Migrating your agency clients from Salesforce to HubSpot is a strategic move that can enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve marketing and sales alignment. As an agency, managing client relationships and ensuring their CRM systems are optimized is crucial. Many clients are considering a switch from Salesforce to HubSpot due to its ease of use, cost efficiency, and all-in-one platform capabilities.
However, a successful migration requires careful planning and execution to prevent data loss, workflow disruptions, and adoption challenges. This guide walks you through each step of the process, ensuring a smooth transition for your clients.
Need expert support? Learn more about our HubSpot migration services here.
Step 1: Understanding the Need for Migration
Before initiating the migration, establish clear objectives for your agency and your clients. Understanding the why behind the move will help shape the strategy.
Why Migrate
- Ease of Use: HubSpot is generally easier to learn and navigate than Salesforce, saving time and reducing frustration for your agency clients.
- Cost Efficiency: For smaller businesses or those looking to cut CRM costs, HubSpot often provides a more budget-friendly solution.
- All-in-One Platform: HubSpot integrates marketing, sales, and customer service tools into one platform, simplifying operations.
- Scalability: It grows with your business without needing significant changes in the CRM setup.
- Integration Capabilities: Offers seamless integration with other tools via its marketplace.
Key Considerations:
- What data needs to be migrated? (All historical data or only essential records like contacts, deals, and companies?)
- What can be left behind? (Outdated fields, irrelevant records, duplicates)
Next Steps:
- Evaluate whether a full or partial migration aligns with your client’s business goals.
- Determine a realistic timeline for transitioning data in phases or all at once.
Step 2: Review and Cleanse Your Salesforce Data
Conduct a comprehensive audit of your client's Salesforce instance to identify potential migration challenges and clean up data beforehand.
- Duplicate Records: Identify and merge duplicate contacts or accounts.
- Outdated Data: Remove inactive leads, old deals, or unused records.
- Custom Fields & Objects: Determine if custom fields have HubSpot equivalents.
- Validation Rules & Dependencies: Identify required fields or rules that need workarounds in HubSpot.
Next Steps:
- Categorize data based on its relevance and necessity in HubSpot.
- Establish a plan to clean up and standardize existing records before migration.
- Use automated deduplication tools to minimize data redundancy.
Step 3: Map Data
Salesforce and HubSpot structure data differently, so it’s essential to create a clear mapping plan to ensure a seamless transfer.
Key Mapping Considerations:
- Object Mapping: Ensure Salesforce objects (Contacts, Accounts, Opportunities) align with HubSpot objects (Contacts, Companies, Deals).
- Field Mapping:
- Salesforce picklists vs. HubSpot dropdowns – Ensure values match.
- Checkboxes vs. Boolean fields – Confirm logic aligns.
- Multi-select picklists – HubSpot handles these differently, so plan accordingly.
Next Steps:
- Define a clear mapping strategy for lifecycle stages to ensure continuity.
- Identify key fields that must be migrated to maintain reporting accuracy and automation efficiency.
Step 4: Rebuild and Optimize Automations & Workflows
Since Salesforce workflows, Process Builder automations, and Flows do not directly transfer into HubSpot, your agency will need to rebuild them manually.
- Lead Routing Rules: How are leads assigned based on territory, industry, or other criteria?
- Lead Scoring: Salesforce scoring models need to be recreated in HubSpot.
- Email Sequences & Templates: Salesforce email templates won’t migrate automatically.
- Approval Processes: Salesforce deal approvals may require workflow-based alternatives in HubSpot.
Next Steps:
- Prioritize essential automations that need to be functional from day one.
- Develop a step-by-step process for rebuilding workflows and lead scoring models in HubSpot.
Step 5: Plan Your Migration Method Choose the Best Migration Strategy
Depending on your agency’s needs and the complexity of the client’s Salesforce setup, different migration approaches may be suitable.
Migration Methods:
- HubSpot’s Native Salesforce Integration: Best for ongoing data sync but not for historical migration.
- Third-Party Tools: Services like Import2, Trujay, or Insycle can help with structured data migration.
- Manual Export/Import: CSV file migration for simple data sets.
- Custom API Integration: Required for custom objects and complex relationships.
Next Steps:
- Assess if third-party tools or API integrations are required for a smooth migration.
- Define a strategy for handling custom objects and maintaining their relationships within HubSpot.
Step 6: Set Up HubSpot for Success
Before migrating, configure HubSpot to ensure a seamless transition.
