Salesforce to HubSpot migration, with the history your team relies on
We plan the move field by field, test it on a copy of your data, switch over on a quiet day and train your team. Salesforce stays readable until you're sure nothing is missing.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
What moves from Salesforce to HubSpot, and what doesn't?
Comes across as data
- Accounts become companies, and contacts stay contacts
- Leads become contacts, with a property that shows they were never converted
- Opportunities become deals, with contact roles kept as deal associations
- Cases become tickets, linked to the right company and contact
- Tasks, events, notes and logged emails land on each record's timeline
- Attachments and files, moved in a separate pass after the records
- Custom objects, if you have HubSpot Enterprise, loaded through HubSpot's API
Gets rebuilt or archived
- Flows, Process Builder, Apex triggers and approval processes get rebuilt as HubSpot workflows
- Reports and dashboards get rebuilt from the list your managers actually open
- Formula fields become HubSpot calculated properties
- Lookup fields become associations between records
- Field history tracking has no place to land, so it goes into an archive export
- Page layouts and record types become pipelines, views and property groups
Can't HubSpot's free tool do this?
For a simple account, partly. HubSpot's Smart Transfer tool moves accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, cases, activities, users and email templates from Salesforce. Attachments and campaign lists move as a one-time transfer. It comes with every HubSpot plan, and only a Super Admin can run it.
We plan around its limits. HubSpot says it doesn't move custom objects, and it skips Salesforce's reference and calculated fields. Custom field mappings need a Data Hub subscription. HubSpot also warns that running Smart Transfer next to the HubSpot-Salesforce integration creates duplicate records. We use Smart Transfer where it fits and load the rest through the API, so one tool's gaps don't become your gaps.
Salesforce pitfalls we plan for
The failed moves we're asked to fix usually broke in one of these places.
Leads and contacts get counted twice
Salesforce keeps unconverted leads apart from contacts. HubSpot has one contact record. If you import converted leads and their contacts, you get two copies of the same person. We match on email first and decide with you which old leads are worth bringing.
HubSpot leads aren't Salesforce leads
Every HubSpot lead has to be tied to a contact. Remove that link and HubSpot deletes the lead. It works as a to-do list for reaching people already in your database. Old Salesforce leads become contacts, and we set up HubSpot leads only if your reps will work them.
Record types hide separate processes
One Salesforce object with three record types usually means three sales processes. In HubSpot that's often three deal pipelines. We find this in the audit, not on switchover day.
The export window is short
Salesforce's weekly data export is only in Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions. Other editions export every 29 days. The zip files are deleted 48 hours after Salesforce emails you. Tick the boxes for images, documents, attachments and Salesforce Files, or the export leaves them out.
An earlier attempt left a mess
One client came to us after an earlier move had left gaps and fields that didn't match. Fixing a half-done move starts with a fresh export and a field-by-field compare.
Five steps from Salesforce to HubSpot
Every move runs the same way. The time each step takes depends on how much data you have and how many custom objects and automations need rebuilding.
Stage 1: Count what you have
We list every object, field, automation, report and connected app in Salesforce, and how full each field is.
We pull fill rates for every field, find the record types and see which Flows still fire. We also list everything plugged into Salesforce, like web forms, phone systems and your accounting or ERP system.
You get An inventory that shows what to bring, what to rebuild and what to leave behind.
Stage 2: Map each field to its new home
Each Salesforce field gets a HubSpot property, an association, or a note saying it stays behind.
Picklist values get matched one by one. Owners get matched to HubSpot users. Lookups turn into associations, and formulas become calculated properties. You sign off on the map before any data moves.
You get A field map you can read, with every decision written down.
Stage 3: Run the whole move on a test account
We move all your data into a HubSpot sandbox or test account and check it against Salesforce.
We compare record counts object by object and spot-check deals your reps know by heart. Your team clicks through accounts they know and flags anything that looks wrong. We fix the map and run it again until the numbers match.
You get A test report with counts, gaps and fixes.
Stage 4: Switch over on a quiet day
We freeze Salesforce, run the final move, check it and reconnect your other tools to HubSpot.
We take a full backup first. The freeze usually covers an evening or a weekend. Afterward, forms, phones, email and your back-office systems point at HubSpot, and Salesforce stays read-only so anyone can look things up.
You get Your team working in HubSpot on Monday, with nothing left behind by accident.
Stage 5: Train the team on their own deals
Short sessions by role, using your pipeline and your records.
Reps learn their daily views and tasks. Managers learn the dashboards that replaced their Salesforce reports. On one recent move, the team had three sessions, and managers got deal and rep activity dashboards.
You get A team that uses HubSpot, plus written notes for new hires.
How do you keep downtime short and data safe?
Your team keeps selling in Salesforce until the night we switch. Only the final move needs a freeze, and we plan it for the quietest window you have. Anything entered during the test period gets picked up in the final run.
Before the final run, we take a full Salesforce export with files and keep it with you. Records move over encrypted connections, with only the access the job needs. After the switch, we keep Salesforce read-only until the team has worked a full sales cycle in HubSpot. Check your Salesforce renewal date early, and leave about a month of overlap.
What we need from you
- A Salesforce login with admin rights, and a HubSpot Super Admin login
- Your Salesforce renewal date, so the switch lands before it
- One person who knows how deals really move, for about an hour a week
- The reports and dashboards your managers open every week
- A list of tools connected to Salesforce, like forms, phones and your accounting or ERP system
- Decisions on old data, such as how far back closed deals and dead leads should go
A manufacturer we moved off Salesforce
A custom power systems manufacturer came to us after an earlier move had left gaps and mismatched fields. Salesforce is now retired, and its sales team works from one HubSpot system tied to the ERP.
Still deciding whether to leave Salesforce?
This page assumes you've decided to move. If you haven't, start with our HubSpot vs Salesforce comparison, which covers when Salesforce is the better tool. Two red flags come up most often on migration calls. The first is a Salesforce contract with years left and little day-to-day pain. Paying for two CRMs to fix a small problem rarely adds up.
The second is reps who skip steps. If they skip steps in Salesforce, they'll skip them in HubSpot too. A Friction Point Analysis shows whether the process or the software is costing you time, before you spend money on a move.
Salesforce to HubSpot migration questions
Can we keep Salesforce running while we test HubSpot?
Yes. The test move goes into a separate HubSpot sandbox or test account, so your team keeps working in Salesforce. Anything they add in the meantime gets picked up in the final run.
Do we need HubSpot Enterprise to leave Salesforce?
Only if you need custom objects or some advanced permissions. Many companies move standard records and activities into Professional plans. The audit shows whether your custom objects can become regular properties or truly need their own object.
What happens to our Salesforce reports and dashboards?
They don't move, because reports are built on Salesforce's own data model. We rebuild the ones your managers actually use as HubSpot reports and dashboards.
Can you fix a Salesforce move someone else started?
Yes. We start with a fresh Salesforce export, compare it field by field with what's in HubSpot, and fix the gaps and duplicates. That's how one of our recent Salesforce moves started.
Do you clean the data before the move or after?
Before. Merging duplicates and dropping empty fields is cheaper in Salesforce than after the data lands in HubSpot. We clean during field mapping and check again in the test run.
Is HubSpot's Smart Transfer tool enough on its own?
For a small account with only standard objects, it can be. It doesn't move custom objects or Salesforce's reference and calculated fields, and custom field mappings need Data Hub. We use it where it fits and fill the gaps through the API.
Related
More in HubSpot migrations
Send us your Salesforce field count
Tell us roughly how many objects, fields and Flows you have. We'll tell you what a move looks like and what we'd leave behind.