When I import my CSV file for companies, the contacts and email are a default property but when the company is imported, there is no contact associated with the company even though it's in the CSV file.
After chatting with @wademak we found out what the challenge was...
Here's a detailed set of instructions for importing associated Contacts and Companies when they have similar emails and/or domain names.
Importing Contacts and Companies with multiple branches/offices
In the HubSpot CRM if you have "Automatically create and associate companies with contacts." turned on then HubSpot will try and help you - which is not always what we want. HubSpot will associate companies based on email address and domain, plus it will de-duplicate based on domain.
You can opt-out, or exclude, a domain so HubSpot will stop trying to associate the contacts and companies (in our example below you would exclude example.com).
So, if you have multiple branches with the same, or similar domain names they could end up all in the same company.
Here's a really simple example (you may have lots more properties you want to import):
If you import this file normally you would end up with five people in the same company.
Here's how to import them as separate companies and contacts associated with each company.
Check your data - a sanity check now could save lots of pain later.
Save your data as a CSV twice - exactly the same file - one named Contacts.csv and one named Companies.csv
Import your contacts into HubSpot: Contacts > Import (button top right).
Click Start and Import (button top right)
What would you like to Import? Choose File from computer. Then click Next.
How many files are you importing? Choose Multiple files with Associations. Then click Next.
Select the objects you's like to import and associate. Choose Contacts and Companies. Then click Next.
Upload your files. Choose and upload a file for Contacts and a choose and upload a file for Companies. (Yes, we know it's the same file but HubSpot doesn't). Then click Next.
How to associate your data. In the select list choose Unique ID. You will now be asked "Which object is Unique ID the unique key for?" choose Contacts. Then click Next.
Mapcolumns in your file to contact properties.
If you've named your columns, with a header row, this should be easy.
For each column map "Column Header From File" to corresponding "HubSpot Property".
For "Unique ID" choose "Don't import column" at the bottom of the pop-up. Once you've mapped all the fields you want to include then click Next.
Map columns in your file to company properties.
Now we repeat the mapping for the companies. You don't want discard the "Unique ID" so select "Don't import column".
You won't need "Frstname", "Lastname" and "email" in your Company so choose "Don't import column".
You do want to map "Company Name" and "Website" so map them and any other properties you want to import. Then click Next.
WARNING: you want to map the "Website" to the "Website URL" NOT the "Domain" otherwise HubSpot will glue them all into one company.
Name your import with a sensible name so you know which import it is. Confirm you have permission to import these Contacts and Companies. Then click Next.
Repeat the selection for the second file - choose Unique ID. Then click Next.
Cross your fingers... you will see a message saying HubSpot is importing your Contacts and Companies.
If you have lots of companies this may take some time... you will receive an email, and an alert, when the contacts and companies are imported.
Double check your Contacts and Companies have imported successfully. You will see, on the import screen, your import - which you named sensibly. Hover over the row and you will see View Contacts or Companies.
Important: just because it worked doesn't mean it worked - you need to double check.
Now you can relax...
Notes:
One spreadsheet to rule them all. If you have everything in one sheet your life will be easier - less likely to get errors trying to link things across multiple sheets.
If you think this is tricky then you should have tried the old way - what a nightmare - thank you HubSpot for making this sooooo much easier.
I prefer exporting to CSV so Excel is not trying to "help me".
Always use column headers in your import file - and name them the same as your HubSpot CRM Properties - it will make life much easier.
UPDATE
This ended up being an essay... then I wrote a more comprehensive version (with pictures) on our blog:
After chatting with @wademak we found out what the challenge was...
Here's a detailed set of instructions for importing associated Contacts and Companies when they have similar emails and/or domain names.
Importing Contacts and Companies with multiple branches/offices
In the HubSpot CRM if you have "Automatically create and associate companies with contacts." turned on then HubSpot will try and help you - which is not always what we want. HubSpot will associate companies based on email address and domain, plus it will de-duplicate based on domain.
You can opt-out, or exclude, a domain so HubSpot will stop trying to associate the contacts and companies (in our example below you would exclude example.com).
So, if you have multiple branches with the same, or similar domain names they could end up all in the same company.
