Migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot is a significant decision that can enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve marketing-sales alignment. However, without a solid plan, the transition can become chaotic. This guide walks you through the key steps for a smooth migration while ensuring your data, workflows, and automations are properly transferred.
Before starting, clarify your reasons for migrating:
✅ Cost Savings – HubSpot's pricing structure may be more suitable.
✅ Ease of Use – HubSpot offers a more intuitive experience.
✅ Better Marketing-Sales Alignment – Unified data improves collaboration.
Next, decide:
📌 What data needs to be migrated (Contacts, Deals, Companies)?
📌 What should be left behind (outdated or irrelevant records)?
📌 Will you move everything at once or in phases?
Conduct a full audit to:
🔍 Identify duplicate records and outdated data.
🔍 Review custom fields and map them to HubSpot equivalents.
🔍 Understand validation rules and dependencies that may require workarounds.
Decide what stays and what gets cleaned up before migration.
Salesforce and HubSpot use different structures, so careful mapping is crucial. Key considerations:
🗂 Picklists vs. Dropdowns – Ensure values match.
🗂 Checkboxes vs. Boolean Fields – Adjust logic where needed.
🗂 Multi-Select Fields – HubSpot handles these differently, so plan accordingly.
Salesforce’s Workflows, Process Builder, and Flows won’t automatically transfer to HubSpot. You'll need to manually rebuild:
🔄 Lead Routing Rules – Assign leads based on territory, industry, etc.
📊 Lead Scoring – Recreate scoring models in HubSpot.
📧 Email Sequences & Templates – Salesforce email templates must be rebuilt.
✔️ Approval Processes – Use workflow-based alternatives in HubSpot.
There are multiple ways to migrate data:
1️⃣ HubSpot’s Native Salesforce Integration – Best for syncing live data, but not historical records.
2️⃣ Third-Party Tools (Import2, Trujay, Insycle) – Ideal for structured migrations.
3️⃣ Manual Export/Import (CSV files) – Works for simple data transfers.
4️⃣ Custom API Integration – Necessary for custom objects and complex relationships.
Before migration, set up:
✅ Pipelines & Deal Stages – Align with your Salesforce structure.
✅ Custom Properties – Ensure key Salesforce data has a HubSpot equivalent.
✅ Workflows – Automate lead assignments, follow-ups, and sales handoffs.
✅ User Permissions – Assign roles to match Salesforce access levels.
Conduct a test migration with a small data sample:
🔎 Check for field mapping errors.
🔎 Verify contact-deal associations.
🔎 Ensure automations function properly.
Once the test is successful:
🚀 Perform the full migration.
✅ Validate records, workflows, and associations.
📢 Train your team on HubSpot.
👀 Monitor for data discrepancies.
Certain elements won’t migrate directly and need manual setup:
🔸 Custom Objects – HubSpot’s native sync only supports standard objects.
🔸 Lead Object – Salesforce’s separate "Leads" object merges into HubSpot’s "Contacts."
🔸 Campaign Data – Salesforce campaigns won’t transfer.
🔸 Task & Activity History – Call logs and emails won’t sync fully.
🔸 Automation & Workflows – Salesforce’s Process Builder, validation rules, and approvals must be rebuilt.
🔸 Reports & Dashboards – Salesforce’s advanced reporting doesn’t transfer.
🔸 Email Templates & Lead Scoring – Must be manually recreated.
✅ Clean your Salesforce data before migrating.
✅ Decide what data is essential to move.
✅ Carefully map Salesforce objects and fields.
✅ Rebuild automations, lead scoring, and key reports.
✅ Always test before executing a full migration.
By following this structured approach, your transition to HubSpot will be smooth, efficient, and set up for success.
Need help with your Salesforce to HubSpot migration?
Let’s chat! 🚀