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3 min read Salestrics Team

CRM Data Import and Export: A Startup Migration Playbook

Every startup eventually faces the spreadsheet reckoning — or the “we are leaving HubSpot” weekend. CRM data import and export fails when teams treat CSV like a dump truck instead of a contract: column names nobody mapped, duplicates nobody caught, and a pipeline that looks full until reps discover half the contacts are stale. This playbook is for org admins using Admin → Data Import/Export to move data without breaking trust in the record graph.

When is it time to import instead of re-type?

When you have more than fifty records worth keeping — or a board date. Manual entry works for the first ten logos. It breaks when you inherit a founder’s Gmail contacts, export a trial CRM, or merge two lists from a conference. Import when the cost of typos and missing history exceeds an afternoon of mapping. Export when finance, investors, or a migration partner need a snapshot you can defend.

What should you prepare before upload?

A template, a owner, and a rollback story.

  1. Download the CSV template for the module you are importing — leads, contacts, accounts, or custom objects.
  2. Normalize columns in one sheet: one email per row, consistent country codes, no merged cells.
  3. Assign an import owner who knows which fields are required in your playbook.
  4. Run validation preview — fix errors before the background job starts.
  5. Map fields explicitly; do not assume “Company Name” in your export matches our label.

Salestrics runs imports as background jobs and emails on completion or failure — treat that email as your audit trail, not spam.

How do you handle duplicates?

Decide match rules before the job — not after reps complain. Email is the usual key for contacts; account name plus domain for companies; external ID if you are migrating from another CRM. Use duplicate detection in preview to see collisions. For merges, prefer updating existing records over creating parallel ghosts that pollute pipeline reports. Pair imports with a weekly pipeline review so bad data surfaces in week one, not quarter end.

What belongs in export?

Only what the recipient is allowed to see. Export for board prep is not export for a vendor RFP. Filter by module, respect finance permissions, and strip fields you would not paste in Slack. Built-in and custom org modules export through the same admin surface — useful when legal asks for a case history snapshot or when you are archiving before a module cleanup.

Common startup migration mistakes

  • Importing stages without definitions — map stages to your written qualification rules.
  • Dropping owners — every open opportunity needs a human owner on day one.
  • Ignoring mail history — contacts without threads feel cold; plan Threadmail separately if needed.
  • Skipping dry run — validation preview exists because undo is expensive.

Data Import/Export shipped in Changelog #11 alongside permission gates that keep finance exports admin-appropriate. If you are still on spreadsheets, read when startups leave spreadsheets before you schedule the job.