How to Export Contacts from Nimble CRM

Managing your customer data is crucial for any business. Whether you're backing up your database, migrating to a new platform, or running in-depth analysis, knowing how to export your contacts from Nimble CRM is a fundamental skill. At Add to CRM, we're experts in CRM data management, and this guide will walk you through the entire process, step by step. We'll also show you how to go beyond simple exports and build fresh, verified contact databases to fuel your sales pipeline.

Why Export Contacts from Nimble CRM?

Exporting your contact list isn't just for leaving a platform. It's a vital task for healthy data management. Common reasons include:

• Data Backup: Creating regular backups of your contact data protects you from accidental loss.
• CRM Migration: Moving your data to a new CRM system requires a clean export.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Using spreadsheets or BI tools to analyze your customer base for insights.
• Bulk Updates: Exporting data to perform bulk edits in a spreadsheet before re-importing.
• Compliance & Audits: Providing data records for compliance with regulations.
• Team Handoffs: Distributing contact lists to sales teams for targeted campaigns.

Before You Export: Important Considerations

Data Privacy and Compliance

Remember that exported data is still subject to privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA. You are responsible for handling this data securely and in compliance with all applicable regulations. Ensure you have a legitimate business reason for processing the data and store the exported file in a secure location.

What Data Gets Exported

When you export contacts from Nimble CRM, you get the core contact fields that you can edit on a contact's record. This includes names, company info, email addresses, phone numbers, and custom fields. However, it's important to note that associated data like notes and email correspondence are not included in a standard contact export.

Export Limitations

Nimble CRM handles exports asynchronously. After you request an export, the system processes it and sends the file to your email address. The time this takes can vary from a few minutes to longer, depending on the size of your contact list. For extremely large databases, this delay is something to plan for.

Step-by-Step Export Process

Preparing for Export

For the most effective export, a little preparation goes a long way. We recommend cleaning your data first. Use Nimble's filtering and tagging features to create a segmented list. This ensures you only export the contacts you actually need, whether it's contacts with a specific tag or those in a particular city.

Exporting Contacts from Nimble CRM

Exporting your contacts is a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Contacts: From your Nimble CRM dashboard, click on the Contacts tab in the left-hand menu.
2. Select Your Contacts: Use the checkbox at the top of the list to select all contacts on the page. If you have more than 30 contacts, an option will appear to Select ALL contacts. You can also use filters or tags to narrow down your list before selecting.
3. Click Export: Once your contacts are selected, an Export button will appear at the top of the list. Click it.
4. Choose Your Format: You'll be given options to export as a CSV file, vCard, or directly to Mailchimp. For most use cases, CSV is the best choice.
5. Confirm the Export: A pop-up will ask you to confirm. Nimble will then process the file and email it to the address associated with your account. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it within a few minutes.

Export Format Options

• CSV (Comma-Separated Values): This is the most common format. It creates a spreadsheet-compatible file that you can open in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. It's perfect for data analysis, bulk editing, or importing into another system.
• vCard: This is a standard format for electronic business cards. It's useful if you want to import a single contact or a small list into an email client or another contact management app.

Working with Exported Data

Understanding Your Export File

When you open your CSV file, you'll see columns corresponding to the data fields in Nimble CRM. Each row represents a single contact. Take a moment to review the columns to understand how your data is structured.

Data Cleaning and Validation

Even with preparation, exported data can sometimes need a cleanup. Check for inconsistent formatting, remove duplicate entries, and consider using a validation tool to verify email addresses, especially if the data is old.

Common Issues and Solutions

• Formatting Errors: Sometimes, special characters or commas within a field can cause columns to misalign in your spreadsheet. Ensure your spreadsheet program is correctly interpreting the CSV format (usually UTF-8).
• Incomplete Data: You might find that some contacts are missing key information. This is a great opportunity to identify gaps in your data collection process.

Alternative Export Methods

Besides contacts, Nimble CRM also allows you to export your Deals and Activities from their respective tabs. The process is similar: navigate to the tab, select the data, and choose the export option. For developers or businesses with advanced needs, the Nimble API offers a more powerful way to programmatically extract data.

Building Fresh Contact Databases with LinkNimble

Exporting your existing data is great for management and backup, but what about growth? For active sales and marketing, you need fresh, accurate data. This is where relying on potentially outdated, exported lists falls short. Instead of just managing old data, you can build new, verified contact databases with our Chrome extension, LinkNimble.

Why Fresh Data Beats Exported Data

Contact data decays quickly. People change jobs, email addresses, and phone numbers. An exported list is a snapshot in time and becomes less accurate every day. In contrast, fresh data sourced directly from a professional network like LinkedIn is current and verified, leading to higher connection rates and better sales outcomes.

How LinkNimble Complements Your Export Strategy

LinkNimble is a Chrome extension that finds verified contact information from LinkedIn profiles and adds them directly to Nimble CRM. You can use your exported data to perform an audit of your current database, then use LinkNimble to enrich existing contacts with up-to-date information or, more importantly, to add brand-new, high-quality leads to your pipeline without any manual data entry.

Best Practices for Contact Data Management

Regular Export Schedules

We recommend setting a recurring schedule (e.g., weekly or monthly) to export your contacts for backup purposes. This creates a safety net and ensures you always have a recent copy of your data.

Data Security and Storage

Always store your exported files in a secure, access-controlled location, like an encrypted folder or a secure cloud drive. Never leave sensitive contact data on an unsecured device.

Keeping Data Current

Your CRM is only as valuable as the data inside it. Make data hygiene a regular practice. A great strategy is to supplement your existing database with fresh contacts sourced directly from LinkedIn using tools like LinkNimble, ensuring your pipeline is always full of current, relevant leads.

Common Export Use Cases

CRM Migration

When moving to a new CRM, a full contact export is your first step. The CSV file serves as the foundation for mapping data fields and importing your contacts into the new system.

Data Analysis and Reporting

Export your contacts to a spreadsheet to perform deep analysis. You can create charts, pivot tables, and reports to identify trends, segment your audience, and measure the health of your database.

Team Distribution

Need to assign a specific list of leads to a sales rep? Filter and export that segment, then share the file with them for a targeted outreach campaign.

Compliance and Auditing

If you're subject to a data audit, having a clean, timestamped export of your contacts can be essential for demonstrating compliance with data protection regulations.

Building Your Next Contact Database

While exporting is a necessary function, the future of sales is in proactive prospecting. LinkNimble offers a modern way to build your contact database. Instead of working with old data, you can instantly find verified emails and phone numbers for prospects on LinkedIn and add them to Nimble CRM with a single click.

Getting Started with LinkNimble

1. Install the extension: Get the LinkNimble extension from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Navigate to a LinkedIn profile: Find a prospect you want to connect with.
3. Find contact info: Use the extension to reveal their verified email and phone number.
4. Add to Nimble CRM: Click one button to add the new contact directly to your CRM, complete with all their profile information.

LinkNimble vs Traditional Data Sources

Compared to a static, exported list or a purchased data list, the contacts you acquire through LinkNimble are significantly more valuable. The data is sourced in real-time, ensuring it's up-to-date and accurate, which means less time wasted on bounced emails and wrong numbers.

Conclusion

Knowing how to export your contacts from Nimble CRM is a key part of effective data management. It allows you to back up, analyze, and migrate your most valuable asset. But to truly drive growth, you need to focus on acquiring fresh, high-quality data.

By combining smart export practices with modern prospecting tools, you can maintain a clean, secure database while actively filling your pipeline with verified leads. Ready to stop tedious data entry and start building a better contact database?

Try LinkNimble for free today!