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Partner Import - CSV

Importing Partners

Learn how to quickly add multiple partners to your Journeybee account by uploading a CSV file.

What is Partner Import?

The Partner Import feature allows you to add multiple partners and their contacts to Journeybee at once by uploading a CSV (spreadsheet) file. This is perfect for:

  • Migrating from another platform

  • Onboarding a new partner program

  • Bulk updating partner information

  • Adding partners from an existing database

Before You Start

Prepare Your CSV File

  1. Create a spreadsheet with your partner data (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar)

  2. Include at least these columns:

  • Partner/Company Name

  • Contact Email Address

  • A unique identifier (like Partner ID, Email Domain, or Company Name)

  1. Optional columns you can include:

  • Email Domain

  • Contact First Name

  • Contact Last Name

  • Contact Phone Number

  • Partner Tags

  • Contact Tags

  • Tier

  • Category

  • Stage

  • CRM IDs (if you use HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, or Attio)

  1. Save as CSV format (.csv file)

File Requirements

  • Maximum file size: 10 MB

  • Maximum rows: 5,000

  • Each partner must have at least a company name

  • Each partner should have at least one contact with an email address

  • All contacts for the same partner must use the same email domain

Example CSV Format

Company Name,Email Domain,Contact Email,First Name,Last Name,Phone,Tier,Tags
Acme Corp,acme.com,john@acme.com,John,Smith,555-0100,Gold,VIP,Enterprise
Acme Corp,acme.com,jane@acme.com,Jane,Doe,555-0101,Gold,VIP,Enterprise
Beta Inc,beta.com,sarah@beta.com,Sarah,Johnson,555-0200,Silver,Active

Note: In this example, Acme Corp will be created as one partner with two contacts (John and Jane).

Import Process

Step 1: Select Partner Type

When you open the Import Partners modal, you'll first choose what type of partners you're importing:

  1. Referral Partners - For affiliate or referral relationships

  2. Reseller Partners - For partners who resell your products

  3. Distributor Partners - For distribution relationships

Click on the partner type that matches your import.

Step 2: Upload and Map Your CSV

Upload Your File

  1. Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload area, or click to browse and select your file

  2. Journeybee will automatically analyze your file and suggest field mappings

  3. You'll see a summary showing how many rows were detected

Set Up Partner Identification (Required)

This step is critical - it tells Journeybee how to identify unique partners in your file.

  1. Find the "Unique Partner Column" dropdown

  2. Select the column that uniquely identifies each partner:

  • Recommended: Email Domain, Partner ID, or Company Name

  • This prevents duplicate partners from being created

  1. You'll see an example value from your file to confirm you selected correctly

Example: If you select "Email Domain", all rows with "acme.com" will be grouped as one partner with multiple contacts.

Map Your Fields

Journeybee automatically maps common field names, but you should review and adjust:

Contact Fields:

  • Email (Required) - The contact's email address

  • First Name - Contact's first name

  • Last Name - Contact's last name

  • Phone Number - Contact's phone

  • Tags - Comma-separated tags for the contact

Partner Fields:

  • Company Name (Required) - The partner's company name

  • Email Domain - The company's email domain

  • Tags - Comma-separated tags for the partner

  • Tier - Partner tier/level

  • Category - Partner category

  • Stage - Partnership stage

For each field:

  1. Click the dropdown menu

  2. Select the matching column from your CSV

  3. Choose "Unmapped" if you don't have that data

  4. Preview values appear in the third column

CRM Integration Mapping (If Applicable)

If you use HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, or Attio, you can map CRM IDs:

Partner CRM IDs:

  • Organization/Company ID from your CRM

  • This links partners to existing CRM records

Contact CRM IDs:

  • Contact/Person ID from your CRM

  • This links contacts to existing CRM records

To map CRM fields:

  1. Expand the CRM integration section

  2. Select your CRM system

  3. Map the ID columns from your CSV

  4. Leave unmapped if you're not syncing with a CRM

Distributor Mapping (Resellers Only)

If you're importing resellers and want to associate them with distributors:

  1. Find the "Distributor Mapping" section

  2. Select the column that contains distributor names or IDs

  3. Each reseller will be linked to their distributor

Custom Fields

If you've created custom fields in Journeybee:

  1. Scroll to the "Custom Fields" section

  2. Map any custom field columns from your CSV

  3. Custom fields are filtered based on your selected partner type

Options

Auto-create entities: When checked, Journeybee will automatically create tiers, categories, or stages that don't exist yet. We recommend keeping this ON for easier imports.

