Case Study:

From Chaos to Clarity: How a 40-Year-Old Data Nightmare Became a HubSpot Success Story

October 2016 – April 2017

Build. Work. Deliver. by Teajai

Client Overview
A long-standing business with over 40 years of customer data housed in Goldmine—an outdated contact management system based on an Access framework and hosted locally—faced significant challenges in maintaining accurate, usable data.

Overview:

Goldmine was poorly managed, with inconsistencies such as states being both spelled out (e.g., “Ohio”) and abbreviated (e.g., “OH”), and phone numbers with and without area codes (e.g., “555-1234” vs. “614-555-1234”). The client recognized the need for a modern, cloud-based CRM and chose HubSpot for its usability, reporting, and customization features.

Migrating from Goldmine to HubSpot

The Challenge:

Migrating decades of data from a firmware-based, locally hosted system to a cloud-based platform was no small task. The data was inconsistent, fields were not standardized, and the system’s usability had long been a pain point for staff. Ensuring that the data migration was clean, structured, and ultimately useful in HubSpot required a methodical approach

The Approach:

The migration process began with documenting the most important objects and properties within Goldmine. A detailed mapping plan was created to determine where each data point would “live” in HubSpot. The analogy used with the client was: “Migrating data is like moving houses. Your food and dishes still go in the kitchen, but they may end up in different cabinets.”

Throughout the migration, communication was key. Understanding that moving 40 years of business data was daunting, the client was kept informed at every stage—what data would move, how it would move, and why each decision was made. Transparency helped ease the client’s concerns and fostered trust in the process.

Early in the process, leadership buy-in was established to drive urgency for change. A core team was formed to guide the migration, and a shared vision was created to align goals. Quick wins, such as early reports from small data sets and contact list improvements, were celebrated to build momentum. The success of these smaller milestones encouraged staff and leadership to continue supporting the broader migration. Progress was reinforced with regular check-ins and training sessions, ensuring the change took root.

Customization for Future Usefulness:

A significant pain point in Goldmine was the lack of standardization in job titles, which impacted marketing segmentation. In Goldmine, users could type any title, resulting in variations like “CEO,” “Chief Executive Officer,” and “C.E.O.” In HubSpot, a custom property was created to assign contacts to one of four specific job title categories, enabling accurate segmentation. This replaced the free-text job title field from Goldmine, reducing inconsistencies and making the data more useful for future marketing and sales efforts.

Training and Adoption:

Transitioning staff to HubSpot required thoughtful training, especially given resistance from those accustomed to the old system. However, once users saw how easy it was to manage contacts and deals in HubSpot, adoption increased rapidly. The team appreciated the intuitive interface and began using the CRM more consistently and effectively.

Results

HubSpot’s robust reporting features became a favorite among leadership, providing a reliable single source of truth for sales activity. One year post-migration, the team had fully adopted HubSpot, and leadership noted improved productivity, better decision-making, and increased revenue. The investment in a clean, strategic migration paid off in streamlined workflows and actionable insights.

Conclusion

Migrating from Goldmine to HubSpot transformed an outdated, unwieldy database into a powerful CRM solution. Through meticulous planning, early wins, consistent communication, customization, and staff training, the client was able to unlock the full potential of their data, empowering their team and driving business growth.

Key Takeaways

• Plan Before You Migrate: Document critical data and design a clear roadmap to ensure every piece of information has a proper place in the new system.
• Clean Data Matters: Inconsistent fields like varied state abbreviations and incomplete phone numbers must be standardized for effective use.
• Customization Adds Value: Creating custom properties, such as standardized job titles, ensures data remains useful and supports future marketing efforts.
• Communication Builds Trust: Keeping stakeholders informed at every step reduces anxiety and fosters confidence in the transition.
• Training Drives Adoption: Investing in user training helps overcome resistance and ensures the new system is fully utilized.
• Reporting Fuels Growth: Reliable reporting allows leadership to make informed decisions that boost productivity and revenue.

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