If you’re staring at two (or more) CRM systems and wondering how to get all that data into Membrain without breaking something—or losing your mind—you’re in the right place. This guide’s for sales ops, admins, and anyone who actually has to do the integration, not just talk about it in meetings.
No fluff. Just the steps, pitfalls, and a few “don’t even bother” warnings that can save you hours.
Why Integrate CRM Data into Membrain?
Let’s be clear: Membrain isn’t just another CRM. It’s built for complex B2B sales processes, so if you’re using it, you probably care about better pipeline management or coaching—not just hoarding contact info. Getting your old CRM data into Membrain is the first real step toward making it useful, not just pretty.
But data migrations are notorious for going sideways. Here’s how to keep your integration from becoming a horror story.
Step 1: Decide What Needs to Move (and What Doesn’t)
Don’t just copy everything. Most CRMs are full of junk: duplicate contacts, old deals, fields nobody remembers, and cryptic “custom” tags from 2017.
What’s worth moving: - Active opportunities and open deals - Key contacts with real info (not “Test Testerson”) - Current account details (company, status, owner) - Sales process stages or custom fields you still use
What’s usually safe to ignore: - Ancient, closed deals (unless you need them for reporting) - Outdated tasks, notes, or email logs - Fields no one’s touched in years
Pro tip: Run a quick “last modified” report in your old CRM. If you haven’t updated something in 18 months, it’s probably safe to leave behind.
Step 2: Clean Your Data Before You Move It
Migrating dirty data just means you’ll have a mess in two places. Fix it now—it’s a pain, but you’ll only have to do it once.
How to clean up: - Deduplicate contacts and companies. Nearly every CRM claims to do this, but nothing beats a manual review of the biggest offenders. - Standardize fields. If “Industry” is a dropdown in Membrain, but free text in your old CRM, you’ll need to map values (e.g., “Tech” vs “Technology”). - Purge obvious junk. Trash test records, empty accounts, and bounces.
What not to worry about (yet): - Perfect formatting on every field—Membrain can handle some mess, and you can tweak later. - Old activity logs. Unless you’re legally required to keep them, skip them for now.
Step 3: Map Your Fields Thoughtfully
Every CRM calls things by different names. What’s an “Opportunity” in Salesforce might be a “Deal” in Pipedrive and a “Project” somewhere else.
What you need to do: - Make a spreadsheet mapping old fields to new ones in Membrain. Be explicit. - Flag anything in your old CRM that doesn’t have a home in Membrain. Decide if you’ll create a custom field or drop it.
Example mapping:
| Old CRM Field | Membrain Field | Notes | |--------------------|---------------------|----------------------------| | Opportunity Name | Sales Project Name | Direct match | | Contact Owner | Stakeholder Owner | Needs matching user IDs | | Stage | Pipeline Stage | Map stages carefully | | Last Activity Date | Ignore | Not useful in Membrain |
Don’t get fancy: Keep the mapping simple. Resist the urge to build out every possible custom field “just in case.” You can always add more later.
Step 4: Choose Your Integration Approach
There’s no “one-click” solution (sorry), but you’ve got a few options:
Manual Import (CSV/Excel)
- Best for: One-time migrations, smaller datasets, or when you want full control.
- How: Export from your old CRM, clean up the spreadsheet, and use Membrain’s import tool.
- What works: Great for contacts, companies, and straightforward deal data.
- What doesn’t: Complex relationships (like linked activities, notes, or multi-level hierarchies) may not come over cleanly.
Watch out for: - Field mismatches (dates, dropdowns, user IDs) - Character limits and special characters - Import errors that don’t always explain why something failed
API Integration
- Best for: Ongoing syncs, big data sets, or if you need to keep systems in sync for a while.
- How: Use Membrain’s API and your old CRM’s API to build a connector (either in-house or with a developer/consultant).
- What works: Automated, repeatable, can handle custom logic.
- What doesn’t: Not quick. Requires technical chops or a budget for a dev.
Honest take: If you only need to move data once, don’t build an integration. If you must keep both systems running during a transition, API sync is the only sane way.
Third-Party Tools
- Best for: Common CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics) where integration platforms already exist.
- Examples: Zapier, Integromat (Make), custom middleware
- What works: Faster setup. Handles a lot of the heavy lifting.
- What doesn’t: Can get expensive. Not always perfect—edge cases may break.
Ignore: “Universal” import/export tools that promise to move everything perfectly. They never do.
Step 5: Test with Real Data—But Not All of It
Don’t do your first import with the full database. Pick a small, representative sample: a few accounts, open deals, and active contacts.
Why? - You’ll catch broken field mappings, weird formatting, and missing data. - You won’t have to wipe the whole database if something goes wrong.
Checklist for your test run: - Did all key fields come over correctly? - Are relationships (contacts to accounts, deals to companies) intact? - Does everything look right inside Membrain’s actual interface—not just in the import summary?
If you spot issues: Fix the mapping or data, re-export, and try again. Don’t move forward until you’re happy.
Step 6: Import Everything—and Keep a Backup
Once your test batch works, move the rest. Don’t delete your old CRM or spreadsheets until you’ve double-checked everything in Membrain.
Tips: - Import in chunks if possible, not all at once. Easier to spot and fix issues. - Assign ownership carefully. If you mess up user IDs, you’ll have “Unassigned” everything. - Document your steps (and mapping) so you can retrace if needed.
Reality check: There will be small things you miss. That’s normal. Just make sure you’re not missing anything critical.
Step 7: Set Up Ongoing Syncs (If You Need Them)
If you’re keeping the old CRM around for a while, set up a regular sync. But this is where things get tricky:
- Two-way syncs are hard. Data can drift, and conflicts are common. Avoid if you can.
- One-way syncs (old system → Membrain) are safer. New data all flows to Membrain; users work there.
- Manual double entry is a recipe for errors. Only do this as a last resort.
Best practice: Move everyone to Membrain as soon as possible. The longer you run two systems, the more headaches you’ll have.
Step 8: Train Your Team (and Expect Some Grumbling)
Even if the data’s perfect, your team will need to adjust. Show them where to find critical info, how to update records, and who to ask for help.
- Run a quick training session focused on day-to-day tasks, not every feature.
- Make a cheat sheet for field/term translations (e.g., “Deals” are now “Sales Projects”).
- Be patient—old habits die hard.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
1. Overcomplicating the mapping. You don’t need every custom field. Focus on what your team actually uses.
2. Ignoring data quality. Garbage in, garbage out. Clean first, import second.
3. Rushing the go-live. Test with real data, get feedback, then move the rest.
4. Skipping documentation. If something breaks or you need to redo the import, you’ll be glad you wrote it down.
5. Expecting a “magic button.” No tool will import everything perfectly. Plan for some manual cleanup.
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Go.
Data migration and integration are never perfect the first time. Get the essentials into Membrain, make sure your team can work, and improve from there. Every extra hour you spend cleaning up before the move will save you days later.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. And don’t try to migrate “just in case” data—you’ll never use it, and it just gets in the way. Move what matters, help your team get comfortable, and tweak as you learn.
Good luck—and keep it simple.