as an afterthought
- First email under 100 words: shorter wins on cold outreach
- Minimum 2-3 day gap between steps: respect inbox frequency
- Name sequences consistently so your team can find and clone them
- Clone a working sequence rather than building from scratch each time
- Review analytics weekly, not daily - let data accumulate before making changes
Deliverability: Domain Warmup + Mailbox Health
Poor deliverability is the most common reason outreach underperforms. The fix isn't better copy - it's the right infrastructure. This guide covers sending domain setup, DNS authentication, and the 6-week warmup schedule that keeps you out of spam.
Choose a variation of your company name that clearly identifies you but doesn't risk your primary domain. Good examples: tryqualified.io, meetqualified.com, getqualified.co. Avoid hyphens, numbers, or anything that looks like spam.
SPF - Authorize your senders
In Apollo: Settings > Email > DNS Setup. Copy the SPF TXT record. Add it to your sending domain's DNS as a TXT record on @. SPF tells receiving servers which services are authorized to send from your domain.
DKIM - Sign your emails
On the same Apollo DNS Setup page, copy the DKIM CNAME records. Add them to your domain's DNS. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each email, proving it wasn't tampered with in transit. Required for Gmail and Yahoo deliverability.
DMARC - Set your policy
Add a DMARC TXT record on _dmarc.yourdomain.com. Start with monitoring mode:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
After 2-3 weeks of clean data, escalate to p=quarantine for stronger protection. DMARC is now required by Gmail for sending at volume.
Connect mailboxes in Apollo
In Apollo: Settings > Mailboxes > + Add Mailbox. Connect 1-3 mailboxes per sending domain. Use real names, not role aliases (nick@tryqualified.io not sales@tryqualified.io). Real names get higher open rates and lower spam rates.
| Metric | Good | Investigate | Pause + Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bounce rate | < 2% | 3-5% | > 5% |
| Spam complaint rate | < 0.1% | 0.1-0.3% | > 0.3% |
| Open rate | > 30% | 20-30% | < 20% |
| Reply rate | > 5% | 2-5% | < 2% |
INACTIVE_REASON field is your diagnostic: auth_revoked means the OAuth token expired and needs re-authentication; quota_exceeded means you hit Gmail's daily send limit; sync_error means the mailbox connection is broken.AE Seat Activation
AEs get the most out of Apollo when they're set up for pre-call intelligence, not just sending emails. This guide gets each rep productive in under 30 minutes: the right connections, the right workflows, and a daily rhythm that fits how AEs actually work.
Log in and install the Chrome extension
Go to app.apollo.io and sign in via SSO. Then install the Apollo Chrome Extension from the Chrome Web Store. Pin it to your toolbar. The extension is how Apollo populates contacts when you're browsing LinkedIn or SalesNav - and why it wasn't working before is almost always because it was unpinned or not re-authenticated.
Connect mailbox and calendar
In Apollo: Settings > Mailboxes > + Add Mailbox. Connect your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 email. Then: Settings > Integrations > Calendar and connect Google Calendar or Outlook. This enables meeting sync - booked meetings from your outreach automatically log in Salesforce without manual entry.
Confirm Salesforce is already active (green checkmark under Settings > Integrations > CRM).
Load your accounts
Go to the Companies tab. Filter by your territory or account list. Save the filtered view as a list. Then click into individual accounts > People tab > find the contacts relevant to your deal. Hit Enrich on contacts with missing emails or phones - Apollo's waterfall pulls from multiple data providers to maximize match rates.
Use AI Research before every call
Apollo's AI Research gives you a 30-second brief on any contact: recent role changes, company news, talking points, and an optional call script. Find a contact > click AI Research. The output is sourced from live web data, not cached profiles.
For high-value accounts, use the Research & Auto-Fill option - Apollo runs the brief and populates the custom Salesforce fields your team has mapped. No copy-paste required.
Clone a BDR sequence for AE use
Go to Engage > Sequences. Find an active BDR sequence. Click Clone. Rename it for AE use. Adjust the copy to reflect an AE voice - warmer, more specific, less volume-focused. Enroll 5-10 contacts in your priority accounts as a first run.
AEs don't need to build sequences from scratch - cloning a working BDR sequence is faster and preserves what's already been tested.
One GTM Platform: The Case for Apollo
Most outbound stacks run 2-3 tools to do what Apollo does natively: data, enrichment, sequencing, intent signals, AI, and CRM sync in one place. Here's what that means in practice - and how to move your team from Outreach to Apollo without disrupting pipeline.
Contact Data
270M+ contacts with emails, phones, and titles. No data vendor required.
Waterfall Enrichment
Apollo cascades across multiple providers in one click. Best match rate in the market.
Sequencing
Email, call, LinkedIn, and task steps in one sequence. No Outreach needed.
Intent Signals
Job changes, funding rounds, and hiring signals - natively. Trigger workflows on real events.
AI Research + Messaging
Contact briefs, call scripts, and email drafts generated from live web data.
CRM Sync
Bi-directional Salesforce sync with field-level control. Meetings, contacts, accounts - all of it.
| Capability | Apollo | Outreach |
|---|---|---|
| Contact data | Native - 270M+ contacts, updated continuously | No native data. Requires ZoomInfo, Cognism, or similar. |
| Enrichment | Native waterfall enrichment across multiple providers | No native enrichment. Relies on connected data tools. |
| Deliverability tooling | Domain warmup, mailbox health, DNS setup, bounce monitoring - all in-product | Limited native deliverability tooling. Gaps require third-party tools. |
| AI outreach | Native AI messaging, call scripts, and contact briefs | AI features typically require add-ons or partner integrations |
| Intent signals | Native - job changes, funding, hiring, web intent | Third-party required (Bombora, 6sense, etc.) |
| Multi-channel sequencing | Email, call, LinkedIn, tasks | Email, call, LinkedIn, tasks |
| Salesforce sync | Native bi-directional, field-configurable | Native bi-directional |
| Vendor count | One | Typically 2-4 (Outreach + data + enrichment + intent) |
- Reps see contact data, enrichment, sequences, and CRM activity in one tab
- AI Research briefs before every call - no tab switching
- Deliverability monitoring in the same product where sequences live
- Job change and funding signals trigger workflows automatically
- One vendor, one invoice, one admin surface