Importing your data is one of the most critical components of your Mothernode setup, so we’ve prepared some information to assist you with this process.

Quick Summary

Before you begin, here are some helpful guidelines

• Your import file MUST be an XLS file.
• The XLS file can only have 1 Tab.
• Each Column = 1 Field.
• Each Row = 1 Record.
• Do not import merged fields.
• Spot check your data before importing.
  – Don’t import blank rows.
  – Make sure records are complete
• If you encounter data in your original export file that needs to be split into separate columns (Ex. contact full name that needs to be split into a first name and a last name column to match the Mothernode import template), please view Importing Tip: Splitting Text to Multiple Columns in Excel for further instructions.

Importing Vendor Data into Mothernode CRM

The data import process is the most important step in your implementation. Starting your Mothernode experience with clean and concise data is instrumental in your adoption process, ROI and overall CRM success. How you prepare and assemble your data will determine your overall experience and can impact your go live date.

Process Overview
The process is relatively simple, but the devil is in the details. Different data sources require different arrangements making some imports more time consuming than others in the preparation process, but no matter where your data comes from and what it looks like, it all needs to be assembled in our Microsoft XLS file for import. This is a general overview of the process.

1. Determine your data source(s) that you will use for your vendor data. If multiple sources are being considered, be sure to determine which source contains the most up-to-date and accurate information.
2. Add and assemble this data into the corresponding Mothernode XLS Files.
3. Mothernode will import these files into your account for review.
4. Final adjustments will be made after reviewing and we will repeat the import process, if necessary.

Data Sources
Before determining what your data source(s) will be, you need to become more familiar with the import process. Your implementation team will be importing two (2) Vendor related XLS import files into your Mothernode Account. These two files are Vendors and Vendor Contacts.

Vendors
These are your existing vendors or suppliers you purchase from or third parties you may contract with. Each Vendor must have at least 1 single contact with them who is referred to as the primary contact. If the vendor is an individual then the vendor name and contact can be the same.

Vendor Contacts
Secondary vendor contacts, or those other than the primary contact, can be imported using the Vendor Contacts template. The Vendor Contacts are listed within the vendor accounts and may represent different roles, like sales, accounts payable, customer service, etc.

IMPORTANT: When importing secondary vendor contacts, ensure that the vendor name used in the vendor contact import matches EXACTLY with a vendor’s name captured in the Vendors import template.

How it works
The default import templates are setup to illustrate this example. Let’s assume in this example that Mothernode is one of your vendors and there are 3 contacts within your Mothernode vendor account. The Vendor Import would include Mothernode and the primary contact. The Vendor Contact Import would contain the 2 additional Mothernode contacts.

Vendor Import
The vendor import list would include a single entry for Mothernode, regardless of how many contacts you have for that vendor record. (in this example we’re just displaying 3 fields; company, first name, last name)

Vendor Contact Import
The Vendor Contact import would include the balance of the Mothernode contacts for your Mothernode vendor record.

Once both lists have been imported (Vendors first, Vendor Contacts second) your Mothernode vendor record will include all 4 contacts.

        Mothernode

1. Ken Pearson
2. Justin Wilm
3. Jamie Geisler
4. Fred Wilson

IMPORTANT: When importing from multiple lists or data sources, in order for this to work correctly, the VENDOR NAME in the Contact List must match EXACTLY with the vendor name in the Vendor list. If one list refers to the customer as Mothernode and the other listing refers to the customer as MOTHERNODE, LLC., they will not pair correctly.

Preparing Your Data
When assembling your data from one or more sources and putting it into the Mothernode XLS templates, there are a few things you’ll want to pay attention to. Mothernode will help you organize your vendor records, but it’s up to you to determine what you want to import. This is your opportunity to declutter and dismiss dirty data. Here are a few tips you’ll want to consider when preparing your Mothernode CRM Data.

1. When selecting which data source to import from, consider the source with the most accurate information. Accounting programs like Quickbooks or Peachtree often contain the most accurate information.

2. When importing from multiple Outlook files, be sure to combine them into a single list. Once Outlook contacts have been consolidated, eliminate duplicates and contacts with little or no information.

Resources

 – DOWNLOAD MOTHERNODE XLS VENDOR TEMPLATE

 – DOWNLOAD MOTHERNODE XLS VENDOR CONTACT TEMPLATE

Cleaning Your Data
Once all your data has been assembled in the correct Mothernode XLS template, it will the perfect time to clean it. Eliminating junk data will enhance your Mothernode experience and help you generate more accurate reports. Here are some activities that you need to perform to prepare your data for import.

• Remove and/or consolidate duplicates into a single row.
• Make sure data is consistent, for example: state columns are all TX and not Texas and all phone numbers are a single, consistent format.
• Eliminate contacts and customers with incomplete information, such as missing phone numbers and addresses.

IMPORTANT: When moving data from your source file to the Mothernode XLS templates you MUST Match up your source data columns with the columns provided in the Mothernode Import Templates. Any fields that are consolidated in your source export will need to separated into their individual field columns. This is most common with Quickbooks exports of vendor files. The following example demonstrates how a vendor address would be displayed in Quickbooks export file and would need to be modified for the Mothernode XLS Template.

Quickbooks Vendor Address

Quickbooks consolidates the entire customer address into one field.

Mothernode Vendor Address

Mothernode splits each component of the address into a separate field.

Organizing Your Data
Using Mothernode CRM will enable you to manage your organized data to help you filter and report on records. If you don’t already do this, you may want to consider using the following columns in the XLS document to classify your customer and contacts.

Category
Use this field to categorize the relationship with your vendors
Examples: Wholesaler, Reseller, Service Provider

Short Cuts
And finally, there are a few shortcuts we’ve prepared to help make the data preparation process a little quicker.

Billing and Shipping Addresses
Mothernode allows you to enter a different billing and shipping address for your vendor. We’ve found that more often than not, these addresses are the same, so we’ve prepared a single column for each address subset that eliminates the need to add this redundant information. If the billing and shipping addresses are the same as the primary address then simply add the word YES in the columns titled BILLING_USE_DEFAULT and SHIPPING_USE_DEFAULT

Determining B2B and B2C
Sometimes you may have vendors who are a blend of businesses and individuals. Use the IS_INDIVIDUAL column (COL B) to define which classification your vendor is. If they are a business, enter NO in this column. If it is a individual, then enter YES.