HubSpot CRM implementation & sales tools integration

When the company grows, it will ultimately need to structure its data. Dedicated software makes it easier to organize, manage and analyze contacts. One of the most popular, all-in-one choices is HubSpot. CRM implementation and functionalities of these platforms allow businesses to focus on automating work and growing sales.

I’m not only using HubSpot CRM but integrating, implementing and optimizing it. I prepare an entire strategy behind and do trainings for team members. – Roman Yakovchuk, SoftwareSupp Freelancer

Goals:

• Choose the CRM platform that meets the company's needs
• Set up the CRM and necessary tools
• Improve sales by automated cold email campaigns
• Store the interaction history in one place
• Match the pipeline structure and logic to the existing sales process
• Find a good approach for filtering the data inside the CRM

Company: GGK Grundbesitz

Project’s scope:

• Defining initial CRM setup (pipelines, custom fields, stages, labels)
• Importing data to CRM
• CRM audit and defining areas of improvement
• CRM setup
• Team training

Project’s time: 9h

Benefits of HubSpot CRM implementation

Unlike other CRM platforms, HubSpot offers a 100% free basic plan. It might be a perfect option for small or medium-sized businesses that have a limited budget or want to try the CRM in the company. It has some limitations, such as only five e-mail templates, HubSpot branding included or a limited segmentation list.

However, HubSpot offers different products. Depending on needs, companies can choose between so-called "Hubs": Marketing, Sales, Service, CMS and Operations. Each expands functionalities based on the selected plan (Starter, Professional, or Enterprise).

HubSpot CRM implementation gives a business a centralized database with contact segmentation. It helps to manage relationships, follow-ups with clients, download reports, forecast performance and simply grow sales. 

If you're looking to start with a CRM in your company, the best you can do is consult with a CRM Expert. They will advise you on what platform to use based on your specific needs and budget.

Reasons of HubSpot CRM implementation

The CEO of GGK Grundbesitz, a real estate company based in Germany, was looking for someone to guide them through the process of implementing a new CRM. Contactually, the platform they had been using previously, officially shut down in March 2022. They had over 10k+ contacts in the database that needed to be filtered and migrated. The main goal was to identify those relevant to their company.

Before the project started, the client was unsure what CRM to choose. He was thinking of HubSpot, but didn't know how it works or which plan to select. The budget for this project was limited, and the company needed someone to advise them and teach them how to use the platform.

HubSpot CRM implementation

After a short scoping session, the client decided to use the HubSpot CRM and their "Marketing Starter Hub" plan. The main reason for such a choice is the size of the campaigns. It would be impossible to handle so many emails through the "HubSpot Sales Sequences" in a short time.

Before the expert started HubSpot CRM implementation, he worked a little with the Excel database. It contained all the contacts that had to be imported. First, he filtered the list by selecting the most valuable contacts by postcode and location. It might sound easy, but there was a lot of manual work. In the end, out of 10,000 contacts, only 1,400 were imported. That means the company saved a lot of time by avoiding sending at least 8,600 emails to irrelevant people. Additionally, the more leads are imported to HubSpot, the more price grows. By filtering data manually in the first place, the freelancer could save some of the client's money.

The HubSpot expert set up the trial version, established deal stages and configured the pipeline automation. After that, he analyzed all valuable approaches to filter the database. The best option was automatically updated lists with predefined filters. Also, some filters were created and saved, so the customer can use them later.

HubSpot and Mailshake integration

At some point, as a result of the discussions with the customer, a new idea appeared. Why spend €360 per month for the HubSpot Marketing Starter plan if they could use a Mailshake. It's a cold mailing tool that gives them the functionalities they need for €41 a month. There was no reason to pay more, especially with the limited budget.

The company ultimately continued with a free version of the HubSpot CRM. The freelancer integrated the Mailshake, saving the client €319 per month.

Training session & after-sales support

After the HubSpot CRM implementation, the whole system and functionalities were tested. Once everything worked properly, the expert had a training session with the company's team members. He guided them on using the HubSpot, filtering the data, and setting up cold email campaigns.

The client received support after the first email campaign. An expert identified the challenge with a high bouncing rate. Mainly it was caused by a weak email addresses research and bounce testing. To reduce it, the freelancer suggested using sales tools like: Apollo.io, Snov.io, Hunter.io, Neverbounce.com, Zoominfo.com, and Zerobounce.net.

Summary

The basic HubSpot CRM implementation and integration of sales tools were completed in 9 hours. The customer got a ready-to-use system for managing client relationships and sending massive cold email campaigns. The expert could not only spend less budget than expected, but he also saved some client’s money for future operations.