Step 3: Review and Import

Before starting the import, review your data:

Import Summary

Check the key numbers:

  • Partner Type - Confirms what you selected

  • Total Partners - How many unique partners will be created

  • Total Contacts - How many contacts across all partners

Preview Partners

Review the first 3 partners to ensure everything looks correct:

  • Partner names and email domains

  • Associated contacts with their details

  • Tags, tiers, and custom fields

  • All the data you mapped

Look for:

  • ✅ Correct partner names

  • ✅ Contacts grouped properly under their companies

  • ✅ Proper tag formatting

  • ✅ Tier and category assignments

  • ❌ Any missing or incorrect data

Import Warnings

Large Imports:

  • 500-999 partners: You'll see a yellow warning that import may take a few minutes

  • 1,000+ partners: You'll see an orange warning that import may take longer

These are just notifications - your import will still process successfully.

Send Invitations

Choose whether to send invitation emails to contacts:

  • ✅ Check this box to automatically invite contacts to your partner portal

  • ☐ Leave unchecked if you want to invite them later manually

When ready, click "Start Import" to begin.

Step 4: Processing

Once import starts:

  1. You'll see a progress bar showing how many partners have been processed

  2. Don't close the modal - it needs to stay open during import

  3. Large imports (500+) may take several minutes

The status will show:

  • Processing - Import is in progress

  • Completed - Import finished successfully

  • Failed - Import encountered an error

Import Results

When complete, you'll see:

  • Partners Created - Number of new partners added

  • Contacts Created - Number of new contacts added

  • Errors - Number of partners that couldn't be imported

Handling Errors

If some partners failed to import:

  1. Review the error list showing which partners failed and why

  2. Download the error report (CSV file) by clicking "Download Errors"

  3. Fix the issues in your original file

  4. Re-import just the failed partners

Common error reasons:

  • Duplicate partner already exists

  • Invalid email format

  • Email domains don't match for the same partner

  • Company not approved for partnerships

  • Missing required fields

Click "Close" when you're done reviewing.

Best Practices

Before Importing

✅ Clean your data first

  • Remove duplicate entries

  • Verify email addresses are valid

  • Ensure email domains match for contacts at the same company

  • Format phone numbers consistently

✅ Test with a small file first

  • Try importing 5-10 partners first

  • Verify the results look correct

  • Then import your full list

✅ Choose the right unique identifier

  • Email domain works best for most imports

  • Partner ID works if you have unique IDs

  • Company name works if all names are unique

During Import

✅ Review field mappings carefully

  • Check the preview values to ensure correct mapping

  • Make sure required fields (Name, Email) are mapped

✅ Keep the modal open

  • Don't close or refresh during import

  • Wait for the completion message

✅ Review the preview

  • Check that partners and contacts are grouped correctly

  • Verify tags are formatted properly

After Import

✅ Review the results

  • Check the number of partners created

  • Review any errors and fix them

  • Verify partners appear in your partner list

✅ Handle failed imports

  • Download the error report

  • Fix issues in your CSV

  • Re-import failed partners

✅ Send invitations if needed

  • If you didn't send invitations during import

  • You can invite partners manually later

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I update existing partners?

No, the import feature is for creating new partners. If a partner already exists in your account, it will be skipped with a "duplicate partner" error.

What happens if I have multiple contacts per partner?

Great! The import will automatically group contacts under the same partner if they share the same unique identifier (like email domain). Just make sure:

  • All contacts use the same unique identifier value

  • All email addresses use the same domain

Can I import partners without contacts?

While technically possible, we recommend including at least one contact per partner. Partners without contacts won't be able to access the portal or receive notifications.

What if my file has more than 5,000 rows?

You'll need to split your file into multiple imports. We recommend:

  1. Split into files of 2,000-3,000 rows each

  2. Import them one at a time

  3. Use consistent unique identifiers across all files

Can I undo an import?

No, imports cannot be automatically undone. If you need to remove imported partners, you'll need to delete them individually from your partner list.

Why are some partners showing errors?

Common reasons include:

  • Duplicate partner - Partner already exists in your account

  • Invalid email - Email format is incorrect

  • Email domain mismatch - Multiple contacts for same partner use different domains

  • Missing required fields - Partner name or contact email is missing

How do tags work in the CSV?

Tags should be comma-separated in a single cell:

  • ✅ Correct: VIP,Enterprise,Active

  • ❌ Incorrect: Multiple columns for tags

The import will automatically create tags that don't exist yet if "Auto-create entities" is enabled.

Can I map to custom fields?

Yes! If you've created custom fields in Journeybee, they'll appear in the mapping section. Just map your CSV columns to the corresponding custom fields.

What about CRM integrations?

If you use HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, or Attio:

  • You can include CRM IDs in your CSV

  • Map them in the CRM integration section

  • This creates a link between Journeybee and your CRM records

  • Not required - only use if you want CRM sync

How long does import take?

Import speed depends on file size:

  • Under 100 partners: Usually under 1 minute

  • 100-500 partners: 1-3 minutes

  • 500-1,000 partners: 3-5 minutes

  • 1,000+ partners: 5-10 minutes

Need Help?

If you encounter issues during import:

  1. Download the error report to see specific problems

  2. Check the FAQ above for common solutions

  3. Contact support if you need additional assistance

  4. Prepare your CSV file and error report to help us troubleshoot

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