How to Migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot Without Losing Data

Introduction: Why Migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot?

A move from one CRM platform to another is never a light decision. Nonetheless, many organizations are rethinking their systems and opting for a Salesforce to HubSpot migration. The general reasons are easy to sum up: HubSpot offers a more intuitive interface, reduced costs, and all-in-one functionality that helps unify sales, marketing, and service teams under a single platform.

With that said, Salesforce remains a powerful CRM. Large enterprise organizations with deep customization needs may benefit from its intricate and robust suite of features. On the other hand, businesses like small to midsize manufacturers or scaling B2B organizations may find that this complexity often outweighs its benefits. Licensing fees, reliance on third-party integrations, and ongoing admin costs can strain resources.

HubSpot, by contrast, delivers a streamlined system built for growth. Did you know that HubSpot Marketing Hub customers report a 505% return on investment over three years? Businesses that migrate simultaneously simplify their CRM stack and unlock new opportunities to better align teams and scale more efficiently.

Cost and Complexity of Salesforce

Salesforce offers nearly endless customization, but that flexibility comes with trade-offs. Many companies spend heavily on dedicated admins or external consultants just to keep the system running smoothly. When licensing, plugins, and overhead are factored in, Salesforce becomes a costly — and often overbuilt — solution.

HubSpot’s All-in-One Simplicity

HubSpot provides a marketing, sales, and service ecosystem in one place, which eliminates the need to stitch together multiple tools or plugins. Things like out-of-the-box automations, built-in analytics, and intuitive workflows all act to reduce dependency on IT teams and accelerate adoption.

When It Makes Sense to Switch

According to a Capterra business survey, the top cited benefits of CRM software are increased sales (32%), an easily maintained contact database (24%), and customer retention (21%). If sales are too complicated, the contact database has been challenging to maintain, and customers are noticing the friction in your system…it may be time to switch.

Companies most likely to benefit from a Salesforce HubSpot migration include:

• Startups and SMBs who are frustrated with Salesforce’s cost and complexity.
• Growing businesses that need seamless integration of marketing and sales.
• Teams seeking faster deployment that does not depend on heavy technical support.

✔️ Pre-Migration Checklist: What Manufacturers Need to Do First

Like any major system change, preparation is half the battle. A successful Salesforce to HubSpot migration requires careful planning to safeguard your data integrity and keep downtime low while you set a strong foundation for user adoption.

Here’s a pre-migration checklist to guide your team before moving a single record.

✅ Conduct a Full CRM Audit

Start with a complete review of your Salesforce instance. Document:

• Which objects (contacts, accounts, deals, tasks) are actively in use.
• Custom fields or modules that impact operations.
• Reporting dependencies that need to be replicated in HubSpot.

This audit helps determine what’s truly business-critical and avoids transferring unused or irrelevant data.

✅ Identify Critical Data and Custom Objects

Not all Salesforce data actually needs to move. Decide which records are essential, such as active deals, open cases, and high-value accounts. Identify custom objects unique to your processes — whether that’s product-specific fields, industry tags, or custom lifecycle stages — and plan for how they’ll translate to HubSpot properties.

✅ Map User Roles and Permissions

Salesforce and HubSpot handle permissions differently. Before migration, map out your current user roles and determine how they’ll look in HubSpot. This is to make doubly sure that sales, marketing, and service teams all maintain the right level of access from day one.

✅ Clean Up and De-duplicate Salesforce Records

A CRM migration is the perfect opportunity to perform data hygiene. Eliminate duplicates. Standardize naming conventions. Purge outdated or incomplete records. CRM expert Bastian Hammer lists all of these among the most common issues in migration projects in his CRM Data Migration Best Practices video (view below!). This housekeeping step prevents clutter in HubSpot and gives your team a clean, accurate database to start with in the new system.

Step-by-Step Salesforce to HubSpot Migration Process

Your migration from Salesforce to HubSpot is not so simple as exporting spreadsheets and uploading them into the new system. It will require a more structured, phased approach to maintain data security while keeping disruptions to a minimum. 

Here’s a breakdown of the five key steps:

1. Export Salesforce Data

The first step is to gather your data. Salesforce allows you to export objects — such as contacts, accounts, opportunities, and tasks — via CSV files. Before exporting, create a “legacy ID” field for each record. This is so that you can trace back and validate records in HubSpot later, if needed.

2. Map Fields and Custom Objects

Salesforce and HubSpot use different data models, so direct mapping isn’t always one-to-one. Identify which Salesforce fields match HubSpot’s default properties and create new custom properties in HubSpot where needed. For example:

• Salesforce “Accounts” map to HubSpot “Companies.”
• Salesforce “Opportunities” map to HubSpot “Deals.”

3. Use HubSpot Import Tools or API

HubSpot provides multiple import paths:

• CSV Import for straightforward data sets.
• HubSpot-Salesforce Connector for real-time syncing during migration.
• API or third-party tools (like SyncMatters or Import2) for large or complex migrations.

The method you should choose will depend on a combination of your data size, customization level, and available technical resources. 

On the lower end of those factors, CSV is fine. HubSpot-Salesforce Connector is a likely go-to for businesses who have built out a meaningful data presence in Salesforce and have the resources available to run and monitor the standard tool. APIs and external tools should only be absolutely necessary for especially large migrations, though some teams prefer them to manual methods even on smaller ones.

