If you’ve spent hours building a perfect lead list in Uplead, the last thing you want is to lose data or end up with a tangled mess in your CRM. This guide is for anyone who wants those fresh Uplead contacts to land in their CRM as cleanly as possible—whether you’re in sales ops, a founder doing your own grunt work, or just the “techy” one on your team.
Here’s how to export leads from Uplead to your CRM without losing your mind (or your data).
Step 1: Get Your Lead List Straight in Uplead
Before you even think about exporting, double-check your list in Uplead. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Review for Duplicates: Uplead has built-in duplicate detection, but don’t assume it catches everything. Quick visual scans help.
- Standardize Fields: Make sure names, company info, and emails are clean and consistent. Fix weird capitalization or placeholder text.
- Tag/Segment: If your CRM uses tags or custom fields, add these in Uplead before you export. It’s easier than doing it after.
Pro Tip: If you’re planning regular exports, create a naming convention for your lists (“Q2 SaaS Prospects,” “2024 Event Leads”) so you’re not guessing what’s what later.
Step 2: Pick the Right Export Format
Uplead lets you export leads as CSV or Excel files. For most CRMs, CSV is the safest bet.
- CSV is universal. Every CRM on earth can handle a CSV.
- Excel can cause trouble. Hidden formatting, stray formulas, or weird date fields can break imports.
- Check CRM docs. Some CRMs (like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho) have specific requirements—column headers, required fields, max file size.
What to ignore: Uplead offers direct integrations with a few CRMs, but these are often unreliable or limited. Unless you know it works for your setup (and you’ve tested it), stick to manual export/import.
Step 3: Map Your Fields BEFORE Importing
This is where most data gets lost. Field mapping means making sure “First Name” in Uplead becomes “First Name” in your CRM—not “Full Name” or something equally useless.
- Open your CRM’s import template. Most CRMs offer a sample CSV with the exact columns they want.
- Compare with your Uplead export. Are the columns named the same? Are required fields present?
- Rename columns as needed. Do this in Excel or Google Sheets. Don’t just hope the CRM will figure it out.
- Add missing columns. If your CRM requires a field you don’t have (like “Lead Source”), add it now—even if it’s just a default value.
Common fields to double-check: - First Name / Last Name (sometimes CRMs want these split) - Company - Email - Phone - Job Title - Website - Tags / Custom Fields
Pro Tip: Save your mapped template. Next time, you can copy-paste new data in and save a ton of time.
Step 4: Clean Up the Data—Seriously
Even if it looks fine, data from any source (including Uplead) can have quirks that will ruin your CRM import.
- Strip extra spaces: Leading or trailing spaces can break duplicate detection.
- Fix phone numbers: Standardize formats. E.164 (+1-xxx-xxx-xxxx) is safest.
- Watch for commas: In CSV files, a stray comma can shift columns. Wrap values in quotes if needed.
- Check for special characters: Emojis, weird apostrophes, or non-standard characters can cause import errors.
Quick test: Import your file into Google Contacts or another “dumb” system first. If it breaks there, it’ll break in your CRM.
Step 5: Do a Test Import (Don’t Skip This)
Never import your whole list at once the first time. Pick 5-10 sample leads and import them as a test.
- See where data lands. Are names in the right place? Did you lose any fields?
- Check for duplicates. Does your CRM recognize existing leads, or are you creating messy duplicates?
- Look for weirdness. Sometimes you’ll see blank fields, broken phone numbers, or odd symbols. Fix now, not later.
If the test import looks good, you’re clear to move on. If not, fix your file and try again.
Step 6: Import the Full List
Follow your CRM’s import process to bring in the full cleaned, mapped file.
- Choose the right import type: “Add new only” vs. “Update existing” can make a big difference.
- Match fields carefully: If your CRM lets you review field mappings one last time, do it. This is your last chance to catch mistakes.
- Monitor progress: Some CRMs will email you if imports fail, others just drop errors quietly. Check the results.
Heads up: Big lists (thousands of leads) can take a while. Don’t refresh or close your browser if your CRM warns you not to.
Step 7: Spot-Check and Clean Up in the CRM
The job’s not done until you’ve checked the actual data in your CRM.
- Randomly sample leads: Click into 5-10 records. Does the data look right?
- Search for duplicates: Some CRMs generate a report of potential duplicates after import.
- Check custom fields/tags: If you added tags or custom properties, make sure they’re showing up.
If you spot issues: - Use your CRM’s bulk edit or delete tools. - Don’t be afraid to wipe and re-import if you’ve made a big mistake. Better now than later.
Step 8: Set Up a Repeatable System
If you’ll be doing this often, make it easy on yourself:
- Save your field-mapping template.
- Document your process. Just a quick Google Doc with the steps for your CRM.
- Automate only when you trust it. Uplead’s direct integrations or third-party tools (like Zapier) can work, but test thoroughly with small batches before trusting them with real data.
What to skip: Don’t waste time with “AI data cleaning” tools or fancy import apps unless you’re dealing with truly massive lists. For most teams, a spreadsheet and a sharp eye are faster and safer.
What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t)
Works: - Clean, mapped CSVs and manual spot checks. - Test imports. Always. - Having a rollback plan (so you can undo mistakes).
Doesn’t work: - Blindly trusting direct integrations without testing. - Rushing the import step and hoping for the best. - Ignoring field mapping differences—every CRM is a little different.
Keep It Simple (And Don’t Stress)
Exporting leads from Uplead to your CRM isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to screw up if you rush. Take the extra minute to clean up your data, do a test import, and double-check your fields. If you keep your process simple, document what works, and fix small mistakes before they become big ones, you’ll save yourself a ton of headaches.
Iterate as you go. The more you do this, the less painful it gets. And if something goes sideways? Don’t panic—just clean up, tweak your process, and try again.