poweredbycaffeine

☕️

AMA HubSpot: Automation and Hacks with 🔋 by ☕️

Title should be pretty self explanatory. I've been a HubSpot admin and owner for 4 instances, including 3 implementations.

As a Sales Leader and VP Revenue/Sales Operations I've had to build some very elegant automations to make my rep's lives easier. Less clicks = more compliance = everyone is semi-happy.

I am happy to chat through feature questions, workflow ideas, hacks, tips, tricks, etc that will make your or your teams happier in the pool of Orange Kool-Aid.

🤴 AMA

🎯 Career Development

🔥 Revenue

44 comments

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antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

TWO AMAs going on at the same time this morning! I love it! While I don't use Hubspot, nor have I ever used it... I would still like to know some of the best ways you have implemented systems within the CRM to make things efficient to pull reports(to minimize or eradicate micromanagement).

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

We spoiled

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

You do one now hahah... I mean with approval that is.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Don’t have the time to dedicate to one that you beautiful Savages deserve, unfortunately

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

Now, don’t lie

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

No lies, or no cap, as the kids say.

Between the baby, work, and all these dogs I don’t have the bandwidth

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I forgive you then. I totally understand the time commitment it could take. I'd just really be interested in asking you some questions eventually.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Making me feel all warm and fuzzy. Maybe some day.
But you know I'm a pretty open, if anon, book - so all y'all can feel free to ask away.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

Yeah, but the AMA experience makes it that much more fun. I was against doing one for the longest time.... mainly because I didn't think I had much to share about myself. I was pretty surprised by the engagement I got.

Sorry @poweredbycaffeine for making this into a thread hahahah

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

It all comes down to the data architecture. I've assumed ownership of some complete dumpster fires, largely fueled by the duplication of properties with slight spelling or syntax differences. Once is made by Sales, one is made by Ops, one is made by Marketing and they all collect the same info. Suddenly you have 4 workflows competing against each other that total out to null when you try to process the actions they are intended to fulfill.
The only way to build an effective CRM is to lockdown edit controls to specific admins and implement a continuous inspection process designed to knock out any duplicative efforts that will turn into infinite loops.

RandyLahey

Politicker

Account Executive

what is one thing that you see teams implement with HubSpot that is consistently wrong?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

There are several "wtf" actions that I come across, but if I had to pick the one that causes the most pain for all users it's user permissions.
I've seen two HubSpot instances where EVERYONE was an admin. This let anyone delete, create, or edit every object in the system. This obviously turns into sales manipulating data to their advantage, CS trying to change record layouts for their usecase, marketing just...being marketing...etc.
Rules-based access controls (RBAC) are part of the system for a reason. Implement them early, and maintain them forever.

RandyLahey

Politicker

Account Executive

This hits home in particular, we had a fraudster on our team a few years ago that would just blatantly transfer deals, open/close tickets...was a fucking mess.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

The audit logs are forever, but most users don't know or check that they exist in plain sight.

RandyLahey

Politicker

Account Executive

Yeah they got fired but it still took like 2 weeks. I was an SDR then but was still thinking why is it taking you so long to do this? Even I can see this log.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Thanks for volunteering to share your wisdom on this, PBC!
I know with SFDC, you basically HAVE to hire someone to handle implementation, and often manage the CRM. Is there a point at which HubSpot can become complex enough to require outside support?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

100%, and this is the reason for the rise of partners like RevPartners. They work with organizations that either A) are way in over their heads or B) need outside support to keep things in check while they hunt down appropriate RevOps talent.
Fix to this? Hire someone in RevOps before you hire a VP of Sales, or very close in succession. If you let the VP get too far down the road with half-baked data, reports, workflows, etc, it becomes very hard to unfuck.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Got it, thanks!
I feel like a lot of startups do NOT take this path..

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

Sales Rep

Since sales people hate change, how to you make sure there is good utilization especially from the older reps that are successful but have a "the old way is better" attitude

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Gamification/incetivization.
Leverage dashboards that track the "last updated date" properties on contacts, deals, etc. Use that to show reps they have X%/100% of their records up to date and give out rewards for top performers.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

Oh great question!

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

You have NO IDEA how badly I wish you were part of my company currently fixing the shit I'm going through 😆

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Can they hire him as a consultant?

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

I WISH THAT TOO

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

You know what to do.

BTQ

Politicker

Account Manager

What do you think of using Hubspot to dial? I personally don't use it to call but curious what you think

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

It's so easy to set up a number, or use your own, and implement click-to-dial. You can either call via the browser or have it route to your phone and then call out. I prefer the former.
Now, keep in mind that setting up a HubSpot calling plan is expensive. You could just get everyone a VoIP number from Google Voice or RingCentral and call it a day.

HappyGilmore

Politicker

Account Executive

As what it sounds like a long time user of HubSpot, what are some things within the platform you hope are available for use soon/on the roadmap?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

More control is provided to 3rd party developers (e.g. Salesloft) to build their own integrations. The HubSpot side of the integrations is often a legacy built from their acquisition of PieSync and then they were left to rot.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

I have been using SF for a long time; we have a separate business that uses HS and I am curious how to best leverage the automation e.g. some must have integration that has helped your reps ?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

That all depends on the workflows you are trying to achieve for your reps. It's hard to say "build out THIS", but a great one to start with is an aging-lead rotation workflow.
When a lead, that is assigned to a rep, goes X days without a logged sales activity it gets reassigned to another rep within the same team/segment.
$XXX,XXX marketing dollars are wasted each year on qualified MQLs that die in the aging pool because reps either A) forget about them or B) get "too busy" closing current deals.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

This is a good point about reassignment. Thanks.

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Why would one choose for HS over SF? I've only worked with SF so far so I'm just curious

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

This was going to be my question as well.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

$$$$$$ mostly.
Most pre-seed companies cannot afford SFDC on day one. HubSpot for Startups provides a ton of support to small co's, making it far more advantageous to invest in over SFDC.
Also, SFDC requires an integration partner and a hired SFDC admin--often certified--and they are expensive.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

I have a friend who works for Accenture, and I know they do consulting work on Salesforce implementation.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

They probably charge a billion an hour, too.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

When you come in and do implementation or ask to help automate the sales processes, what is the first thing you do Day 1?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Survey reality. Where does data come in, how is it transformed, and how is it executed on?
You cannot do anything unless you understand the flow from form fill/contact creation to the point that a rep works it/marketing nurtures it.
After you understand reality, you can start to offer a plan to overhaul.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

great point, thanks for the response.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

You build bots in there? If so, do you start the logic in another place? I find it freakishly difficult to work through the if this, then that, else when I hit 3-4 levels deep. Got a prescription for that brain damage?

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Well, my autopsy will eventually reveal a massive hole from the work I've done on miles-long workflows.
I start by writing out the logic on a whiteboard, often using real-world examples of what we want to happen. Then, convert the terms from your real-world terms into the properties or objects in HubSpot. Once that's done, start to build out the branches with the most simple transformations that are required to make the MVP. From there, start to build out the spiders and the "what if" scenarios.
Then I find a bottle of whistle pig and cry.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

And until mind reading automates, this is just what it freaking takes.

LambyCorn

Arsonist

A mfkn E

I reaally tried to understand HubSpot and learn how to use it.. is it worth trying to learn it or is it not that different from the other ones? My favorite CRM (which isn't a CRM) is Apollo lmao or good ol excel.. works better for me than Hubspot, as a CRM anways.. I know HS has other quirks like reports or marketing tracking

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poweredbycaffeine

AMA HubSpot: Automation and Hacks with 🔋 by ☕️

44 comments

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