4. Validate Imported Data

After importing, validate a sample set of records before committing fully. Check:

• Record counts match between systems.
• Associations (e.g., contacts tied to companies or deals) remain intact.
• Key fields like email, phone, and pipeline stages display correctly.

It should only take a spot check to notice categorical or field-mapping misalignments that will require you to set up the import differently and try again.

5. Migrate Automation, Workflows, and Reports

Data isn’t the only asset you’ll need to move. Recreate Salesforce workflows as HubSpot workflows so that the logic aligns with HubSpot’s automation framework. Do the same for lead scoring, reports, and dashboards. This step is more time-consuming but critical for business continuity.

Tools and Platforms That Can Simplify the Migration

While manual exports and imports can work, specialized tools can significantly reduce complexity and errors. Here are a few options:

• HubSpot Data Sync: Best for smaller businesses with simpler needs. Provides real-time syncing between Salesforce and HubSpot during migration.
• SyncMatters (the strategic 2024 merger of Trujay + IntegrateHQ): A widely used platform offering automated migrations, free sample migrations, and field-mapping customization. Great for companies with mid-sized datasets.
• Import2: Useful for moving both data and relationships (contacts, companies, deals). Known for its simple interface and relatively fast turnaround.
• Custom API Solutions: Ideal for enterprises with unique workflows or heavy customizations. Allows tailored data mapping and large-volume transfers.

Each option varies in cost and complexity. Automated tools save time and reduce risk but may require investment; manual methods cost less but increase the chance of errors.

Common Migration Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the right tools, CRM migrations are prone to pitfalls. Avoid these mistakes to keep your project on track.

Forgetting to Back Up Salesforce

Before you touch a single record, back up your Salesforce instance. A complete export ensures you have a recovery option if data gets corrupted or lost in transit.

Poor Field Mapping and Data Loss

Mismatched or incomplete field mapping leads to missing information in HubSpot. Double-check every property and test small batches before migrating the full database.

Not Testing the Import Before Full Launch

Skipping test imports is risky. Always run a pilot migration with a subset of data to catch issues early.

Overlooking Training and Onboarding

Data alone won’t guarantee success. If your team isn’t trained on HubSpot’s tools, adoption will lag. Plan onboarding sessions and role-based training before go-live.

Post-Migration Optimization Tips for HubSpot

Okay, so your data is in HubSpot. This is still only the beginning. To truly maximize the value of your new CRM, you’ll need to optimize it for daily use and long-term growth.

Rebuild and Automate Key Workflows

HubSpot’s workflow engine is powerful, but its logic differs from Salesforce flows. Recreate lead routing, deal stage progression, and nurture workflows. Automate repetitive tasks to free up sales and marketing teams for higher-value work.

Set Up Dashboards and Sales Pipelines

Rebuild reporting dashboards to reflect your business goals. HubSpot dashboards can pull in real-time performance data from marketing, sales, and service hubs, giving leadership one unified view. Don’t forget to set up pipelines for deals and tickets to maintain operational continuity.

Verify Lead Scoring and Lifecycle Stages

Check that migrated lead scoring rules translate correctly into HubSpot. Validate lifecycle stages to ensure prospects and customers are segmented accurately. This prevents leads from falling through the cracks during the transition.

Train Your Team on the New System

Even with a smooth migration, user adoption determines success. Train each role — sales, marketing, customer success — on how to navigate HubSpot, manage records, and use automation. Encourage feedback so workflows can be refined.

Salesforce vs. HubSpot: Side-by-Side Feature Comparison

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of options and features on today’s CRM market. After all, CRM software has been the largest software market in the world since 2017. Strip the comparison down to essentials for an easier call. 

If you’re still weighing both systems, here’s a quick reference on how they stack up:

How Market Veep Can Help You Migrate Seamlessly

A Salesforce to HubSpot migration is rooted in moving data, but it’s also about setting up your business for scalable growth. 

A DIY approach can put big obstacles in your way. According to Gartner, 83% of data migration projects either fail or exceed their budgets and schedules. This is often because of issues with data loss, poor planning, human errors, and other oversights. Success is much easier to come by when you have expert help. Don’t go it alone.

At Market Veep, we specialize in helping organizations like yours migrate with confidence.

Personalized CRM Migration Strategy

We work with you to evaluate your Salesforce instance and scope the migration. Then, we create a roadmap tailored to your data and business goals.

HubSpot Onboarding and Optimization

From pipelines to workflows, we configure HubSpot to fit your processes. Our team ensures you start strong from day one.

Ongoing Training and Support

User adoption makes or breaks CRM projects. We provide live training, documentation, and support to ensure your team feels confident in HubSpot.

Custom Reporting and Automation Setups

Need custom dashboards or advanced workflows? We build them so your marketing, sales, and service teams can maximize HubSpot’s full potential.

Final Thoughts

A Salesforce HubSpot migration can be a truly strategic investment. Organizations take the leap to simplify their CRMs, empower teams, and scale the business more easily. Careful preparation and forethought about common pitfalls can help you achieve a smooth transition. After the migration is complete, all it takes is a little HubSpot optimization to set the stage for measurable growth.

If you’d rather not go it alone, Market Veep is here to guide you every step of the way!