Here's a really simple example (you may have lots more properties you want to import):
If you import this file normally you would end up with five people in the same company.
Here's how to import them as separate companies and contacts associated with each company.
Check your data - a sanity check now could save lots of pain later.
Save your data as a CSV twice - exactly the same file - one named Contacts.csv and one named Companies.csv
Import your contacts into HubSpot: Contacts > Import (button top right).
Click Start and Import (button top right)
What would you like to Import? Choose File from computer. Then click Next.
How many files are you importing? Choose Multiple files with Associations. Then click Next.
Select the objects you's like to import and associate. Choose Contacts and Companies. Then click Next.
Upload your files. Choose and upload a file for Contacts and a choose and upload a file for Companies. (Yes, we know it's the same file but HubSpot doesn't). Then click Next.
How to associate your data. In the select list choose Unique ID. You will now be asked "Which object is Unique ID the unique key for?" choose Contacts. Then click Next.
Mapcolumns in your file to contact properties.
If you've named your columns, with a header row, this should be easy.
For each column map "Column Header From File" to corresponding "HubSpot Property".
For "Unique ID" choose "Don't import column" at the bottom of the pop-up. Once you've mapped all the fields you want to include then click Next.
Map columns in your file to company properties.
Now we repeat the mapping for the companies. You don't want discard the "Unique ID" so select "Don't import column".
You won't need "Frstname", "Lastname" and "email" in your Company so choose "Don't import column".
You do want to map "Company Name" and "Website" so map them and any other properties you want to import. Then click Next.
WARNING: you want to map the "Website" to the "Website URL" NOT the "Domain" otherwise HubSpot will glue them all into one company.
Name your import with a sensible name so you know which import it is. Confirm you have permission to import these Contacts and Companies. Then click Next.
Repeat the selection for the second file - choose Unique ID. Then click Next.
Cross your fingers... you will see a message saying HubSpot is importing your Contacts and Companies.
If you have lots of companies this may take some time... you will receive an email, and an alert, when the contacts and companies are imported.
Double check your Contacts and Companies have imported successfully. You will see, on the import screen, your import - which you named sensibly. Hover over the row and you will see View Contacts or Companies.
Important: just because it worked doesn't mean it worked - you need to double check.
Now you can relax...
Notes:
One spreadsheet to rule them all. If you have everything in one sheet your life will be easier - less likely to get errors trying to link things across multiple sheets.
If you think this is tricky then you should have tried the old way - what a nightmare - thank you HubSpot for making this sooooo much easier.
I prefer exporting to CSV so Excel is not trying to "help me".
Always use column headers in your import file - and name them the same as your HubSpot CRM Properties - it will make life much easier.
UPDATE
This ended up being an essay... then I wrote a more comprehensive version (with pictures) on our blog:
When you import the Contact and Companies do your contacts have email addresses with the same domain name as the Company?
For example if you import a Contact with the emailwademak@example.com and you have a Company with the domaincompany.com then HubSpot can automatically associate the contact to the company (doesn't work with Gmail, Hotmail, etc.).
One gotcha - with automatic association - you may end up with HubSpot guessing when it doesn't know the email and associating the Contact with a local ISP (Internet Service Provider).
If you are importing Contacts and Companies then HubSpot now lets you great associations on import - lifesaver!
Check out "2. Import objects with associations" on this page:
Thanks Mike, I appreciate the feedback. Is it just me or is it overly complicated to get your contacts into Hubspot?
I did figure out what I was doing wrong, I needed to import seperate Company and Contacts spreadsheets.
Is there no way to associate a specific contact with a specific company on 1 spreadsheet? My issue now is that I have a realestate client with multiple locations with different names. However, each contacts email address are the same and link to the corporate URL so they get associated with the overall corporate company and not the specific loctation. If I import the contacs seperately, they all link to the head office.
I did a trial run before it imported and it's asking me the property of the unique id column. Is it a company or contact property and what property is it?
Thanks again Mike, this is helpful. My next question is how do I set up a Trail? Portal so I don't mess up my current database.
To answer your question, my data is currently in multiple CSV files as I've been trying different ways to import and associate contacts.
My problem is that my contacts emails get associated with the corporate head office not the different locations they are in because they all end the same. I need to directly associate each contact with each location.