- Pipelines & Deal Stages: Recreate Salesforce opportunity stages in HubSpot, ensuring alignment with your client’s sales process.
- Custom Properties: Define and configure custom properties that mirror essential Salesforce fields to maintain data consistency.
- Lead Scoring: Develop lead scoring models based on HubSpot’s methodology to prioritize prospects effectively.
- Workflows & Automations: Automate key tasks such as lead routing, deal progression, and follow-ups to streamline sales operations.
- Integrations & App Connections: Connect necessary third-party apps, such as marketing tools, analytics platforms, and customer support software, to create a seamless tech stack.
- Reports & Dashboards: Set up custom dashboards and reporting tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure transparency.
- User Permissions & Team Access: Configure user roles and permissions to match different team responsibilities, maintaining security and data integrity.
- Training & Onboarding: Develop a structured training program to help your client's team adapt to HubSpot’s interface and features quickly.
Next Steps:
- Assign a dedicated team to test and validate the migration process.
- Create a structured training plan to ensure client teams adapt smoothly to HubSpot.
Step 7: Validate and Test Your Migration
Before migrating all data, conduct a test migration with a small sample to verify accuracy.
Testing Checklist:
- Migrate a sample of contacts, companies, and deals.
- Test field mapping to ensure data accuracy.
- Validate automation functionality.
- Confirm that contacts link correctly to companies and deals.
Step 8: Execute and Monitor Your Migration
Once testing is successful, proceed with the full migration, ensuring all data is validated and workflows function as expected.
Final Steps:
- Perform the full migration.
- Validate all records, associations, and workflows.
- Train teams on HubSpot functionalities.
- Monitor for any data discrepancies.
Limitations and Manual Adjustments in Migration
Despite the available migration tools, some elements require manual recreation in HubSpot.
Data & Objects That Don’t Migrate:
- Custom Objects (Only standard objects like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets sync.)
- Salesforce’s Lead Object (HubSpot merges these into Contacts.)
- Campaign Data (Salesforce campaigns don’t transfer.)
- Task & Activity History (Emails, call logs, and activities won’t fully transfer.)
- Attachments & Files (Documents uploaded to Salesforce won’t sync.)
Automations & Workflows That Need Rebuilding:
- Salesforce Process Builder, Flows, and Workflow Rules
- Lead Scoring Models
- Approval Processes
Reports & Dashboards That Need Recreation:
- Salesforce Custom Reports & Dashboards
- Forecasting Tools
Conclusion
Migrating your agency clients from Salesforce to HubSpot can be a game-changer, but it requires careful planning. By defining clear migration goals, auditing and cleaning data, mapping objects correctly, and rebuilding key workflows, your agency can ensure a seamless transition. A well-executed migration sets your clients up for long-term success in HubSpot, unlocking the full potential of its powerful CRM and marketing automation features.
If you need expert assistance with your client’s migration, reach out to our team for guidance!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why should agencies migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot?
HubSpot is user-friendly, cost-effective, and integrates sales, marketing, and service tools into one platform, making it ideal for growing agencies.
2. What are the risks of migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot?
Potential data loss, workflow disruptions, and compatibility issues if the migration isn’t planned and executed carefully.
3. Can I migrate Salesforce contacts, deals, and activities to HubSpot?
Yes, but some data—like activity history, custom objects, and campaign data—may require manual migration or third-party tools.
4. Does HubSpot have all the same features as Salesforce?
While both are powerful CRMs, HubSpot focuses more on inbound marketing and ease of use, while Salesforce offers more customization for enterprise needs.
5. How long does a typical migration take?
A simple migration may take a few weeks, while complex migrations with custom objects and workflows can take months.
6. What tools can help with Salesforce to HubSpot migration?
Third-party tools like Trujay, Import2, and HubSpot’s native Salesforce integration can assist in data transfer.
7. Will I lose my Salesforce reports and dashboards?
Yes, they won’t transfer automatically. You’ll need to recreate them in HubSpot’s reporting system.
8. How do I ensure my team adapts to HubSpot after migration?
Provide training sessions, set up user permissions properly, and offer hands-on practice to ease the transition.
9. Can I run Salesforce and HubSpot simultaneously during migration?
Yes, some businesses run both CRMs in parallel for a smooth transition before fully switching.
10. Should I handle migration in-house or hire an expert?
For agencies with simple data structures, in-house may work. But for complex migrations, expert assistance can save time and prevent errors.