Building a Culture of HubSpot Adoption with a Management Control Systems

At Real Inbound, we’ve learned that building a culture of HubSpot adoption is the key to unlocking the platform’s full potential. However, even with the best intentions, many organisations face what we call the HubSpot Adoption Gap—a gap that arises when the tools are in place, but the team isn’t fully utilising them.

This gap represents the space between having access to a platform as powerful as HubSpot and integrating it seamlessly into the day-to-day operations of your business. The solution? It lies in creating a culture of adoption and implementing Management Control Systems (MCS) that drive accountability, performance, and consistency in usage.

In this article, we’ll break down how you can foster a culture of adoption in your organisation and close the HubSpot Adoption Gap using effective management strategies.

The Role of MCS in Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap

Management Control Systems (MCS) refer to the formal procedures and processes managers use to monitor and influence the performance of an organisation. These systems play a crucial role in closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap by creating accountability, ensuring alignment across departments, and providing the tools needed to measure success.

By integrating MCS into your HubSpot adoption strategy, you can:

• Align team objectives with company goals.
• Track usage and adoption metrics.
• Identify gaps in training and knowledge.
• Encourage collaboration between departments.

At Real Inbound, we’ve seen first-hand how companies that embed MCS into their HubSpot adoption strategy are able to drive long-term success and close the gap more effectively.

Step 1 - Gain Leadership Buy-In for HubSpot and MCS

One of the first steps in closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap is ensuring that leadership is fully on board. Without leadership support, it’s difficult to foster the necessary cultural shift and implement MCS effectively.

Here’s how to get leadership on board:

• Show the benefits of HubSpot: Provide concrete data and case studies that demonstrate the ROI of HubSpot when fully adopted.
• Explain the role of MCS: Highlight how MCS can ensure accountability, improve performance tracking, and enhance decision-making by providing real-time insights into the team’s use of HubSpot.
• Emphasise long-term growth: Explain that full HubSpot adoption, reinforced by MCS, leads to streamlined workflows, enhanced collaboration, and improved customer experiences.

Once leadership is aligned with both HubSpot and MCS, they can champion the adoption process and set the example for the rest of the organisation.

Step 2 - Involve All Departments to Foster Company-Wide Adoption

The HubSpot Adoption Gap often occurs when only certain departments—like marketing—embrace the platform while others, such as sales or customer service, lag behind. MCS can help close this gap by ensuring that all departments are equally engaged and accountable.

Here’s how you can involve all departments:

• Marketing: Use HubSpot’s automation tools to track leads, nurture prospects, and measure marketing efforts.
• Sales: Leverage HubSpot’s CRM to track deals, automate follow-ups, and manage customer relationships.
• Customer Service: Implement HubSpot’s Service Hub to streamline customer support, manage inquiries, and improve response times.
• Operations: Use HubSpot’s reporting tools to monitor business performance and make data-driven decisions.

By involving every department and using MCS to track their progress, you create a culture of accountability where HubSpot becomes integral to everyone’s workflow.

Step 3 - Establish Clear KPIs and Monitor with MCS

To close the HubSpot Adoption Gap, it’s essential to set clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and monitor them using your Management Control System (MCS). This helps ensure that all team members are using HubSpot effectively and that their efforts are aligned with broader company objectives.

Here’s how to implement KPIs:

• Define KPIs for each department: Ensure that each department has KPIs that align with their use of HubSpot. For example, marketing can track lead generation, while sales can monitor deal closure rates.
• Integrate KPIs into MCS: Use MCS to track KPIs in real-time and provide feedback to managers on where improvements can be made. This also helps identify any adoption gaps early on.
• Hold regular review sessions: Establish a cadence for reviewing HubSpot adoption metrics through MCS dashboards, ensuring that performance is constantly monitored.

When teams understand how their HubSpot usage is being measured—and how it ties into the company’s overall success—they’re more likely to adopt the platform wholeheartedly.

Step 4 - Invest in Training and Enablement

A significant contributor to the HubSpot Adoption Gap is the lack of proper training. If your team doesn’t know how to use the tools available to them, adoption will remain low. This is where ongoing training, combined with MCS, can help.

Here’s how Real Inbound recommends addressing this:

• Customised role-based training: Provide training tailored to each department’s specific use of HubSpot. Sales training, for example, should focus on CRM features, while marketing training should cover automation and analytics.
• Ongoing learning opportunities: Offer continued training, webinars, and workshops as HubSpot evolves. MCS can help track who has completed training and identify areas where additional support may be needed.
• Create a HubSpot champion team: Assign internal champions from different departments who can support their peers, troubleshoot issues, and encourage adoption. Use MCS to measure the impact of their leadership and knowledge-sharing efforts.

By ensuring that training is continuous and measured through MCS, you’ll empower your team to use HubSpot confidently and effectively, closing the gap in the process.

Step 5 - Foster Collaboration Across Teams Using HubSpot and MCS

HubSpot is designed to break down silos between teams, but this only works if your organisation fosters a culture of collaboration. MCS can help track and encourage interdepartmental collaboration, ensuring that all teams are aligned and working towards common goals.

Here’s how to promote collaboration:

• Use HubSpot’s shared tools: Take advantage of shared dashboards, tasks, and timelines to ensure that marketing, sales, and customer service are all on the same page.
• Set shared KPIs: Align departments by setting KPIs that require collaboration, such as joint lead conversion goals for marketing and sales.
• Track collaboration through MCS: Use MCS to monitor how teams are collaborating and provide insights into areas where more integration is needed.

When collaboration is encouraged and measured through MCS, HubSpot becomes a tool that connects departments, ensuring that the HubSpot Adoption Gap narrows significantly.

Step 6 - Create Accountability and Celebrate Wins

Accountability is crucial for closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap, and this is where Management Control Systems (MCS) shine. MCS can track usage, monitor KPIs, and provide insights into which teams or individuals may need additional support.

Here’s how to create accountability:

• Set clear expectations: From the start, make it clear that HubSpot is the go-to tool for managing specific tasks, whether it’s tracking customer interactions or launching marketing campaigns.
• Track usage through MCS: Use your MCS to monitor how different departments are adopting HubSpot. This provides data that can be used to support teams that may be struggling.
• Celebrate wins: When your team achieves a success using HubSpot, celebrate it! MCS can track these wins and help you share success stories across the company, encouraging further adoption.

By using MCS to track accountability and celebrate successes, you’ll build a culture where HubSpot is seen as an integral part of your company’s operations, closing the adoption gap for good.

Step 7 - Encourage Continuous Improvement with MCS

Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap isn’t a one-time task. HubSpot is constantly evolving, and your team needs to evolve with it. MCS can help you foster a culture of continuous improvement by providing real-time feedback, tracking new feature adoption, and encouraging ongoing learning.

Here’s how to promote continuous improvement:

• Stay updated on HubSpot features: Encourage your team to stay informed about new HubSpot features and updates through regular training sessions and resource-sharing.
• Track adoption of new features with MCS: Use MCS to monitor how quickly new features are adopted and identify any gaps in understanding.
• Promote experimentation: Give your team the freedom to experiment with new tools or integrations within HubSpot. MCS can track the results and help you identify what works best for your business.

By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, supported by MCS, you’ll ensure that the HubSpot Adoption Gap stays closed and that your organisation continues to benefit from the platform’s full potential.

Ready to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap?

If you’re ready to foster a culture of HubSpot adoption and close the gap within your organisation, we’re here to help. Our HubSpot Adoption Gap Framework email series will guide you step-by-step through the process, showing you how to implement MCS and drive long-term success.

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