How to Choose a Salesforce to HubSpot Migration Consultant
The skills, questions and red flags that separate a good Salesforce to HubSpot migration consultant from one who just copies fields across.
Hire someone who knows Salesforce and HubSpot equally well, who audits what you actually use before mapping anything, and who stays with you through cutover and the first weeks after go-live. Before you sign, ask them to walk you through how they would plan your data mapping and your cutover. For most 10 to 50 person sales teams, the right fit is a senior consultant who does the work personally, not a team you meet after the contract is signed.
I do Salesforce to HubSpot migrations for growing sales teams, so I'm biased. Here is what I'd look for if I were on the other side of the table.
Why a migration is a different hire from a HubSpot setup
A HubSpot implementation starts with an empty portal. A migration starts with years of Salesforce decisions: custom objects, validation rules, flows, Apex, reports your leadership checks every Monday, and integrations wired into all of it.
A consultant who only knows HubSpot will miss what Salesforce was quietly doing in the background. A consultant who only knows Salesforce will try to rebuild Salesforce inside HubSpot, and that is how teams end up with a HubSpot portal nobody likes. You need someone who can read the old system and design for the new one. If you're hiring for a fresh HubSpot setup instead, my post on how to choose a HubSpot consultant is the better guide.
What to look for
- Real depth on both platforms. Ask how they would handle one of your Salesforce custom objects in HubSpot. A strong answer weighs the options (a custom object, a separate pipeline, or a set of properties) and mentions which HubSpot edition each option needs.
- An audit before a mapping. The first step should be finding out which fields, objects and automations your team actually uses. Most orgs carry a lot of fields nobody has touched in years. I wrote about the decisions to make before moving a single record.
- A plan for history. Activities, emails, notes, closed deals and attachments each need a decision: move it, archive it, or leave it behind. A consultant who says "we'll move everything" hasn't looked yet.
- Rebuilding automation, not translating it. Salesforce flows and Apex don't convert to HubSpot workflows one for one. Some automations should be rebuilt differently, and some should be retired.
- An integration inventory. Every tool connected to Salesforce needs an owner and a plan for reconnecting it to HubSpot. This is the step that most often gets discovered late.
- A tested cutover plan. Look for a test load, record-count checks, a short freeze window, a cutover date and a fallback point if something goes wrong.
- Support after go-live. Reps find the gaps in the first few weeks. Make sure the person who built it is still around to fix them.
- Clarity on who does the work. Ask who will be in the system day to day. The person who scopes the project should be the person who builds it, or at least the person who checks every piece of it.
Questions to ask before you hire
- How do you decide what we should not move?
- How will you check that the data landed correctly?
- Which of our current reports will look different in HubSpot, and why?
- What happens to each integration on cutover day?
- Who will I talk to every week, and who will be building?
- What does support look like in the month after go-live?
You'll learn more from how they answer than from a slide of logos. Good answers are specific and ask about your setup before they promise anything.
Red flags
- A fixed quote before anyone has looked at your org.
- A promise that HubSpot will do everything Salesforce did, the same way.
- No questions about your integrations or your reports.
- A senior person on the sales call and a different team on the project.
- No plan for the weeks after go-live.
How to tell if you're ready to hire someone
- You've decided HubSpot is the right fit (if you're not sure yet, start with signs it's time to leave Salesforce for HubSpot).
- You know your Salesforce renewal date.
- Someone on your team will own the CRM after the move.
- You can list the tools connected to Salesforce today.
- Leadership agrees on which reports have to survive the move.
FAQ
How long does a Salesforce to HubSpot migration take?
It depends on how much customization, history and integration you're bringing with you. Most of the time goes to the audit, mapping and testing, not the data load. I break down what drives cost and timeline in a separate post.
Should I hire a HubSpot agency or an independent consultant for a migration?
An agency brings a bigger bench, which helps with very large or multi-region moves. An independent consultant gives you senior, hands-on work from start to finish, which usually suits a 10 to 50 person sales team. More on that in freelance consultant or agency.
Does my migration consultant need to know Salesforce if we're leaving it?
Yes. Most migration problems come from things Salesforce was doing that nobody wrote down. You need someone who can find them before cutover, not after.
When should we start relative to our Salesforce renewal?
Start planning at least a quarter before your renewal date. That leaves room for the audit, a test load and a calm cutover instead of a rushed one.
If you're weighing a move and want a second opinion on scope, let's talk.
Eric Rodriguez spent 16 years running revenue and operations teams before building the systems behind them. He runs Scalable Operations, a Salesforce and HubSpot consultancy that does the hands-on work.
More about EricIs your CRM getting in the way?
Start with the free funnel check to see where deals stall. If you would rather talk it through, a 30-minute call is usually enough to tell whether I can help.