Buying HubSpot is easy. Getting it to work for your business is hard. Many companies spend thousands on the software, and 6 months later nobody is using it. Most CRM implementations fail for one of five reasons: the team won’t use it, the data is messy, you’re paying for features you don’t use, HubSpot doesn’t talk to your other systems, or nobody owns it after launch. Each one can be avoided.
| Problem | What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Low adoption | The sales team keeps using spreadsheets because the CRM doesn’t help them | Involve the team before you build and fix their biggest pain first |
| Messy data | Duplicates, missing names and old emails, so nobody trusts the system | Clean data before importing and set rules for adding records |
| Unused features | Paying for Professional or Enterprise but using only basic tools | Start small and upgrade when you’re ready |
| Disconnected systems | Stock and finance data live elsewhere, so answering one question takes 3 tabs | Connect HubSpot to the systems your business runs on |
| No owner | Nobody can change a property or fix a workflow once the agency leaves | Appoint a HubSpot champion and give them time |
Why does nobody use the new CRM?
Teams stop using a CRM when it doesn’t help them. You build what looks like a great system, but the sales team keeps working from spreadsheets or notebooks and HubSpot turns into a ghost town with no data in it. The fix is to involve the sales team before you build, and make HubSpot solve their biggest problem first.
Ask them about the pains in their current process and what the ideal world would look like. Then build HubSpot so it fixes that specific thing first. If the system helps them sell faster, they will use it. We cover this in more depth in why HubSpot adoption fails.
What happens when you import messy data?
If the data is bad, your team won’t trust the system enough to use it. Say you import thousands of contacts from an old system and end up with duplicates, missing names and old email addresses. Clean the data before you import it, and agree clear rules for who is allowed to add new records.
It is better to have 100 clean contacts than 1,000 messy ones. If you’re already living with duplicates, see how to fix data duplication issues, or our data migration service if you are moving from an old system.
Are you paying for HubSpot features you don’t use?
Many businesses buy HubSpot Professional or Enterprise because it sounds good, then only use the basic email tools. That means paying thousands of pounds every year for tools nobody touches: buying a Ferrari and driving it like a Ford. Start small instead, and upgrade when you are sure you’re ready to use the advanced features.
You can often start with the Starter tier, or with just one Professional Hub.
What happens when HubSpot doesn’t talk to your other systems?
HubSpot on its own is great for marketing, but if your stock is in your ERP and your finance data is in another system again, your team has to switch between 3 different tabs to answer one customer question. Don’t let HubSpot sit on an island. Connect it so all that data is in one place.
A single view of the customer changes everything, especially when your sales reps only need to use HubSpot. Cogent’s own OW Sync connectors link HubSpot with systems including OrderWise, Dynamics 365 Business Central, NetSuite, Sage 200, Xero and FreeAgent. See our integrations service and the guide to HubSpot and ERP integration.
Who owns HubSpot once the agency has gone?
If nobody inside the business owns HubSpot, it stalls the moment the setup project ends. You hire an agency to set it up, they leave, and nobody in the office knows how to change a property or fix a workflow. You need a HubSpot champion: one person on your team who becomes the expert, with time set aside to learn the system.
If nobody owns the CRM enough to keep it updated, it will soon get stuck in the past, and it won’t get used.
How does The Cogent Blueprint™ prevent these problems?
The Cogent Blueprint™ is the five-phase way Cogent delivers HubSpot projects, and each phase targets one or more of these failure points. It starts with The APPS Principle™ (Alignment of People, Processes and Systems), so the project is built around your team and processes, and it continues after go-live rather than ending at launch.
| Phase | What happens | Problems it addresses |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Diagnose | Before you sign: assess your business on The APPS Principle™, agree your starting Level, review every system you run and what it costs | Unused features, disconnected systems |
| 1 Confirm | Lock the scope, agree custom elements, map the data migration, set a user action plan | Messy data, low adoption |
| 2 Deploy | Build from proven templates, configure HubSpot’s AI with your business context, migrate data, connect systems, bring users in early to test, role-based training before go-live | Low adoption, messy data, disconnected systems |
| 3 Adopt | 60 to 90 days of enablement after go-live, led by a Client Enablement Manager | Low adoption, no owner |
| 4 Level Up | Review progress, then agree and price the next Level | Unused features, keeping the system current |
For a closer look at each phase, read implementing HubSpot properly or see our HubSpot implementation service.
Questions people also ask
Do we need HubSpot Professional or Enterprise to start?
Often not. Many businesses buy Professional or Enterprise because it sounds right, then only use the basic email tools. You can often start with the Starter tier or a single Professional Hub, and upgrade once you are sure you're ready to use the advanced features.
Should we clean our data before importing it into HubSpot?
Yes. Duplicates, missing names and old email addresses make your team distrust the system from day one. It is better to have 100 clean contacts than 1,000 messy ones. Clean the data before you import it, then set clear rules for who is allowed to add new records.
What does a HubSpot champion do?
A HubSpot champion is the one person on your team who becomes the expert in your portal. They know how to change a property or fix a workflow, and they keep the CRM up to date as the business changes. Give them time to learn the system, or it will soon get stuck in the past and stop being used.