Moving your lot off spreadsheets.

Save an untouched copy of every source sheet with its date. Name one person to prepare the working copy and one person to check it against cars and customer records. Avoid editing several copies at once.

• Duplicates: compare cars by VIN and stock number, and contacts by email and phone. Review likely matches by hand. Two people can share a phone number, and similar names do not prove they are the same buyer.
• Phone formats: choose a consistent format, keep the country code where needed and separate extensions. Keep phone columns as text so the spreadsheet does not change their values. Flag missing or doubtful numbers instead of filling them with guesses.
• Stock numbers: keep leading zeros, remove accidental spaces and resolve reused numbers. Check that the number on the sheet belongs to the car on your lot.
• VINs: keep them as text, remove stray spaces and compare uncertain entries with the vehicle or its paperwork. Do not invent a VIN to make a row pass validation.

Separate purchase cost from asking price, and confirm what each date means. “Date” might mean acquired, entered or sold. Rename the column before someone maps it to the wrong field.

Move the records the team needs for current work first. Set aside abandoned drafts, duplicate contacts, old formulas and columns nobody can explain. A CSV carries values, so do not expect formulas, colors or tabs to become CRM behavior.

Keep older records in a clearly named, access-controlled archive. Leaving them out of this import does not mean deleting them. Keep contact restrictions visible when you move an active record, and do not treat an old inquiry as a fresh reason to contact someone.

Check the destination's template before exporting. Match its headers, date format and accepted values. Put a missing field on a review list rather than squeezing it into an unrelated column.

This is a working plan for a small, prepared set of records, not a promise that any migration fits in a day. If the checks fail, keep the old system active until you have resolved them.

• Opening: save the source files, agree on the records in scope and choose a cutoff time. Keep a separate note of new inquiries and changes that arrive during the move.
• Morning: clean duplicates and identifiers, map the columns and import a small sample. Include a record with a blank optional field and one with notes, so you see how both appear.
• Before lunch: compare the sample with the source. Check VINs, stock numbers, contact details, dates and money. Work out how to undo the sample before importing the rest; do not import it twice.
• Afternoon: import the remaining records, resolve reported errors and compare row counts. Open several records with the person who checked the source. Add the changes collected during the move.
• Before closing: assign active leads, confirm each person can find their work and make the old sheet read-only once checks pass. Write down who fixes problems the next morning.

Show a salesperson how to find a car, open a lead, record a call and set the next action. Have them do it themselves with a checked record. Show the inventory owner how to update status and asking price. Teach each person the work they do today.

Run the morning conversation from the new records. If a lead has no owner or a car has the wrong status, correct it there. When managers still ask for a separate spreadsheet, the team has a reason to keep two versions alive.

For the first week, keep a short issue list and review it daily. Separate a missing habit from a missing field. Fix the few things that stop people doing their jobs before adding more process.

Motorvar has CSV imports for inventory, customers, leads and past deals. Use the template for the record type you are importing. Inventory fields include VIN, stock number, year, make, model, trim, mileage, exterior color, body style, drivetrain, transmission, fuel type, status, acquisition date, acquisition cost, list price and notes.

Customer imports accept first name, last name, email, phone and notes. Lead imports accept name, email, phone, source, stage, notes and inquiry date. Those are separate imports; a single mixed sheet needs to be split into the right templates.

Inventory CSV import includes undo. Its preview shows which imported cars will be deleted, archived or left alone. Cars already worked on can be archived, and cars with a deal or wholesale stay in place, so undo is not a promise to erase every later change. Keep your source backup.

• How fast should you answer a car lead?
• What ADF lead emails are and why they matter